| 1. |
Contacting
Professor Cousineau –
The easiest way is by email (click here).
If you would like to write down her email address you
may find it in the syllabus (click here).
If you wish to speak with her during office hours, go to
the Academic Technology Center, Room 234, or telephone
her at extension 7304 (from off campus: 617-928-7304).
Her office hours are on the first page of the syllabus
for this course.
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| 2. |
Study
hours each week –
Please keep in mind that the relationship between hours
in class and hours of study is the opposite of what it
was in high school. In college the average student
spends 15 to 18 hours a week in classes. That's a lot
less than in high school. And yet college is a lot
harder than high school. This is because college
students have to do a lot of work on their own. The
general rule is that, if you want to get an A, you
should spend three hours studying for every hour
in class (except for lab sciences or studio classes,
where more of the work is done during class). So for
this course, this would be the plan:
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If you want an A, study nine hours per week;
If you want a B, study six hours per week;
If you want a C, study three hours per week;
If you want a D, study fewer than three hours.
(Please be aware that aiming for a D is risky,
since it is too easy to flub one exam and end up
with an F.)
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| Study
time includes: |
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Doing the reading
assignments
Writing answers to the study questions
Making up and studying index cards
Meeting with a study group (if you want to)
Meeting with a tutor (if you want to)
Reviewing class notes
Reviewing for exams |
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| 3. |
If
you lose the syllabus –
You have two options: Ask Professor Cousineau
for another one or click here
to see it on the website. The sylabus web page has a
link that you may click on to get the syllabus in a
format that can be easily printed.
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| 4. |
If
your book is lost –
Unfortunately, this means that you need to go to
the book store and buy a new one. Books are expensive, but they are necessary for passing
a course. Try not to let this happen to you. Pay attention to where your
books are at all times. When you are not studying or in
class, keep all your books in a safe place.
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| 5. |
Grading
the assignments (study questions) –
Study questions are graded according to the
following criteria, in order of importance:
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1. |
There
needs to be evidence that the student did the
reading assignment. Read the chapter or article before
you write an answer to the question, and include
examples from the book in your answer. An answer
that does not appear to be based on the reading
will receive a zero. |
|
2. |
Do
not copy word-for-word from the book. That is plagiarism
and will get you a zero for the answer. |
|
3. |
It
helps if the answer to the question is correct.
A student who gives evidence of having read the
assignment but gets some of the information
wrong will get a fairly good grade. A student
who gets the information right will get an even
better grade. |
| 4. |
Use
correct grammar and spelling. This is a small
part of the grade, but it's important. |
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| 6. |
Making
up a test?
Generally tests may not be made up. However, you
may appeal this rule by speaking with the professor
about the reason for your absence. The decision of
whether to allow a make-up is made on a case-by-case
basis.
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| 7. |
Studying
for tests –
The short tests consist of two parts: 10 multiple
choice questions based on definitions and examples of
concepts and an open-book essay. The best way to prepare
for both the short tests and the exams is to do so in
advance, by keeping up with the material each week. Use
the "study guide" link at the top and bottom
of every page on this website. Clicking on a specific
date will open a window that contains both the key
concepts (linked to definitions) related to that week's
topic and the study questions for the required written
assignment.
A good way to stay on top of
the concepts is by making flash cards with
3-by-5-inch index cards - the term on one side of the
card, the definition and examples on the other.
For the essay part of the tests and
exams, it is important to
keep up with the reading assignments and study
questions. That way you will be familiar with the books
and will be able to find information quickly.
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| 8. |
Early
scheduling of the final exam –
This is against the policy of the college and
should not be done. Professors who schedule the final
exam at times other than those scheduled by the
registrar are creating problems for everyone. Sometimes
students miss an exam and get an F because they are
confused by the change. Other students end up having two
or three exams on the same day without adequate time to
study.
If students have a problem with the
time that the exam for this course is scheduled,
Professor Cousineau may be able to allow a small number to take their exam at the time of one of her
other courses. Students who wish to exercise this option
must speak with her in advance.
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| 9. |
Interviews –
Three of the written assignments are based on
short interviews that you will conduct with students who
are not taking this course, following a questionnaire
that will be giving out in class. During a later
discussion, students will share information from each of
their interviews (without mentioning anyone by name). In
this way, we will expand on the course by bringing in
the experiences of a variety of people
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| 10. |
The
Relevance of this Course
A great part of the value of a your degree from
Mount Ida College is that all programs include liberal
arts courses. Even an elective course is an important
part of your education.
An educated professional is a person
who can think "out of the box" – that
is, someone who has a variety of cognitive skills. The
assignments for this course provide for the
development of skills that will be valuable
to those who hope to go far in any profession.
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| 11. |
The
wrong group –
The easy answer to this question is change
groups! Sometimes students are amazed at the great
difference in the environment of each small group
– not only in terms of work patterns,
but also in the dynamic that develops among individual
personalities. One group may be just right for one
person and totally wrong for another.
But sometimes it happens that the
student is no happier with the new group than with the
old one. In that case, there is
another possible solution: When you talk with other
students outside of class, you will get a sense of which
ones have attitudes and study patterns that are similar
to your own. Form an
out-of-class study group with these students. That way
you will find out if they are really compatible with you. If
they are, you may then ask the instructor to allow this
study group to serve as your discussion group in class.
Don't get locked in to a group that
isn't right for you. The only time when it is too late
to change groups is when the class is over. But the
sooner you make the change, the greater the chance you
have of finding a group that you can work with.
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| 12. |
Distracting
classmates –
Make an appointment to speak with the professor
about this. She will talk with you about how to handle
the problem in such a way that no one will know you
complained.
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| 13. |
Finding
out how you are doing in this course –
You may speak with Professor Cousineau during
office hours to find out your average, or you may
calculate it yourself. For this course you need to wait
until you have received the midterm exam to get a
realistic assessment of your grade. Double the midterm exam
grade and it to and the first test grade and your
average on the assignments and divide the total by 4.
(Please note that missed tests or assignments should be
counted as zero and averaged in with the rest.)
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| 14. |
Improving
your grade –
If you are concerned about your grade, make an
appointment to talk with the professor about it. She can
let you know what your average is so far, and can make
specific suggestions tailored to your own needs and the
amount of time available to you.
An important thing to know is how the
grade is calculated. You may find this information on
the second page of the syllabus. For a preliminary
calculation see # 13 above. If you are not sure
about how to do the calculation, see Professor Cousineau
during her office hours.
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| 15. |
Extra
credit –
Extra credit is a complex issue, (1) because it
is no replacement for learning the course material, and
(2) because it can create an unfair advantage, since the
student who is given extra credit is being graded by
standards that are different from those for the rest of
the class. There are two ways to get extra credit in
this course, and they are available every week: (1)
Write a one-page essay (typewritten, single-spaced) on
what you were thinking about in relation to a class.
Some students find this easy to do after a video is
shown. (2) Meet with the instructor for extra help.
This may improve your grade in two ways: (a) Ten points
are
added to the grade of your next quiz for each extra help
session,
so that the more frequently show up, the
more extra points you will accumulate;
(2) the help you receive will improve
your understanding of the course material, thus
improving your performance on quizzes and exams.
In addition, there are bonus questions
included with each of the written assignments, which may
add up to ten points to your grade for the week.
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| 16. |
Grading
the exams –
The midterm and final exams have the
same format:
10 questions, 2 points each, on
matching concepts with definitions
5 true-false questions, 3 points each,
based on the reading assignments
5 multiple-choice questions, 3 points
each, matching concepts to examples
2 concept identifications, 10 points
each, involving writing definitions of concepts in full
sentences, and giving specific, detailed examples
1 essay question (a choice of 1 out of
3), 30 points
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| 17. |
Making
up the midterm exam –
Make-ups are given only under special
circumstances, to be determined on a case-by-case basis,
and may be longer and more difficult than the original
exam.
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| 18. |
Midterm
warning –
Midterm warnings do not become part of a
student's permanent record. They are a "heads
up," a way of letting a student know that he
or she may be headed for a low final grade or even an F.
If you receive a midterm warning grade in any of your
courses, make an appointment right away to speak with
the instructor. You need to find out the reason for the
grade and ask for suggestions for improving your overall
average as soon as possible.
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| 19. |
Why
the final grade is called "final" –
It is called "final" because that
means it cannot be changed. There are two exceptions:
(1) the professor made a mistake in calculation, and the
student was really supposed to get a higher grade; (2)
the student missed the final exam for a serious reason
and will be allowed a make-up.
However, "need" is not the
basis for a grade. A student who has to maintain a
particular grade average in order to stay in school
needs to get extra help in his or her courses from the
beginning of the semester. Once the final grades are in,
it is too late to do anything about them.
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| 20. |
How
to get a good grade in this course –
Do the readings on time each week.
Use the study guide on the website each week.
Make up index cards on the concepts and review them each
week.
Take notes during classes, including discussion classes,
and go over the notes later that day and just before the
next class.
Consider meeting with the professor to go over the readings, to work on the study
questions, and to review before exams. Talking with someone about the things you are
learning helps you to learn more. Asking questions of
someone who knows a lot about the material helps you
even more. (This is not "kissing up."
This is common sense.)
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| 21. |
What
you missed when you were absent –
Sometimes students don't realize how insulting it is
to ask a professor, "Did I miss anything?" It suggests that
there are days when nothing important goes on in class.
It is better to ask, "May I make an appointment
with you to
go over what I missed?"
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| 22. |
The
attendance requirement –
Attendance is required because, when it is not,
a lot of students skip class. This is a problem for two
reasons: (1) They are missing information related to
exams and assignments; (2) the other students are
missing their input. This class involves a lot of
discussion and interaction. Each person's presence is
valuable, even if a person is not speaking but is
listening to others. Late arrivals are a problem because
they are disruptive. Students coming in late distract
other students who are listening to a lecture. And on
discussion days, it is an even bigger problem, because
it is hard to set up the small groups when a lot of
people are missing for part of the class and then come
in when the discussion dynamic has already started. They
may say things that have already been said, or not be
able to contribute to the discussion at all because they
missed part of it. This is why points are taken off for
absences and for late arrival.
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| 23. |
Absent
when sick –
You may be excused from a class without penalty
if you are sick. However, in order to be fair to all
students, it is best if you have some evidence of your
illness. For example, if you saw a doctor, nurse, or
other health professional, bring a note or an
appointment slip. If you are excused from the class, you
will not lose points for that class or for handing in
study questions when you come back to class. However, you will need to make
an appointment with the instructor when you get back to
go over the material that you missed.
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| 24. |
Death
in the family –
You may be excused up to one week for the death
of a close relative. You will be excused from the study
questions for that week. However, you will need to make
an appointment with the instructor when you get back to
go over the material that you missed.
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| 25. |
Religious
holidays –
If you wish to be excused from class for a
religious holiday, you must give the professor, one week
before the holiday, a one-page typewritten essay
explaining the meaning of it. (Be careful not to
"fudge" it. Professor Cousineau's research
area is the sociology of religion, and she knows
a lot about different religious traditions.)
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| 26. |
Other
Questions –
Please
let Professor Cousineau know by email
if you need other information or if you would like
to suggest other questions to add to this page.
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