schedule | essay writing resources | evaluating student work |

Schedule and Grade Value of Assignments [return to top]

As the due date for each assignment draws near, I will circulate detailed assignment sheets in class (and here on the course website), outlining the nature of the assignment, sources, methods, goals, etc. It is critical that you also enter a valid e-mail address in your “MyConcordia” account in order to receive important messages.

The assignment sheets will also be posted below: the title of the assignment will become an active hyperlink pointing to a PDF document.

The list of assignments, and their respective proportion of the overall grade, are as follows:

FIRST PAPER: Identity, Evolutionism, Extinctionism

• maximum of 4 pages, double-spaced, 12 pt font. (Times New Roman), 1-inch margins on all sides (5 points deducted for incorrect format)

• name on the paper, pages numbered (5 points deducted otherwise

• based entirely on course readings and lectures

• submitted in class

• value: 25% of the final course grade

• marked out of 25 points

• Assigned: January 20

• Due: February 3

SECOND PAPER: “Real” Indians, “New Settings”

• maximum of 4 pages, double-spaced, 12 pt font. (Times New Roman), 1-inch margins on all sides (5 points deducted for incorrect format)

• name on the paper, pages numbered (5 points deducted otherwise

• based entirely on course readings and lectures

• submitted in class

• value: 25% of the final course grade

• marked out of 25 points

• Assigned: February 17

• Due: March 10

THIRD PAPER: Anthropologists and Indigenous Peoples

• maximum of 4 pages, double-spaced, 12 pt font. (Times New Roman), 1-inch margins on all sides (5 points deducted for incorrect format)

• name on the paper, pages numbered (5 points deducted otherwise

• based entirely on course readings and lectures

• submitted in class

• value: 25% of the final course grade

• marked out of 25 points

• Assigned: March 17

• Due: last day of class, April 7, (will be returned if students drop off their final paper in person, see next assignment below)

FOURTH PAPER: Indigenous Resurgence Struggles

• maximum of 4 pages, double-spaced, 12 pt font. (Times New Roman), 1-inch margins on all sides (5 points deducted for incorrect format)

• name on the paper, pages numbered (5 points deducted otherwise

• based entirely on course readings and lectures

• submitted in the instructor's office, H-1125-11, between 5:00pm and 6:00pm, or, dropped off in the mailbox marked FORTE, Dept. of Sociology & Anthropology, anytime before 5:00pm.

• value: 25% of the final course grade

• marked out of 25 points

• Assigned: April 7

• Due: April 21

 

Please Note the following Class Policies:

No late work is accepted in this course. Any work that is late is automatically assigned a grade of zero. Only in extreme cases will late work be accepted, pending full and original documentation, and the final decision rests with the instructor.

Arrangements for Late Completion should be negotiated and arranged with the instructor before final grades are due. Only the most compelling reasons, with convincing documentation, can be considered. Please keep in mind that the instructor will most likely not accept requests for late completion.

There will be no supplemental work.

Do not call the main office for course-related inquiries.

Please avoid coming to class late as other students have regularly complained about the disruptions that this can cause, especially when it is a regular occurrence and students enter the room at all times.

 

Resources for Writing Essays, Citing and Referencing Sources [return to top]

Please take the time to review and use the following resources which will be of benefit to your work:

1. Dictionaries, Encyclopedias & Almanacs

2. How to Write a Research Paper, see also The Sundance Reader.

3. Concordia Academic Integrity Website--keep in mind that since these policy documents are being made available, you will not be able to plead ignorance of the regulations.

4. AVOIDING PLAGIARISM--please read this.

5. Penalties for plagiarism

6. For the purposes of our course, we will use this citation guide. Please ensure that you follow this document especially when writing your references and preparing your bibliographies--please use the parenthetical reference + reference list option as explained and demonstrated in the guide.
    

How Student Work is Evaluated in this Course [return to top]

For all work done in this course you will receive a numerical grade which will be converted to a letter grade when final grades are processed. To translate numbers into letter grades, please consult the following chart, which is copied from a faculty handbook in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology. It is vital that you understand that the characterizations below (i.e., “excellent”) are central in guiding the instructor’s evaluation of the quality of a paper. In other words, students who feel they deserve an “A” are burdened with explaining why they think their work is “excellent.”

A paper that covers all of the basics, in a reasonably competent fashion, without major flaws, is deemed “satisfactory.” One that has few flaws, and shows an advanced understanding, writing and analytical ability is deemed “very good.” A paper that leaves virtually no room for improvement, demonstrating that the student has taken considerable initiative, showing sophisticated understanding and ability, is deemed “excellent.”

In general, student work is assessed in the following manner. Student assignments are evaluated in comparison with each other, normally done by the instructor assembling a random sample and highlighting the best elements of each paper, which then forms the template by which papers are judged. The paper(s) that come(s) closest to achieving the highest standards for student work will receive the highest grades. Students are evaluated on the extent and depth to which they have utilized assigned readings (when applicable). Students are also evaluated on their ability to successfully apply key course concepts to their own writing. Analytical and conceptual clarity (the argument does not contradict itself repeatedly, the writer stays focused, any concepts used are defined, concepts are related to one another when applicable, pros and cons are considered, assertions are supported with evidence or logic), are vital elements of a paper deemed to be “very good” or better. Structure, logical organization, and effective writing are of substantial importance. In the case of research papers, students that demonstrate having taken initiative by covering a reasonably wide and diverse range of sources will be appropriately rewarded.

Specifically, this is the structure for assessing points for your papers (marked out of 25 points):

ESSAY FORMAT: 3 points maximum

• just having an Intro., Conc., paragraphs = 1 point

• point for a strong, comprehensive introduction (none for an average introduction)

• point for a good concluding paragraph that does more than just summarize or repeat, one that reserves some of the most important insights based on the work presented
   

LOGICAL ARGUMENT: 4 points maximum
Qualities to look for:

• clear argument, that is consistent and without contradictions

• follows the outline of the question (does not not reduce the question, does not reinterpret the question to mean something entirely different, addresses all components of the question)

• non sequiturs should count for a deduction of at least 1 point

• no generalizations from a single case

• does the structure of the argument support the author's intentions?
   

CONCEPTS: 6 points maximum

• shows understanding of the key concepts used in the course, relevant to that particular paper

• used the concepts that were necessary to answer the question

• more advanced work may refine the concepts, challenge the integrity or utility of the concepts, raise issues concerning the ways that concepts are used in particular theories
   

SUBSTANTIATION: 12 points maximum

• evidence, simply put

• fairly detailed, good examples, relevant support from course materials

• judicious selection of materials needed to answer the question

• shows evidence of having grasped key course content

• more advanced work will raise questions, problems, insights concerning course materials

Academic Regulations

Section 16 (Academic Information: Definitions and Regulations) of the Undergraduate Calendar will be strictly administered – particularly on deadlines, Failing Grades,  Administrative Notations, Late Completions=‘INCompletes’ (Grade/INC),  ‘Failed No Supplementals’ (FNS), ‘Did Not Writes’ (Grade/DNW). Make sure you get a copy of the undergraduate calendar, also available online at http://registrar.concordia.ca/calendar/calendar.html, and read that material.