Grading Policy

A. Attendance and Participation in Discussion (20%)出勤:

       It is necessary to be punctual in the class. Regular attendance and voluntary participation in the class and discussion are cordially invited and will be valued (10%), especially on 2 discussions of the oral reports. You are expected to come to class with well-preparation of your assigned readings and reports. If you miss more than 3-4 classes, you will not only lose your 10% attendance score but also your grade and reading progress will be so seriously affected that you would confront the problem of failing this course. 2 times of being recorded as arriving late is considered as 1 absence. However, the best policy is to be punctual and well-prepared to discuss the assigned reading materials and handouts. It is advisable for any student with special medical problem who informs the teacher of his/her health situation regularly.    

B. Theory-application Oral Presentation (30 %) 口頭報告

Each student will give one oral presentations (30 %), which is required to be demonstrated around 15-20 minutes. The timer will be ready for the control of the time. The pattern of an oral presentation would be suggested as follows. (1) A presentation must be relevant to the understanding of one assigned theoretical article and a theory-application to a related. (2) Highly encouraged for each student is the use of audiovisual materials (powerpoint format slides with pictures, videotapes, audio recordings, web pages) as well as creative work by the presenters such as skits, reciting, performances, art work, etc. to the teacher 2 days earlier to the teacher’s mail-box (3) The use of related recommended books and websites reference (as attached at the end of this syllabus) will make each presenter’s score higher. (4) For sharing a presenter’s thought to other class member, s/he should print out the report. The student who is absent from the oral report will be penalized with 0 score unless the student provides the teacher with a reasonable rationale.

C. Abstract + Key Words (10%) and the Final-paper Oral Presentation (10%)

   The students are expected to hand in their abstract and key words and do a very 2-3 mins short briefing on their proposed approach on the 16^th week, so that the teacher could know whether their approach and writing method are on the proper direction. It is preferable for the students to prepare audiovisual materials to make their draft oral reports more effective on the final-paper oral presentation held on the 18^th week. Make sure that every student in the class has one copy of the audiovisual materials. At the same time, the student would have a chance to receive the feedbacks from either the teacher or other classmates who could not only point out his/her blindness and weakness but also give the draft-holder some suggestions to improve his/her final paper.          

D. Final Paper (30 %)

The students are expected to have the necessary background in analyzing and responding to literature, as well as the ability to conduct independent research and to write correctly documented research essays using MLA format. The teacher could require revisions of any paper that is hard to read because of mechanical errors and inherent structure. The students are encouraged to get extra help with basic writing skills in college level.    

For the written paper, you are required to demonstrate an understanding of a thematic written paper with an appropriate theory that you’ve learned from this course in the context of The Portrait of a Lady (which counts for 30 %). As for the thematic focus, you could concentrate on one of the following aspects: (1) literary devices (such as a comparative/contrastive analysis of character(s), tone, setting, symbolism, plot, and point of view), (2) an theoretic appreciation of either of one approach from the psychological, cultural, and feminist methods. The written final paper must have at least 3 parts, namely the “Introduction,” “Body,” and “Conclusion,” your thesis statement should be described in “Introduction,” and each of the three parts should be linked with a thematic focus and unity. The required length for a final paper will be typed double-spaced around 10-15 pages. All papers must identify themselves on the first page by title, author, course, date, and page number. Each paper-holder must find a peer-editor who signs his/her signature on the cover page after offering suggestions for the content and proofreading. The paper must end with an accurate and properly constructed “Works Cited” section (at least 5-10 entries). For full instructions, see the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research (version 6, or the latest version).

Second, as for the reading journal (it is optional), it is not just a note from the class but also a record of your reading and writing procedures that trace how you brainstorm your mind, sort out of ideas, find out some interesting thoughts from websites, and finally build up your final paper. In other words, a reading journal accounts both your class notes and a follow-up to a final paper. It’s recommendable that you type your reading journal, otherwise you have to write it neatly so that the teacher could understand it perfectly.     

E. Plagiarism 抄襲

   Proper citation and documentation of any source should be recorded at the point in your papers to specify where they come from and in a list of all sources cited given at the end of your paper. Plagiarism is considered as a serious academic violation of intellectual property rights, and may earn your written report an automatic score of below 60 or even failure of the course.