Course Policies
Virtual Office Hours:
I hold office hours on Tuesdays at 1 pm PDT and Thursdays at 2 pm PDT. To schedule a meeting, you must use the online appointment system located here: https:xxx. My virtual office hours can be accessed at the following Zoom link: https://xxx. If you cannot make these times, I will find another time to meet with you.
We will use the Open Forum discussion as our class forum for questions, tips, advice, suggestions, and more. Rather than (or in addition to) emailing questions to me personally and privately, I encourage you to post your questions publicly on the Open Forum.
Response Time and Grading Turnaround Expectations:
If you send me an email (and you are always welcome to!), please allow 24– 48 hours for a response from me (usually Monday – Friday). If you are seeking an immediate response, I highly encourage you to post your question on the Open Forum– your peers may be able to come to the rescue, and I will always monitor the Open Forum for accurate information.
Grading Turnaround Time:
In terms of grading turnaround times, please allow me 72 hours after the due date and time to complete grading for any individual or group assignment.
Assessment:
(1) Knowledge-Check Quizzes:
These are meant to check how much you have learned in a given section of a module. The format will either be multiple choice or short answer. The value for quizzes will typically be 10 or 20 points. While some quizzes will have a time limit, you will usually receive two chances to complete a quiz. My advice is to prepare for knowledge check quizzes by doing the reading for each section beforehand and taking notes. If a quiz does not have a time limit, then you will receive only one chance to complete and submit it (but there is no time limit!). While most quizzes will be assessed by Canvas technology because many are multiple choice questions, any shorts answer responses will be read and assessed by Professor Miranda (see above for grading response times).
(2) Individual Assignments:
These will typically involve your participation in an Online Discussion Post: Through these discussion posts on Canvas, you will be asked to respond to a certain question or prompt. All class discussions will be graded according to one standard rubric. All responses are due by the deadline.
Grading Rubric for Online Discussions (10 pts total):
- Quality and Length of First / Initial Response (up to 5 pts): All Canvas Discussions will require a First / Initial Response from each student. The initial response must answer the prompt and/or questions fully in 150 – 200 words. Using evidence from our readings or video resources is always encouraged. When doing so, make sure you are citing properly (e.g.,"According to Joanne Wilkes, Madame de Staël lived a life "full of adventure" (278)."
- Quality, Quantity, and Length of Additional Responses to Peers (up to 5 pts): The second part of this assignment is the conversational component. These assignments are meant to be dialogues through which we enlighten one another with the exchange of ideas, with questions, and more. This part of the grade will be determined based on the quality of your responses to peers, the number of responses to peers, and the length of each response.You are required to offer at least two responses of at least 50 – 100 words each.
(3) Group Assignments:
Modules 2 through 6 will include at least one group assignment. Your group will be randomly assigned by Canvas and can be as small as two and as large as ten students. You should plan on meeting with your group online a couple times (either via Zoom or shared Google Docs). Most group assignments will require you to create a shared Google Doc to record the group work.
Just FYI: With a Google Doc, Professor Miranda can determine the specific content contributed by each group participant by inspecting the Google Doc’s editing history. This is Professor Miranda’s way of encouraging equitable work and contributions. All group participants will receive the same grade for group assignments unless any group member fails to contribute fairly or equitably. In order to encourage equal participation, team members must include the following clause at the end of each group assignment document: “We the members of this group [LIST OUR NAMES OF GROUP MEMBERS] have contributed equally to this shared assignment and therefore deserve the same grade.” In the event that any group member has not contributed to the shared assignment, Professor Miranda would like to hear directly from that student, if possible. If such is not possible, then Professor Miranda would like to learn from the rest of the contributing group members by email. This policy exists to protect and benefit those students who are contributing their share of the group work.
Grading:
Modules (60 %): Module one and two are worth 5 %; the balance of modules are worth 11 % each. Your grade for each module will be based on a combination of Knowledge Check Quizzes, Individual Assignments, and Group Assignments. In order to complete all assignments, you must follow the content (readings and videos) carefully. In general, you should plan for about 25-30 hours of class work and homework for each module.
Midterm Exam (20 %): The online midterm exam will focus on the lives of Francisco de Miranda, Madame de Staël (and Corinne), and Lord Byron. You will be required to write two essays (usually five paragraphs each). For each essay, pick one theme explored at length in this course and three texts (each different authors) that illustrate its stakes. Essay topics will include, but are not limited to, the following: Romance; Revolution; Exile; Celebrity; the Byronic Hero; Identity; and Cosmopolitanism, Globalism, and Transnationalism.
Final Exam (20 %): The final exam will focus on Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere,” Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), and Mary Shelley’s The Last Man.
Extra Credit
Extra Credit for Extra and Consistently-Extra Participation (up to an additional 5 points on Final Grade): You have the option to earn up to an additional 5 points on your average in this class (for a total of 105 / A ++ final grade). These 5 points will be determined by Professor Miranda and will be based on your extra and consistently-extra participation in our class. Extra and consistently-extra participation means going well beyond the minimum standard participation required for this course from modules 1 - 15.
NOTE: This extra credit engagement means participation beyond the minimum expectations for each assignment. ALSO: you must be consistent throughout the class (from Module One onwards); you will not receive extra credit if you begin, for example, offering extra posting the last two to three weeks of the course. This extra and consistent participation may include the following:
• In any Canvas discussion post, the number and quality of your additional responses to a peer or course instructor (if you are keeping the conversations going, interesting, and enlightening by basing your responses on evidence from our reading and videos).
• Quality and frequent participation in any class activity on a shared Google Doc (one intended for the entire class).
• Use of multimedia whenever possible in any post (video, audio, images, etc.); if posting multimedia, you must embed your media. PLEASE DO NOT MAKE US DOWNLOAD YOUR MEDIA.
Additional Course Expectations:
- Proactive approaches. This means visiting me in office hours as well as the writing center – well in advance of due dates – for support with your assignments. This also means seeking clarity by asking questions well in advance of due dates. Proactive means you plan accordingly ahead of time; you attempt to set yourself up for success rather than respond and react in surprise after the final grades have been submitted.
- Maintaining Respect – the utmost respect for all members of our course is paramount. Differences of opinion and beliefs will make our discussion fruitful. Here we all cultivate a safe space for sharing thoughts openly..
- Email Etiquette. This requires using greetings such as “Dear Dr. Miranda” or “Hello Professor Miranda” and the use of professional, concise language and appropriate subject lines. Please allow at least 24 - 48 hours for a response from me.