Getting
in Touch
E-mail: melissas@stanford.edu
Office Phone: 724-6278
Home Phone (10am-10pm only): 707-889-0424
Mailbox: IHUM front office, Bldg. 250
Online
Section Website: http://www.stanford.edu/~melissas/worldhistoryofscience
Facebook Groups
LiveJournal Communities
Course Wiki: http://worldhistoryofscience2008.pbwiki.com (password ihum6ab)
Welcome
Section is your chance to let the rest of the world (within our small
confine) know how you feel and what you think about the works we are
reading and watching. It's a chance to share excitement, delight, disgust,
brilliance, and confusion, to disagree and to learn from each other.
General Course
Requirements
First paper 20% (200 points)
Second paper 25% (250 points)
Final exam 30% (300 points)
Section participation/attendance 25% (250 Points)
Section Guidelines
Section Participation Breakdown:
Participation in Classroom Community: 10% (100 points)
Group Presentations: 5%
(50 points)
Participation in Online
Community: 5% (50 points)
Question Swarm Questions: 5%
(50 points)
Participation in Classroom Community (100
points)
Participation in each class session is essential. You should each
come to class prepared to actively engage one another and the course
materials on the critical issues we will be addressing. I anticipate
that the focus of this section will be discussion and not lecture,
so its quality depends upon your willingness to participate. If you
come to class unprepared, or unwilling to actively participate in section
discussion, you might as well be absent and I will count you as such.
Be sure to bring the relevant texts every week so you're armed for
battle. Attendance is mandatory and more than two absences will substantially
lower your final course grade. I will be keeping track of both the
quality and quantity of your contribution to class discussion. If you
are particularly shy, you may partially compensate for your reticence
by writing responses to class discussion in our online community (at
least 200 words). Please contact me if you intend to take this route.
Group Presentations (50 points)
Twice during the semester you will be asked to lead class discussion
(usually with two other students). This will entail presenting your
own thoughts on the day's topic, asking questions of your classmates,
and facilitating discussion.
Groups should prepare a twenty-minute presentation or directed
discussion highlighting the most important themes from
the reading and asking provocative questions. They also expected
to prepare a handout for the class on key terms
or topics from the reading. This handout should be posted to the
class wiki. Feel free to be as creative as you like.
Your group will be responsible for posting one discussion
seed question on the class forum by 5PM the Monday before
your discussion day (Group 4 please see me). Questions should reflect
analysis and critical response to the readings. They should include
a pertinent quotation or concept from the text, and be developed
out to at least 100 words.
You will sign up for your first group presentation on the first day
of class. Groups will meet with me the week before their presentation.
Participation in On-Line Community (50 points)
This class is designed to be highly interactive, both in terms
of class discussion and in terms of media. To this end, each class section
has a dedicated LiveJournal Forum in which each student must take part.
By eight pm the day before section, you will need to reply to
the discussion seed questions posted by that day's presentation group.
Your response should be critically considered, show an engagement with
the class texts and topics, and be at least 125 words in length.
I also encourage everyone to use this forum to continue discussion
outside of section, to pose questions, raise concerns, or point out
particularly interesting quotations or topics. Such contributions will
be considered a form of class participation.
Question Swarm Questions (50 points)
On days that we do not have group presentations, you will each be
asked to bring in a brief question, observation, or reflection on the
day's reading, recent lectures, or class in general. These should be
no longer than a paragraph and are to be typed and handed in on a half-sheet
of paper at the beginning of class. I will randomly select from these
topics for the day's discussion. Keep in mind that although you must
sign your submission in order for it to count for course credit, you
may remain anonymous to your peers. Has something angered you? Shocked
you? Delighted you? Do you need clarification on something from the
reading? This is your chance.
Late Work
Late assignments will not be accepted except in very special circumstances.
If you feel that your situation qualifies, contact me as soon as possible
and certainly before the assignment is due.
Final Word
Welcome! I hope that you enjoy this course and that we can work together
to make it a positive experience for all of us. Feel free to contact
me (as above) if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about
the works we are reading/viewing, or class in general.
|
