Your participation in our class discussions is part of your grade, but good performance in this area should not be a problem for any of you. You will have taken reading notes on the pages we read for each meeting, so you will be very familiar with the text and have already come up with questions and ideas to share. When you arrive, articulate those questions and ideas. Our discussions are for you, and our most interesting sessions will be the result of your honest, inquiring attempts to grapple with this difficult literature.
During each class meeting, you should raise your hand to speak at least once. You can offer clarification, ask a question, elaborate on an idea, challenge an interpretation, give an example or counterexample--in other words, you don't have to be "right" or "know the answer" to speak. Actually, I would rather you speak precisely when you DON'T know the answer or when you are uncertain.
Your presence and involvement will be worth daily credit, worth a total of 100 points spread over the entire semester.
In the event that discussions become routinely focused around the same few students making an effort to participate, I will begin requiring discussion postings before class so that everyone has a chance to try out communicating their thoughts before our discussions.
