ANTH 303 Indigenous Cultures Today  
Assignments, Course Requirements, POLICIES, and Standards of Evaluation

schedule | recommended resources | 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 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 in the table below: the title of the assignment will become an active hyperlink pointing to a PDF document.

DOWNLOAD FREE ADOBE PDF READER

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

ASSIGNMENTS

GRADE

1. Class Participation (instructor’s impressions of your class presence and input)

15%

2. Take-Home Essay Question (for all materials covered from Sept. 4 through Oct. 4)
Take-home exam sheet presented in class, Thurs., Oct. 4

Due Tues., Oct. 18 in class, at the start of class

25%

3. Short Research Essay
See the list of possible topics at the end of the printed syllabus and below

Due Tues., Nov. 20, in class, at the start of class

25%

4. Final Exam (covering all materials presented from Oct. 9 through Nov. 29)--questions will be distributed on Nov. 20
Wednesday, December 5, 9:00am to 12:00pm, H-509

35%

Total

100%

Please Note the following Class Policies:

Most due dates are on days when class is scheduled—you are strongly advised not to miss class to work on your assignments, as this will impede your work for subsequent assignments and reduce your participation grade.

Mid-term exam papers will be accepted after the due date only with the presentation of a medical note that clearly indicates the period of the sickness.

All other late papers will receive a 5% deduction for each day late, including weekends and holidays.

Where extensions for assignments are not negotiated in advance (“my hard drive was wiped clean” and “my computer is in for repairs” are not acceptable reasons), only medical certification will be accepted as a valid reason for delayed submission of assignments. Otherwise, 5% of the particular grade for that assignment will be deducted on each day (weekends included) that the assignment is late. No supplemental work will be afforded to students receiving failing grades purely from a lack of course participation and the timely submission of work.

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. As a rule, if you are more than 15 minutes late for class, please do not enter.
 

Recommended Resources FOR THE RESEARCH ESSAY [return to top]

Journal Databases, Periodicals

Websites, News

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.

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.