Materials > Assignments

General Overview of Course Assignments Writing Assignments: Students are required to write two papers for this course and might be asked to write very brief essays to prepare their thoughts for discussion. Detailed instructions are available on the course website. Exams: There will be three in-class exams. Dates are given in the class schedule. Exams will consist of "objective" questions (i.e. multiple choice, fill in the blank, identification) and short essay questions. Ample instruction will be given on what to expect on the exams. Quizzes: To encourage students to keep up with the reading as scheduled and to reward those who do so, several short quizzes or writing assignments will be given throughout the semester and will cover the essays and documents that are included among the reserve reading. An unexcused absence or late arrival on a day when a quiz is given or an essay is due will result in a zero for that assignment. Expect a quiz on any of the days for which Reserve Reading is assigned. Participation: Our hope is that class meetings will be a combination of lecture and discussion. The introductory nature of the course warrants lecture, but we expect student involvement to be a significant part of the class, especially for the days explicitly designated on the schedule as "Discussion." To help you prepare, we have included on the schedule questions that we will address in each class and that you should consider as you complete the reading for that particular meeting. Students must attend class; if absent, one cannot participate in or contribute to class discussion. Furthermore, lectures usually complement rather than replicate the reading assignments, thereby making absences especially costly. Because attendance is important to discussion, your grade will be adversely affected by missing class. If you miss any of the class meetings listed as "Discussion" on the schedule, you will earn a zero for your Participation grade. Students are responsible for all material covered and all announcements made during class. Therefore, if absent or late, be sure to find out what information you might have missed. Students involved in university club or athletic activities must personally notify us if they must miss class and make suitable arrangements; a mass mailing by the coach or club supervisor will not suffice. If, because of bad weather, you are uncertain whether classes will meet, call the UNCP Emergency Information Hotline at (910) 521-6888 or check the Updates on our class website.