Q. What is your attendance policy?
A. Show up. The official university standards for attendance are in effect. There will, however, be no formal roll taken. I assume you are a grown-up who is capable of making good decisions about being in class. I will circulate a roster each day, but except in the case of flagrant absences I generally do not reduce grades based on attendence alone. That being said, your contributions to the larger scholarly and classroom community are important. You are expected to be contributing presence on days where we have scheduled discussions, debates, and other activities involving group interaction.
Q. How should I study?
A. Methods vary. As a general rule, it is crucial for you to keep up with the reading. You should take very careful notes as you read the online texts, assigned books, and other readings. While reading you should think about (and remember) when this text was being produced, under what circumstances, and for what audience. You should be able to answer basic questions about the Who, What, When, Where, and Why explained in the context. You should pay special attention to explanations of causal factors and contributing forces, to critical watershed moments when basic ideas and institutions get redefined, and to an event or person's impact on later history. You should also take careful notes of class discussions and group work.
Q. Why are there no grade percentages listed for the major assignments?
A. So you can play to your strengths and work on improving other areas without getting deeply penalized. You will be allowed to determine percentages for each assignment, according to some basic but flexible guidelines. These will be sealed up in a secret envelope that I will not look at until the day I calculate your final grade.