Reading responses (30%). This assignment incentivizes timely completion of reading and preparation for class discussion. After completing the assigned reading as directed in the syllabus, you will submit a response to one of the associated reflection questions of their choice. To receive full credit, the submission must meet the following criteria: (1) 150 to 300 words in length, (2) directly responds to one associated discussion question, (3) directly and accurately references (with authors, dates, and page numbers) the minimum number of reading(s) required for that meeting, and (4) submitted in advance of the course meeting. Responses must be thoughtful, but they need not be highly polished. A full rubric is available on each submission page. You must submit seventeen reading reflections, with twenty-two opportunities to do so. Late submissions will be accepted up to two weeks after the relevant course meeting but can maximally score 70%.

Discussion Participation (25%). This course requires both regular attendance and regular contributions to class discussions. You should plan to attend the vast majority of class meetings (90%+) and speak during most meetings (60%+). You will receive a preliminary participation grade around the time of midterm reports, and an updated participation grade at the end of the term. Students concerned about their ability to routinely participate in class (including owing to absences) should speak with me as soon as possible. While I am happy to find alternative ways for students to demonstrate active engagement during the course, I will not accommodate pleas or excuses raised only at the end of term.

If you are unable to attend a course meeting, you can avoid an attendance penalty by completing additional work. This work is intended to cover material that you would have reviewed through class discussion. Generally speaking, this make-up assignment will involve completing an additional reading and applying it to answer a secondary discussion question, distinct from your reading response. The make-up assignment appears on the relevant course meeting page. You can complete this make-up assignment for up to two weeks following the missed class meeting.

Term Assignment (45%). Throughout the course, students will work on a term assignment culminating in a presentation during the final course meetings. The final presentation will last 20-25 minutes, with up to 5 additional minutes for questions.  Students will choose among three project types: (1) a book review, (2) national election tracking, or (3) a data analysis project. Regardless of project type, you will complete multiple several smaller assignments in support of the final presentation. Unless otherwise noted, students may request an extension in advance of the deadline via the extension request form on the assignment submission page; extension requests do not require justification but do require a newly proposed submission deadline within one week of the original deadline. Submissions received more than 24 hours after the deadline (including extended deadlines) will maximally score 70%.

• Project type selection (1%). You will need to confirm which final project option you plan to pursue, why you selected this option, and what your goals are for the term assignment. This submission comes early in the course.
• Project pre-approval (3%). Each project type requires some form of pre-approval for the presentation topic, as well as submission of a student-generated timeline for tasks required to complete the project (e.g., chapters read, news articles read, data cleaning complete). Reflecting the varying levels of detail and effort required to complete the pre-approval submission, deadlines for this submission vary by project type.
• Bi-weekly updates (8%). At pre-determined two-week intervals throughout the course, you will report the progress you have made on the project since the last update, any problems or roadblocks you have encountered for which you want additional support, and (where applicable) whether you are on schedule based on the timeline you proposed and how you plan to catch up. Extension requests are not allowed – if you are running behind, just say so!
• Student support hours visit (2%). At least once during the course of the project, you must attend student support hours to discuss the project. You can and should choose the visit timing strategically to make the visit both useful and convenient for you.
• Slide submission (1%). To facilitate efficient use of class time, you must submit your presentation slides by midnight preceding your presentation. Extension requests are not applicable or available, except in extreme circumstances (illness or emergency).
• Post-presentation reflection and self-assessment (25%). After your presentation is complete and you receive feedback from the instructor and your peers, you will reflect on your performance during the project (what you accomplished and learned) and the presentation (how you conveyed what you accomplished and learned). You will assess a grade for the project based on these considerations.
• Peer feedback (5%). You are required to provide substantive, constructive feedback for each presentation, identifying one thing each presenter did well and one area where they could improve. I will attempt to reserve class time to complete this feedback, but you must submit this feedback within 24 hours of the end of class if the allotted time proves insufficient. To ensure thoughtful and relevant feedback, late submissions are not accepted. I will anonymize this feedback and return it to the presenter.

Grade Dispute Procedure: To dispute grades, you must submit a regrade request via email within the dispute window. The dispute window starts 24 hours after students receive the returned graded assignment and ends 72 hours after students receive the returned graded assignment. The regrade request must include a specific description of where and why I should have awarded additional points. I will not accept generalized requests to regrade assignments without this specific description. Upon regrading, I can either raise the grade, lower the grade, or keep it the same.

Final Grade: When evaluating final grades, I will round your weighted average to the nearest whole number and assign a letter grade based on this breakdown: A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F = 0-59.

Course Engagement (45%)

Reading responses (25%). This assignment incentivizes timely completion of reading and preparation for class discussion. After completing the assigned reading as directed in the syllabus, you will submit a response to one of the associated reflection questions of their choice. To receive full credit, the submission must meet the following criteria: (1) 150 to 300 words in length, (2) directly responds to one associated discussion question, (3) directly and accurately references (with authors, dates, and page numbers) the minimum number of reading(s) required for that meeting, and (4) submitted in advance of the course meeting. Responses must be thoughtful, but they need not be highly polished. A full rubric is available on each submission page. You must submit seventeen reading reflections, with twenty-two opportunities to do so. Late submissions will be accepted up to two weeks after the relevant course meeting but can maximally score 70%.

Discussion Participation (20%). This course requires both regular attendance and regular contributions to class discussions. You should plan to attend the vast majority of class meetings (90%+) and speak during most meetings (60%+). You will receive a preliminary participation grade around the time of midterm reports, and an updated participation grade at the end of the term. Students concerned about their ability to routinely participate in class (including owing to absences) should speak with me as soon as possible. While I am happy to find alternative ways for students to demonstrate active engagement during the course, I will not accommodate pleas or excuses raised only at the end of term.

If you are unable to attend a course meeting, you can avoid an attendance penalty by completing additional work. This work is intended to cover material that you would have reviewed through class discussion. Generally speaking, this make-up assignment will involve completing an additional reading and applying it to answer a secondary discussion question, distinct from your reading response. The make-up assignment appears on the relevant course meeting page. You can complete this make-up assignment for up to two weeks following the missed class meeting.

Term Assignment (55%). Throughout the course, students will work on a term assignment culminating in a presentation during the final course meetings. The final presentation will last 20-25 minutes, with up to 5 additional minutes for questions.  Students will choose among three project types: (1) a book review, (2) national election tracking, or (3) a data analysis project. Regardless of project type, you will complete multiple several smaller assignments in support of the final presentation. Unless otherwise noted, students may request an extension in advance of the deadline via the extension request form on the assignment submission page; extension requests do not require justification but do require a newly proposed submission deadline within one week of the original deadline. Submissions received more than 24 hours after the deadline (including extended deadlines) will maximally score 70%.

• Project type selection (1%). You will need to confirm which final project option you plan to pursue, why you selected this option, and what your goals are for the term assignment. This submission comes early in the course.
• Project pre-approval (2%). Each project type requires some form of pre-approval for the presentation topic, as well as submission of a student-generated timeline for tasks required to complete the project (e.g., chapters read, news articles read, data cleaning complete). Reflecting the varying levels of detail and effort required to complete the pre-approval submission, deadlines for this submission vary by project type.
• Bi-weekly updates (10%). At pre-determined two-week intervals throughout the course, you will report the progress you have made on the project since the last update, any problems or roadblocks you have encountered for which you want additional support, and (where applicable) whether you are on schedule based on the timeline you proposed and how you plan to catch up. Extension requests are not allowed – if you are running behind, just say so!
• Student support hours visit (1%). At least once during the course of the project, you must attend student support hours to discuss the project. You can and should choose the visit timing strategically to make the visit both useful and convenient for you.
• Slide submission (1%). To facilitate efficient use of class time, you must submit your presentation slides by midnight preceding your presentation. Extension requests are not applicable or available, except in extreme circumstances (illness or emergency).
• Post-presentation reflection and self-assessment (35%). After your presentation is complete and you receive feedback from the instructor and your peers, you will reflect on your performance during the project (what you accomplished and learned) and the presentation (how you conveyed what you accomplished and learned). You will assess a grade for the project based on these considerations.
• Peer feedback (5%). You are required to provide substantive, constructive feedback for each presentation, identifying one thing each presenter did well and one area where they could improve. I will attempt to reserve class time to complete this feedback, but you must submit this feedback within 24 hours of the end of class if the allotted time proves insufficient. To ensure thoughtful and relevant feedback, late submissions are not accepted. I will anonymize this feedback and return it to the presenter.

Grade Dispute Procedure: To dispute grades, you must submit a regrade request via email within the dispute window. The dispute window starts 24 hours after students receive the returned graded assignment and ends 72 hours after students receive the returned graded assignment. The regrade request must include a specific description of where and why I should have awarded additional points. I will not accept generalized requests to regrade assignments without this specific description. Upon regrading, I can either raise the grade, lower the grade, or keep it the same.

Final Grade: When evaluating final grades, I will round your weighted average to the nearest whole number and assign a letter grade based on this breakdown: A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F = 0-59.

Course assignments fall into four main categories: 

1. Attendance
2. Participation
3. Unit reflections
4. Collaborative learning projects

Attendance (10%): You should plan to attend most class meetings (90%+). In case of absence, I do not need to know why you are missing class. I do, however, need to see evidence of substantive engagement with course material from the class you missed within one week of the absence if you expect to avoid penalties. The page for each course meeting will detail the requirements to demonstrate this engagement in case of absence.

Participation (6%): I want to hear from you during class, outside of collaborative learning projects. To make participation easier, the readings pages in Canvas indicate what you should focus on while reading to prepare for discussion. You need to participate at least six times over the course of the term outside of collaborative learning projects. You can participate either by responding to or posing a question. You will receive a preliminary grade around midterm and an updated grade at the end of the term. Students concerned about their ability to participate should speak with me as soon as possible. While I am happy to work with you to find the best ways for you to participate, I will not accommodate pleas or excuses raised only at the end of term.

Unit Reflections (24%): This course contains six substantive units, each of which addresses a central guiding question. For each unit, you must submit a reflection of 250-350 words integrating materials covered during that unit. The reflection should contain the following:

• at least four specific references to course material
• (where applicable) at least one reference from a reading assigned during that unit
• at least one reference to a study your group selected during the unit's collaborative learning project(s)
• at least one reference to a study or a presentation from another group during the unit's collaborative learning project(s)

A full rubric is available on reflection submission pages; this rubric considers response length, appropriate and meaningful references to course material, organization and clarity, and integration of empirical evidence. I will drop your lowest two grades, only one of which can be a zero. You may request an extension of up to three days using the extension form on each submission page; you must request the extension in advance of the deadline. Reflections received more than 24 hours after the deadline (including extended deadlines) will receive a maximum grade of 70%.

Collaborative Learning Projects (60%): Grades within this category encompass both product evaluation and process evaluation at both the individual and group level.

• Individual Product Evaluation (20%): For each collaborative project indicated in the syllabus, you will submit an individual contribution. A full rubric is available on  submission pages; this rubric considers whether you have fully answered each question using appropriate and accurate information from the article you selected. While the syllabus specifies deadlines for these individual contributions, groups may choose to set earlier deadlines; students who fail to meet group deadlines will likely incur consequences during peer evaluations. Each student can miss one individual contribution during the course with prior permission from their group; groups must coordinate to approve these non-submissions because only one student in each group may skip an individual contribution for a given collaborative project. There are no extensions for individual contributions, as extensions will inhibit the group’s ability to complete its collective product. Individual contributions received more than 24 hours after the syllabus-indicated deadline will receive a maximum grade of 70%; students can also expect such late submissions to adversely affect peer evaluations.
• Group Product Evaluation (20%): For each project, the group will give a presentation with slides submitted before class begins. A grading rubric for the presentations are available on slide submission pages; this rubric considers proficient use of slides/visual aids, organization, and content (accurate, relevant, and complete responses to questions posed for the group submission). You will receive feedback and grades for the first two group submissions (1A & 1B), but they will not contribute toward your final grade. This “learning period” allows groups to work through initial problems and build understanding of expectations prior to evaluation. For the third and subsequent projects (#2 onwards), presentation grades will contribute toward your final grade.
• Process Evaluation (20%): You will submit two group work evaluations during the course. The first evaluation, completed at approximately midterm, will be formative: this evaluation provides a preliminary assessment to let students track progress and identify areas for improvement, but it will not contribute to final grades. The second evaluation, completed at the end of term, will be summative; in other words, the data collected during this evaluation will form a component of your final grade. The percentage points for process evaluation are evenly split between peer evaluation (how your peers rate your efforts and contributions for collaborative projects in the final evaluation) and self evaluation (how you rate your own efforts and contributions for collaborative projects in the final evaluation). Out of the 20 percentage points for this component, I will deduct one points for each 24 hours that passes after the process evaluation submission deadlines (both midterm and final) without a complete submission. You will receive anonymized, aggregated feedback from other group members submitted during both the midterm and final evaluations. When completing these evaluations, you should be honest but constructive.

Grade Dispute Procedure: To dispute grades, you must submit a regrade request via email within the dispute window. The dispute window starts 24 hours after students receive the returned graded assignment and ends 72 hours after students receive the returned graded assignment. The regrade request must include a specific description of where and why I should have awarded additional points. I will not accept generalized requests to regrade assignments without this specific description. Upon regrading, I can either raise the grade, lower the grade, or keep it the same.

Final Grade: When evaluating final grades, I will round your weighted average to the nearest whole number and assign a letter grade based on this breakdown: A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F = 0-59.
 

Your final grade will be assigned as a letter grade according to the following scale:

A          90-100%

B          80-89.99%

C          70-79.99%

D          60-69.99%

F          0-59.99%

The weights of the assignments are built into their point totals. This means that to calculate your grade you can simply add up the points you earned on the assignment and divide by the total potential points up to that point in the semester. 

1. Weekly writing prompts and exercises (30%)
2. Midterm 1 (20%)
3. Midterm 2 (20%)
4. Final Exam (20%)
5. Attendance (5%)
6. Participation (5%)

            Requirement                                        Marks               (%)

            Participation/Attendance                       200                   20

            Group Presentation                                200                   20

            Reading Reports                                     300                   20

            Policy Memo                                          300                   40

            Total                                                    1,000                100

Requirement                                         Marks               (%)

Participation/Attendance                   200                   20

First test                                                300                   30

Group Project                                        200                   20

Second test                                            300                   30

Total                                                    1,000                100