ASSIGNMENTS & GRADES in ANTH 314/COMM 314

Assignment sheets will be posted here as they become available or necessary. In the meantime, please read the following:

1.      Class participation: 10% of final grade

2.      Class presentations on assigned readings: 10% of final grade (assigned from class to class)

3.      In-class/take home mini-tests (a single short essay question): 10% of final grade

4.      Mid-year Exam (during the December Examinations period): 30% of final grade (questions assigned in advance)

5.      RESEARCH PROPOSAL: Choose an issue from the list (i.e., ethnicity, gender, nationalism, indigenous peoples) and choose a medium (film, television, newspapers, internet, radio), develop a research paper (research review), think of appropriate ethnographic methods, submit a research proposal as a final essay for course: 40% of final grade (broken down as follows)

a.     2% of final course grade for a completed thesis statement (what you intend to focus on—the topic, the themes, the questions, a statement of your interests in the topic) [due date TBA: start of January 2005]

b.     3% of final course grade for an outline of proposed ethnographic methods appropriate for your research topic (and which you would use if you were to actually take your proposal into the field) [due date TBA: end of January 2005]

c.       2% of final course grade for a completed bibliography of sources used (or about to be used), in proper APA format [due date TBA: after Reading Week]]

d.     3% of final course grade for a mock-up of an application for clearance by a Research Ethics Board [due date TBA: end of February]

e.      5% of final course grade for a presentation to class of a draft of your research proposal [due date TBA—during March 2005]

f.       25% of final course grade for the final research proposal, due in class when we meet for the last time in March. [WEDNESDAY 30 MARCH, 2005]

There is no final exam. Your final research proposal is due on the last day of class for our course. Indeed, every single assignment in this course is intended to aid you along the way in your development of the research proposal—in a fundamental sense then, there is only one “assignment” for this course.

Nota Bene:
While UCCB does not have an “institution-wide policy” of mandatory attendance, this course does. Anyone who is absent for more than three consecutive or non-consecutive class meetings during a semester will be required to present medical certification explaining one’s absence. Failure to present that evidence will result in a grade of zero being automatically assigned for your class participation grade.

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, 2% of the grade for that assignment will be deducted on each day (weekends included) that the assignment is late—except for the final assignment: failure to submit that in class, on time, will result in a grade of zero. Similarly, missing an examination will result in a grade of zero for the exam. No supplemental work will be afforded to students receiving failing grades purely from a lack of course participation and the timely submission of work.

From time to time, either due to illness or inclement weather, a class may be cancelled. Please make sure that you check the course website for “urgent announcements” on a regular basis, especially before coming to class.
 

Plagiarism

From time to time professors are faced with the grief that come from reading plagiarized papers. The consequences of this form of academic dishonesty can be devastating. The following is excerpted from the UCCB Academic Calendar for 2004-2005:

“Plagiarism
Plagiarism is that form of academic dishonesty in which a student submits or presents the work of another person as his or her own. Scholarship quite properly rests upon examining and referring to the thoughts and writings of others. However, when one uses excerpts or takes over another person’s line of thought, argument, arrangement, or supporting evidence, the originator of such material must be acknowledged through proper footnotes or other accepted practices.

The University College recognizes two major types of plagiarism: Substantial and Complete. Substantial plagiarism exists when there is no recognition given to the author for phrases, sentences, arguments, and the like, incorporated in an essay or report. Complete plagiarism exists when a whole essay or report is copied from an author, or composed by another person and is presented as original work. Unless prior approval has been obtained, a similar situation is created when the same essay or report is submitted for credit to more than one instructor.

Procedures
…If there is sufficient evidence that a student has plagiarized an assignment, the instructor will discuss the case with the student, and follow one of two courses of action:

If, as a result of the discussion with the student, the instructor is satisfied that plagiarism was the result of a genuine misunderstanding, he or she may permit the student to submit a genuine piece of work to replace the one involving plagiarism. The instructor will take advantage of this situation to discuss with the student the regulations concerning plagiarism and possible consequences.

If the instructor considers that the plagiarism was deliberate and not a result of genuine misunderstanding, she/he submits the student’s name and relevant evidence to the appropriate School Dean. The student is informed by the instructor that he or she is submitting his or her name to the Dean. The Dean will notify the student by registered letter of the regulations and of the student’s right to appeal to the University College Appeals Committee.

Penalties
First offence: If the student does not appeal or if, on appeal, the Appeals Committee upholds the instructor’s decision, there are two possible penalties:

If the student submits a satisfactory and genuine piece of work to replace the one involving the plagiarism, the penalty will be limited to a grade of zero for that assignment or project.

If the assignment is not resubmitted or is unsatisfactory, the instructor may report the situation to the appropriate Dean, in which case the student will receive a grade of zero for the course.

Second offence: In cases where the Dean has concluded that a second offence has occurred, the student may be discontinued.”