Each week, we have the equivalent of three classes, each one about 70 min. long:

1. F2F (face-to-face) day course: Each week you have two F2F classes (in a physical classroom), of 70 min. each, and one online on the bulletin boards of 70 min.

2. F2F night course: Each week you have two F2F classes of 70 min. classes in a row with a break between, and one online bulletin-board class of 1:07.

3. Online-only course: You have an average of three 70 min. classes per week, most of them online (Mon., Wed., and Fri. online classes) and some of them in visits to museums and plays.

The grading for the semester is based on 100 X's (100 points or 100%) being equal to an A+.  The X's you can earn are divided as follows:

• 45 X's (or points): weekly homework papers

• 35 X's (or more): attendance and/or extra credit

• 20 X's: final paper (up to 20)

• Participation, attitude, attention, hard work--can slightly lower or raise final letter grade
   

• You earn X's by completing the work.  In attendance, an "X" (or a "V") is about 70 min. of work.  The same is true for extra credit - about 70 min. of work per X.  (In weekly homework, most assignments are worth 1 X each, with a few being equal to 2 X's.)  By the end of the term, your total X's will determine your grade as follows:

100 (or more) X's = A+
90-99 X's = A
80-89 X's = B
70-79 X's = C
60-69 X's = D
0-59 X's = F
 

• Basically, you can determine your grade by how many X's you earn.  The method of doing well in this class is to earn as many X's as you can, depending on what grade you want.  2009 is the first year in which I have started using this system in online classes.  However, I have used this X's system of grading for three years in writing classes on campus, and about 90-95% of students - once they get used to it - report by the end of the term that they think it is a great system, one of the clearest and most fair they have ever used, and they recommend I use it with future classes.
   

• Lateness/leaving early in F2F class: If you are 15 min. late to arrive or early to leave a physical-classroom class, you'll lose half a credit for that class hr.  (And if you're frequently 5-10 min. late or early to leave, you'll lose some attendance credit, too.  See me if this is going to be a regular occurrence because of another class or work.)
   

• Anyone going 2 weeks with no attendance activity will be dropped from the class.
    

• Make ups: See below.

            You may make up missed attendance by doing extra writing.  No make up is allowed of missed writing assignments.  However, you may complete extra-credit writing for a higher attendance grade to help counterbalance a lower weekly-papers grade (or simply to raise your overall grade).  Here is how make up and extra-credit writing work:

Make Up: 

            Make up is like independent study.  However, I do not consider it quite as valuable a way of spending time as the same amount of time in class, working and discussing things with others.  Therefore, I would like two to three times as much work for independent make-up work as for class time (with the exception of the first two items as noted below).  

            This means that you may make up 1 missed class hour as follows:

• Do 1/2 of a class hr. (30-40 min.) of tutoring in or through the Writing Center, with both in-person and online tutoring available (see www.inverhills.edu/StudentResources/WritingCenter/index.asp).  Count the time and have a tutor sign a slip saying how much time you spent in actual tutoring.
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•      Do 1 class hr. (70 min.) of IHCC Library tutorial on how to use a library and find resources.  Show me the quiz results and tell me how much time you actually spent.  Please use the sheet of directions by English instructor Julia McGregor in Extra Writing Assignments at http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jewel001/WritingAssignments.htm.
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• Do 2 class hrs. (140 min.) of extra Practice Activities (tell me the amount of time spent on both reading and writing, and I'll give you half that much credit; see Homework/Practice Activities).
       

• Do 2 class hrs. (140 min.) of combined reading and Comments (200+ w.) (tell me the amount of time spent on both reading and writing, and I'll give you half that much credit; see Homework/Comments) on a directly related reading that is not in Lamm/Fiero (or that we skipped in Lamm/Fiero). 
       

• Do 2 class hrs. (140 min.) of combined Comments (200+ w.) on and a visit to a directly-related live, physical museum or a live, physical play (tell me the amount of time spent on both reading and writing, and I'll give you half that much credit).
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• Do 3 class hrs. (210 min.) of combined watching of or listening to something directly related, and Comments (300+ w.).  (Tell me the amount of time spent on both reading and writing, and I'll give you one-third that much credit.)  For example, you may watch directly-related videos, plays, movies, and TV shows (see "MOVIES"); listen to music intensively (not while doing something else) from the periods we're covering; play games (see "GAMES"), and/or look at art books; etc.  I'm open to suggestions.  After or during your watching/listening, you also and then summarize/explain/comment on what you've read, seen, or done for 300+ words (as part of your 3 class hrs.).  (For some movies with specific mythological themes for Eng 2235 click here.  Be sure to choose those that cover ancient-renaissance times, not later, and the purpose of watching these myth-themed movies is to get a sense of the myths and culture of a given time period/place.) 
       

• Show 3 class hrs. (210 min.) of a related humanities paper/art/craft project and, if its not in written form, write 300+ words about it.  (Tell me the amount of time spent on both reading and writing, and I'll give you one-third that much credit.)  The project must be (1) from a class this semester and (2) from this course's time period and geographical period.

How To Do a Museum Visit:

What to do:  You can go with our group on our museum visits, or you can make them up on your own.  Be sure in most cases (except as noted below) to focus on a museum that has humanities exhibits (i.e., usually not a science museum, an American History museum, etc.).  Spend your time looking at exhibits with humanities themes.  Then write about it while you look or after you are done.  Give me what you wrote, along with a statement of the type of visit you made and the time you spent on it (see "1.-4." below). 

Four ways to do a museum visit:

• 1. Class-organized group museum visit with guided tours: 225 min. = 3 X's (each 75 min. is worth 1 X in this class). 
  What you will do if you go on the actual tours: 120 min. of actual touring; 400 written words on what you saw (200 w. per hr.); you may write during the visit or after.

Explanation: Two 1-hr. tours given by a tour guide, 30 min. of break and waiting time, 60 min. of travel time, and writing 400 w. about it after the visit) = 3 X's of class attendance.)

• 2. Audiotape self-tour of real museum on your own: 225 min. = 3X's. 
  What you will do if you go on the audiotape self-tours: 120 min. of actual touring; 400 written words on what you saw (200 w. per hr.); you may write during the visit or after.  (Note: This is the first time I have allowed this option, so if you take it, let me know how it worked out.)

VISIT #1 to MIA, Explanation: Two 1-hr. tours using an audio device, 30 min. of break and waiting time, 60 min. of travel time, and writing 400 w. about it after the visit) = 3 X's of class attendance.)  Ask for the taped tours of "Mysteries of the Ancient World" and "It's a Classic." Then write about the two tours for 400+ w.

VISIT #2 to MIA, Explanation: One 1-hr. tour using an audio device, One 1-hr. tour on your own, 30 min. of break and waiting time, 60 min. of travel time, and writing 400 w. about it after the visit) = 3 X's of class attendance.)  Ask for any taped 1-hr. tour on the medieval and/or renaissance periods. (I'm not sure what they have on tape.)  Then write about it for 200+ w.  For the second hour, go anywhere you want in the museum and write about it for 200+ w.

• 3. Unguided trip to real (physical) museum on your own (with no real or audio tour): 225 min., 60 min. travel time to and from, and writing 500+ w. = 3 X's.  (You must spend more time looking on your own.)
  What you will do if you go on the actual tours: 150 min. of actual touring; 500 w. on what you saw (200 w. per hr.); you may write as you visit or after.

Explanation: If you have no guided or audio tour, you must see more in order to get a similar level of quality from the museum.  As a result, no break or waiting time is allowed.  That means you must do 2 & 1/2 hrs. of actual touring of the galleries on your own (with writing during your self-tour or after), and you may also count travel time.  If this trip is to replace Visit #1 to MIA, the whole time must be spent looking at and writing about areas of the museum related to our class--ancient, medieval, and renaissance times in Europe, the Middle East, and/or North Africa.  If this trip is to replace Visit #2 to MIA, at least half the time and half of your writing must be spent looking at and writing about areas of the museum related to our class--ancient, medieval, and renaissance times in Europe, the Middle East, and/or North Africa.  The other half can be about anything in the museum that relates in general to the humanities (any time period anywhere in the world).

• 4. Virtual museum visit: 225 min. with no break, waiting time, and travel time = 3 X's.
  225 min. of virtual touring; 600 w. on what you saw (200 w. per every 75 min.); you may write as you visit or after.

Explanation: You may visit one or more virtual museums.  Because you have no guided or audio tour, no physical visit to a  museum, and no travel, you must see more.  That means you must do 225 min. of actual visiting of museum Web sites (with writing during your self-tour or after).  Please stay within our Hum 1110 time periods and countries!
NOTE: For lists of virtual museum Web sites, see http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jewel001/humanities/LinksToHumanities.htm#MUSEUMS%20&%20ART. 

Extra Credit: 

            You may receive extra credit by doing assignments as described immediately above in "Make Ups."  Each 70 min. of credit you receive is, as for make ups, worth 1 "X" (or "V") of attendance.  The credit is the same, whether it is for make up or extra credit.  These additional X's affect your attendance grade as follows: 

For every ten additional X’s you receive for attendance,
I will raise your attendance grade by 1/3 of a letter grade.  

            That means, for example, that if you have a perfect attendance record, which would be an A+, and you receive an extra ten X's of attendance credit, you then would have an "A++."  Why is this good?  It averages into your overall grade, thus helping raise a poor grade in some other area.  So, for example, let's say you had an "A+++" for attendance and an "F" for the final term paper (each is worth 20%).  Normally, an "A" and an "F" would average to a "C."  However, with the three extra pluses, the average would, instead, be a "B-."  This option may take a lot of time, but it is one way to raise your overall grade a little, especially if it may be on the edge between two possible grades.  If you are missing a lot of weekly papers and have the time to do a lot of extra reading and writing, this is a great way to survive the course and get a better grade in it.

            Please note that you cannot get extra credit in this way until all attendance misses first are made up.  Also please note, on the positive side, that gaining extra credit in this way also may raise your participation and improvement grade.