Humanities 1110 with Richard Jewell - Inver Hills Community College

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The dates and delivery of your homework depends to some extent on whether you are taking the course in the face-to-face (regular) on-campus section, or in the online-only section:
             

LATE PAPERS and MAKE UP: "See "Late Papers and Make Up" below.

Submitting weekly papers by email?  

SAVING ONLINE MESSAGES: Are you ending homework by email?  Always keep a copy in case your email is lost.  Keep it until the end of the term.  If your email system has a "sent mail" folder, you may want to not delete items from the folder until after you have received your final grade.  Are you using a bulletin board (BB)?  Be careful to wait until you see your message appear on the bulletin board, like other messages, before doing anything else on your computer.  If you still have trouble losing BB messages, write and save them in MS Word first; then copy them to the BB and send them.

ALSO:

            (1) Please make them in-text--in the text of your email itself--not attached. That means you should simply write them as an email message or, if you already have them on a word processing file, you should use your mouse and your "Edit" function to mark, then "Copy," and then "Paste" them into a regular email message. 

            (2) To help me keep your paper separate from my regular email, use this subject title: Course #  & section #, the Week Due, Assignment Type, and Name+Initial: e.g., "1111-99 Wk. 5 Comments Sue J.,"  

            (3) Always keep a copy until after the end of the course when you've received your course grade. 

            (4) If you send me an email message (other than homework), please write "Question" in the subject line so I'll open it right away.  Be sure your full name is somewhere in the email, too.  And in the first several weeks, please remind me which course and section you're in.  I ask this because I receive several dozen homework assignments each week by email, and I only open homework once or twice per week. (5-05) 

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These are your readings for the semester:

• (1) Required: Jewell, Experiencing the Humanities free on the Web (you may read it on the Web or print it from the Web): just click on "Humanities Textbook: Experiencing the Humanities" in the buttons above.

• (2) Required: Internet email account and access to the course Web site (start at http://Richard.Jewell.net, click on "Course Web Site," and then click on "Humanities 1110").

• (3) Required--Choose either "Set A" or "Set B" from the bookstore--do not buy both--as follows:

• (4) Optional: a grammar handbook, if you don't have one.  Either buy one at the Inver Hills bookstore, or access and use the online grammar handbook that I have developed: just click on "Grammar Handbook" in the buttons above.  

• (5) Optional: Jewell, Writing for School and Work, an online composition textbook: just click on "Writing Textbook" in the buttons above.

• (6) Optional: I will try to make sure that the Lamm and Fiero textbooks also are on reserve in the library.  If you look for them and they are not available on reserve checkout, please remind me to place them there.

(Above table is also shown in "Readings & Resources.")

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            Please remember that you may write these as "lab" papers--in very rough-draft form--without worrying about grammatical usage, spelling, or punctuation:

• Comments .  DUE WEEKLY, Weeks 2-14.  The comments on course textbook readings are your responses to the assigned textbook readings, 150+ w. each, with at least 50+ w. on each chapter or literary reading.   
     
  When should you do these Comments?  You may do these as you read, or after you're done reading.  
      
  How should you write them?  You may 
      

  • (1) write answers to some or all of the study questions at the ends of the chapters in the assigned textbook readings;      
      

  • (2) summarize by writing a line per page, or two lines per two pages, three for three, or four lines, summing up the contents of these pages;  
      

  • (3) respond by writing a line per page, two for two, three for three, or four for four, reacting to what you have read (e.g., describing what the pges make you think of, whether you disagree or agree and why, what they make you feel, imagine, or desire, and how or why, etc.); 
      

  • (4) you may do an outline or diagram of the chapter (as long as you have the required 150+ w.); or you even may try out some of the art forms discussed in some parts of some chapters.  I'm open to other alternatives, as long as you demonstrate in some way that you have read each page of each chapter.
           

• Class Journals: DUE OCCASIONALLY.  These are your letters to me, in effect, about yourself and the course, 300 w. each.  Only a few (or less) are expected each semester: see your "Schedule" for the due dates.
          

• Practice Activities: DUE WEEKLY, Weeks 3-14. (revised 1-03) The Practice Activities are your rough-draft, academic  practice of the humanities (e.g., writing a paper or doing an art project) about one of the subjects and times discussed in Lamm’s book.  There are several kinds you can do, and they are listed below.  You may do up to three weeks' worth at one time--as long as each one separately is in on time (e.g., at the beginning of that 3-wk. period, not the end of it!).  Your Practice Activities must always be on, of, from, or related to the time periods (ancient through about 1500 A.D.) and places (Europe, Middle East, & N. Africa) we cover in this course.  There are several different kinds you may do, and I strongly encourage you to try out different kinds during the semester.  One thing you may NOT do for Practice Activities is write about the assigned textbook readings: instead, you must always, for Practice Activities, go outside of the textbook readings.
                 
  How do you start a paper or report on a Practice Activity?  On a piece of paper, state-- in the upper-right corner--the following

  • your name, 

  • the class & time (1110-___), 

  • "Week #__ Practice Paper," and 

  • the type of practice paper (e.g., Web Site Report, Creative Paper, etc.).

  How do you write or do them?  Here are guidelines:

o     NOTE #1: Please remember to state your source, if you need one, in your first sentence.  (Again, this source can NOT be one of the textbook readings.  The exception would be if you read the assigned readings from BOTH authors--Lamm AND Fiero.  And if you do that, be sure to let me know.)

o     NOTE #2: Remember to state your TYPE of paper (as in bold face above) in the upper-right corner of page one, along with your name, week #, and Practice Activity #.

o     NOTE #3: Remember, again, that whatever you choose, the subject that you choose must be from a time period (and humanities subject) covered in our Lamm and/or Fiero chapters.  In other words, you must work on a subject from the Western humanities from ancient through renaissance times.  No other times are acceptable, nor are other geographical areas (e.g., something in ancient America or in the Far East would not be acceptable, nor would something about 1700s France).  

o     NOTE #4: Try to vary your types of papers or activities.  I encourage you to try at least two or three of the types listed below. 

o     NOTE #5: No matter what week we are in (in the textbooks), you can work on any subject from any time period from the course and any place in Western civilization.  (That is, you do NOT have to match your Practice Activity to the time period/place we are reading about in the textbook that week.)

o     NOTE #6: You can write/do twice as much (with twice as many Web sources or book pages) as below and count it as two Practice Activities, and three times as much and count it as three Activities (but not four or more).   (You will need, according to the type of Practice Activity below, two to three times as much writing, Web sources, book pages, and/or visual images to get double or triple credit.  Just simply read the directions for a type of Practice Activity below, then double or triple everything you should do.)  If you are doing a double or triple Practice Activity, PLEASE WRITE BOTH (OR ALL THREE) WEEKS FOR WHICH IT COUNTS (so I'll know that I need to give you the credit for more weeks of work).

What kind of Practice Activities may you do?  Here is a list:

A.   Book Report or Web Site Report (rough draft, 300+ w.): a report,  summary, and/or discussion of a reading that is from OTHER THAN our own textbooks or required Web readings.  State the source(s) in your first sentence.  
Double the page or screen count and 600+ w. = 2 Practice Activities; triple the page or screen count and 900+ w. = 3 Activities.
Books: from 10+ large, double-columned pages (as, for example, in the Encyclopedia Britannica), 20+ regular large-sized book pages, or 30+ pp. of a small paperback.  Do not count the photos on a page when counting pages. 
Web sites: 20 screens of a Web site with large print and pictures, or 10 screens of a Web site with small print and small or no pictures.  
NOTES:
Books: You may, if you wish, read the alternative reading for the week (e.g., if you read Lamm, then also read Fiero), but if you do this, be sure to count the number of pages.  Deduct parts of pages for all the photos and charts.  When you ask for credit for this kind of PA, be sure to write at the top something like "Read both Lamm and Fiero for the required week." 
Web sites: You may, if you need to, combine several Web sites to get the total required number of screen pages; just be sure to state the URL--the Web address--of each site you use.  Some Web sites are listed here: go to the top of the page and click on "Links to Humanities Web Sites."

B.    Written-&-Visual Report (rough draft, 200+ w. & 4+ copies of paintings, drawings, etc. from a source other than our textbooks): i.e., a much shorter paper presenting some drawings, musical compositions, etc.  State the source in your first sentence.  
400+ w. & 8+ illustrations = 2 Practice Activities, and 600+ w. & 12+ illus. = 3 Activities.

C.    Creative Paper (rough draft, 600+ w.): a fictional short story, a play, an imaginary journal/diary, an imaginary dialogue, etc.  You also may make your own video of a play, ancient story, etc.
1200+ w. = 2 Practice Activities; 1800+ w. = 3 Practice Activities.

D.   Casual Report on Humanities Program/Site Visit or on an Historical Board Game or Video Game  (rough draft, 300+ w.): a brief, casual report on a humanities activity outside of class that you've done, seen, or played for about 1 hour this semester--a museum, a humanities television show or video, a stage play, an ancient/medieval/renaissance board game or video game, etc.  You cannot count this for both attendance credit/make up AND a Practice Activity.  
2 hrs. & 600+ w. = 2 Practice Activities; 3 hrs. & 900+ w. = 3 Practice Activities.
(Note 1: There are several such board games, including one I have in my office that you may borrow.  There also is a video game called "Sid Meier’s Civilization IV.")
(Note 2: If you attend a live event [e.g., a live play or live museum visit] that lasts two hours or more, you may count your travel time, if you wish--actual time--but no more than 1 hr. total travel time.  This means, for example, that a two-hour visit to a museum or live play 1/2 hr. from your home may be counted as 3 Practice Activities if you write 900+ w.)

E.      Video/Movie (rough draft, 300+ w.): a brief, casual report on a humanities activity outside of class that you've seen for about 1 hour this semester, such as a humanities television show or video, or a TV show, video, or movie of a work of art.  What you watch must be a serious, high-quality production that accurately reflects either actual history from an appropriate time period and geographical area for this course, or accurately reflects a work of art (e.g., a Greek or Shakespeare play) from an appropriate time period and geographical area.  You cannot count this for both attendance credit/make up AND a Practice Activity.  
2 hrs. & 600+ w. = 2 Practice Activities; 3 hrs. & 900+ w. = 3 Practice Activities.
(Note: you may not count travel time to and from a movie.)

F.        Oral (or Web Site) Presentation to class of any of the above, "A-D" (100+ w. of rough-draft writing and 6-8 minutes of a presentation to the class 
200+ w. & 13-15 min. = 2 Practice Activities, and 300+ w. & 20-22 min. = 3 Activities.

G.      Work of Art You Make (rough draft, 1 hr. of actual work, after developing the idea): a drawing, painting, music, dance, architectural sketch, etc., plus 100+ words describing what it is and why/how it applies to one of the time periods discussed in the textbooks.  
2 hrs. of work & 200+ w. = 2 Practice Activities; 3 hrs. of work & 300+ w. = 3 Practice Activities.

H.     Creative Combination of the above.

Submitting weekly papers by email?  

            (1) Please make them in-text--in the text of your email itself--not attached. That means you should simply write them as an email message or, if you already have them on a word processing file, you should use your mouse and your "Edit" function to mark, then "Copy," and then "Paste" them into a regular email message. 

            (2) To help me keep your paper separate from my regular email, use this subject title: Course #  & section #, the Week Due, Assignment Type, and Name+Initial: e.g., "1111-99 Wk. 5 Comments Sue J.,"  

            (3) Always keep a copy until after the end of the course when you've received your course grade. 

            (4) If you send me an email message (other than homework), please write "Question" in the subject line so I'll open it right away.  Be sure your full name is somewhere in the email, too.  And in the first several weeks, please remind me which course and section you're in.  I ask this because I receive several dozen homework assignments each week by email, and I only open homework once or twice per week.  (5-04)

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            There is no makeup or extra credit for the homework activities.  If you miss doing them, then you cannot get credit for them.  If you are interested in doing makeup/extra credit for attendance, please go to "Attendance/Makeup and Extra Credit." 

            Why don't I allow make up of missed homework?  There are four reasons.  They all boil down to the fact that we can't accomplish as much, have as much fun, or develop your writing abilities as well if make ups are regularly allowed.  If you're interested in the four reasons individually, here they are.  

1. First and most important, much of the value of doing homework is gone when you do it late--after we have discussed it in class/on the bulletin board.  If a lot of people didn't read the assignment on time (which is what happens when a teacher doesn't require it), I would have to review and explain the assignment step by step before we, as a whole class, could practice it or talk about it in some way.  And if I did this, even fewer people would want to read the assignment, which would result in my needing to review the assignment in class even longer.  As a result, there would be no point in giving the assignment, and all I would be doing is spending each class reviewing.  Instead, if most of you have read the assignment ahead of time, not only will you know the material much better, but also--and more important--we can do something with the material in class.  We can do group work, class games, discussion and sharing, etc., etc. 

2. In addition, you won't be able to talk very well on the online discussion boards if you haven't read the assignment.  You might say things that don't even apply, and/or other people in the class might have to take the time to tell you what is in the reading assignment.  

3. Another reason why I don't allow make up of missed homework is that I then would have way too many papers to process in the last few weeks of the class.  

4. And the final reason is that with all the writing and revising of your drafts of your Final Project near the end, you wouldn't do as well on these final drafts if you were taking a lot of time out to do make ups of a bunch of weekly papers.  

            There are, however, exceptions.  They are as follows:

• In the first several weeks, if you have made an honest mistake about when something is due, talk with me, and I can make an exception.  This is good only for a few weeks, until everyone understands the rules.
                

• In the F2F (face-to-face), on-campus section of the course, no weekly homework is due if you aren't in class.  You will get "0's" for being absent, and then your papers are not due until the next time you come to class.  The next time, simply write on them "wasn't here last week," and I'll accept them automatically for full credit.
                  

• In the F2F (face-to-face), on-campus section, you also can still come to class but "pretend" to be absent: write down "0's" for absence as if you are not present.  Then your weekly papers are not due until the next time you come to class.  (Your papers always must be turned in at the very next class you attend, unless you take more "0's" for attendance.)  When you turn them in the next time, simply write on them "took 0's for attendance," and I'll accept them automatically for full credit.
                     

• (3) in the FOL (fully-online) section of the course, weekly homework may be up to one week late, but no later, and will be automatically accepted. 

If you miss some of your homework, you cannot make it up.  However, there is a way to do make up/extra credit for attendance.  Doing so can affect your overall grade so much that it can help bring up a poor homework grade.  For example, if you were to receive a "B" for homework (40% of your overall grade) because of missing assignments, you could do a lot of make up and extra credit work for attendance and receive an "A++++++" for attendance (20% of your overall grade); each "+" equals 1/3 of a letter grade, and the two grades here would average to a full "A."

            Again, if you are interested in doing make up/extra credit for attendance, please go to "Attendance/Make Up and Extra Credit." 

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