This is not a traditional lecture class. You are responsible for doing most of your coverage of the material for the class independently, using the text and the materials provided by your instructor. Your instructor is available to you during class times and office hours, as well as via any email contact you need or desire.

The materials for study are found in your text, and in Campus Cruiser (in shared files and required links for this class). It is expected that you will access all of these materials, and that you will print out at least the study guides available through Campus Cruiser.

Class meets twice each week.

• Tuesday is topics day. On this day, your instructor will use part of the class time to discuss aspects of the material you should be covering that week. You should bring any concerns and/or problems you are having with the material assigned for that week to class. We will discuss any issues raised, and I will help you solve any difficulties you are having. Some weeks I may provide some study aids, such as informal, non-graded quiz activities, etc., to stimulate discussion. Follow the weekly schedule indicated in the course Calendar and the Weekly Topical Schedule to keep yourself on pace. Don't skip these classes--they are important.
  
  
• Thursday is discussion day. Attendance during these discussions is required. There are a total of eleven discussions (and eleven discussion assignments). Each discussion assignment is worth fifteen points, but you must be in class for the entire discussion to earn any points for these assignments. You must turn in your discussion assignment in class on the day of the discussion, before the discussion begins. Do not be late to Thursday's class, because if you arrive after we've begun the discussion, you will not be allowed to turn in your assignment. At the end of the semester, your lowest discussion assignment grade will be dropped. You may not drop a discussion assignment for which you did not receive a grade. (In other words, if you miss a discussion day or fail to turn in your discussion assignment for a week, you must count that zero grade.)

No new material is assigned during Exam Weeks. You are expected to use the time leading up to your exams for catching up and review. Tuesdays of Exam Weeks will be Review days in class. Exam reviews are question and answer sessions in which you ask any questions about material with which you are having trouble.

Part of each exam is a take-home. Deadline rules for take-homes are very strict. No take-home exams are accepted after the deadline has passed. So pay attention to those deadlines.

During one week early in the semester, we will spend both class days in the library. These days are required, and a point penalty of 15 points per session will be assessed for failing to attend. There will also be a small extra credit assignment available for completion so those who attend will have the opportunity to earn a few bonus points. This assignment will not be made available to students who do not attend the library sessions.

You should choose at least a tentative topic for your paper early in the semester. Part of our library week will involve help with the research part of this project, and you don't want to waste that time by having no idea what you are looking for.