Class FAQ
Readings and Assignments
• When should I have the reading assignment completed?
• What is your policy on late papers?
• What is your policy on late Participation Assignments?
• Can I e-mail you my Participation Assignment if I wasn’t in class when it was due?
• Where do I find a copy of the next Participation Assignment?
• How do I submit the Analytical Essay?
Exams & Quizzes
• What if I will be out of town during an upcoming exam?
• I didn’t do so well on the midterm. Is it worth it for me to continue or should I drop the class?
• It’s nearing the date of the exam and I have missed a few classes. Can I get you to go over everything in your office hours?
• What if I missed class and there was a pop quiz!?
Attendance & Missing Class Meetings
• I missed class today, did we go over anything important?
• What do I do if I miss a class?
• I have two absences already, but this time I’m really sick and have a doctor’s note! Do I still lose attendance points?
• Does being tardy count against me for attendance points?
• What if I miss an important screening?
• How do I get a hold of screening materials to view or review?
Grading
• The grade on my assignment/exam is not the same as the one posted in the Gradebook. How do I fix the discrepancy?
• How can I raise my grade in the course?
• I just realized I have a “c” in the class after the final exam. How can I get the 10 extra points I need to get a “b”?!
Contacting Me
• What is the best way to get a hold of you outside of class?
• What if I still have questions about a topic or the readings after class is over?
Readings and Assignments
• When should I have the reading assignment completed?
All of The readings should be completed before the first class meeting for that particular topic. For instance, on Monday, February 9th we will begin our discussion of Pop Culture Audiences. Before Monday’s class meeting, you should have the articles read and be prepared to answer the reading questions as part of our class discussion.
• What is your policy on late papers?
Late papers will be accepted, but unless you contact me in advance, all late papers will be automatically docked 10 points. You have until one week after the initial due date to submit the paper. So if the paper is due on Wednesday, April 22nd, you have until Wednesday, April 29th to submit a late paper with the 10-point deduction. After the 29th, no more papers will be accepted.
• What is your policy on late Participation Assignments?
The participation assignments are created to get you to do some analysis on your own and enhance participation, and cannot be turned in late, for any reason. If you miss class, you miss your chance to submit a participation assignment. I highly encourage you to attend all class meetings so you do not miss the opportunity to submit these assignments. If you miss, you forfeit the 5 points of the assignment. On the plus side, it’s only 5 points. You can make that up with more participation in class. Just be sure to get those other participation assignments in, as together they are 25 points.
• Can I e-mail you my Participation Assignment if I wasn’t in class when it was due?
No, participation assignments are in-class submissions. E-mail submissions are not permitted. If you were in class and didn’t bring the assignment with you for some reason, contact me.
• Where do I find a copy of the next Participation Assignment?
I will post participation assignments up a week before they are due, generally. They will be on Blackboard in the “Assignments” section. The due dates for the assignments are on the syllabus.
• How do I submit the essay?
You will be submitting the essay online using blackboard’s Turnitin.com tool. More information on how to use the tool and how to verify your submission is available on blackboard in the Assignments/Analytical Essay folder.
Exams & Quizzes
• What if I will be out of town during an upcoming exam?
Please let me know a couple weeks before the exam day so that I can schedule a time and place for you to take the exam.
• I didn’t do so well on the midterm. Is it worth it for me to continue or should I drop the class?
No, don’t’ drop! The midterm exam is weighted 100 points so that even if you fail the exam, you have a good chance of getting a passing grade, even a B, in the course. Many students who do not do well on the first exam go on to score in the A and B ranges on the subsequent assignments with some hard work and dedication. if you haven’t done as well as you’d hoped on the first exam, there are a few things you can do to improve your scores:
1) Focus on the readings and participate more
2) Turn in a rough draft of the analytical essay so that you can be sure to get the most points for that assignment
3) Contact me to go over anything you are unclear on during class discussion
4) Make an appointment before the final exam to go over the study guide.
• It’s nearing the date of the exam and I have missed a few classes. Can I get you to go over everything in your office hours?
It is highly unlikely (and also unfair to ask) that I would take weeks of material and present it to you in the space of one office hour. Your responsibility as a student is to get notes from a classmate after you miss class, go over the notes, the readings, and Powerpoint document, and then come to me with any questions you may have. If, after doing these things you need clarification, I will gladly provide it in the office hour or by e-mail if that is convenient, but you must do your due diligence first.
Ask questions that illustrate that you are already informed by the readings and notes, such as “Why does Radway think romance novel readers are “emotionally needy”? rather than “What are you expecting us to know about romance novels for the exam?”
• What if I missed class and there was a pop quiz!?
What’s that old saying? “You miss school, you miss out!” Pop quizzes are generally rare, but if they occur they are always under 5 points and if you aren’t in class, you miss the opportunity for those points.
Attendance & Missing Class Meetings
• I missed class today, did we go over anything important?
This is my ultimate professor pet-peeve. Please don’t ask me this question! Yes, we did go over something important. From my perspective, Everything from the beginning of class until the end was important! It is, after all, my job….See the next FAQ “What Do I Do if I Miss a class?”
• What do I do if I miss a class?
#1 – Get notes
You don’t have to contact me if you miss class, but you should definitely contact a fellow student (via email, in person, or on the class message board) to ask if anyone is willing to provide you with copies of notes from the day you missed. If you are finding students reluctant to respond to you, contact me and I will make sure someone provides you with notes.
#2 – Take a look at the Powerpoint posted on Blackboard
Without the notes, the Powerpoint will seem very vague and uninformative, but with the notes they provide a lot of information, so be sure to use them together.
#3 – Come up with a list of questions you have about concepts or terms that you are still unsure of, and make an appointment to see me in my office to discuss them or e-mail me.
• I have two absences already, but this time I’m really sick and have a doctor’s note! Do I still lose attendance points?
This is why I encourage you to save your two free absences for emergencies. You are allowed two free emergencies a semester; after that, you will start to lose a point or two each day that you miss class, regardless of the circumstances. If you have a lengthy illness that requires you to miss class, please contact me and we can work out alternatives. It’s only a point or two if you miss, but it does add up. Please do not come to class if you are too sick or contagious. Two points isn’t really worth all that misery, is it?
• Does being tardy count against me for attendance points?
Tardiness annoys me. Imagine giving an important presentation and having co-workers come in at their leisure, distracting you over and over again. Not fun, is it? I understand that life happens and you sometimes make it to class late. When you do, make an effort to do so as quietly as possible and be sure to let me know after class that you were in attendance.
You don’t lose points for each day you come in late, but if it becomes consistent I will begin to lower your participation score.
By registering for this class you are responsible for being here during scheduled class times. If you have a job or other responsibilities that preclude you from getting to the classroom on time, you should seriously consider dropping this course.
• What if I miss an important screening?
A lot of what I screen is available at the library, at your local video store, or online, but there are a few documentaries and clips that are my own. I don’t lend out my personal media materials, so you are left with the option of getting notes on the materials from a classmate, or finding them on your own to borrow or purchase. The Library can help you get all kinds of material through Interlibrary loan.
• How do I get a hold of screening materials to view or review?
If I put any materials on reserve at the Library, it will be posted on blackboard in the announcements.
Grading
• The grade on my assignment/exam is not the same as the one posted in the Gradebook. How do I fix the discrepancy?
Sometimes I accidentally enter the wrong grade in the grade book. If this happens to you, first of all, I’m sorry! Second of all, just bring me the graded assignment and I’ll write down a note for myself to change it on blackboard’s grade book. If you don’t see the change within one week, email me a reminder. I can get a bit frazzled at certain parts of the semester.
• How can I raise my grade in the course?
You should definitely meet with me so that we can come up with specific ways to help you with the subsequent assignments, but generally, students who do the reading, answer the reading questions, participate frequently, and submit rough drafts of the paper can effectively raise their grade.
• I just realized I have a “c” in the class after the final exam. How can I get the 5 extra points I need to get a “b”?!
Short of traveling back in time, there is no way to get any kind of bump up in points after the final.
Contacting Me
• What is the best way to get a hold of you outside of class?
The best way to contact me is by e-mail, which I check often. I don’t usually check on the weekends or after 8pm on the weekdays, and if it is a holiday or spring break, there is a lag on how often I check, but I try to get back to students within 24 hours.
It’s best to ask a specific question or questions and let me know when you need a response.
• What if I still have questions about a topic or the readings after class is over?
Please make an appointment to speak to me during office hours or e-mail me if those hours don’t work for you! I can find time to meet outside of the designated office hours if necessary.
