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Course Requirements

    
   

The grade for the course is made up of the following components:

an explication de texte; value: 15% (1,250 - 1,500 words)
regular, in-class, short-answer quiz questions; value: 15%
a mid-term test of concepts and key ideas; value: 20%
a final research paper; value: 35% (3,500 - 5,000 words)
class participation; value: 15%

Explication de texte

The explication de texte must include:

brief explanations of the main concepts of the text
brief explanations of the main theses, or claims, of the text
an analysis, or assessment, of the cogency of the evidence, reasons, or support for the text's main theses, or claims

For your explication, select a chapter from one of the two course texts:

Lévy, Pierre. Collective Intelligence: Mankind's Emerging World in Cyberspace. Translated from French by Robert Bononno. New York: Plenum Trade, 1997.
Edwards, Paul N. The Closed World : Computers and the Politics of Discourse in Cold War America. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1996.
Due: 16 October.

Short-Answer Quiz Questions

Following the introductory class, short-answer quiz questions will be posed each week. The answers will require only about three or four sentences. Each of the best six of a total of ten quizzes will account for 2.5% of the 15% proportion of the course grade for this assignment. The quiz questions will be based upon the readings, which will be announced in class.

There will be no make-up quizzes for missed classes for reasons other than those accepted for "Late Assignments & Missed Tests".

Mid-Term Test

13 November: an in-class test, 100 minutes, testing concepts and key ideas from the readings and the lectures.

Final Research Paper

For topics, click here.

DUE: 4 December

The paper will be graded according to the following criteria:

quality of analysis
validity and depth of criticisms and judgements
logical organization & coherence
literacy (absence of errors of grammar, spelling, and style)

UWO's Student Development Centre has an Effective Writing Program to assist you in writing  successful essays. Click here to explore the services offered by the Centre.

Class Participation

Students will gain credit for:

in-class discussion;
CAUCUS discussion;
links to web sites relevant to the course;
attendance.

Late Assignments & Missed Tests

The only acceptable reasons for late assignments or missed tests are:

Documented medical reasons: this means a letter from a medical doctor stating explicitly that you were physically unable to sit an exam or complete a university assignment on a specific date. It is not enough just to present a note saying that you visited a doctor or clinic.
Documented participation in an official UWO sporting activity: this requires a letter from your team coach stating that you were representing UWO in a sporting event against an external team, or were on tour at the time of a test. This excuse is not valid for late term assignments.
Documented attendance at the funeral of a relative or friend, or exceptional family crisis: this requires a letter from UWO Student Services.
Religious holidays, as defined in the Academic Calendar.

Make up tests, if necessary, will be scheduled during the exam period, 10-21 December 2000. There will be no alternative to the time and date specified by the instructor.

Late term assignments without documented excuses as specified above will have 2% of the total course mark deducted per day late, and will not be accepted more than 1 week late. The assignment will be considered received on the date stamped by the FIMS office, regardless of weekends, holidays etc. It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of assignments to protect against loss or theft.

To submit as your own the unacknowledged use of text from other authors is plagiarism. It is a serious offence. It will therefore be dealt with according to the established UWO procedures for Scholastic Offences, detailed in the Academic Calendar. If you are unclear as to what constitutes plagiarism, consult your instructor.

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Research Papers Grade Guidelines

Page last updated: 17 Nov 2000