BES 301B

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Course Essentials

My commitment to you

I am here to support you as you learn how to represent your accomplishments effectively and professionally. We'll collaborate to build a positive learning community in which "joy can be present along with hard work" (hooks, 1994: 154). To prepare for class, I grade your previous homework, and I build on what you know and how you can improve. So, what I teach is based on how I see you can grow. I try to work with each of you one-on-one as much as possible. I am available to meet at our scheduled office hours—the hour after class—or at a time that we set up.

I am enthusiastic about being able to work with you. I will do my best to create a comfortable environment for class discussion, encouraging questions of all sorts. I strive to be approachable, clear, organized, prepared, patient, and easy to communicate with. I encourage questions. I recognize you as a group of diverse learners, and, as such, I will use a variety of assignments and interactive class sessions that use different learning strategies. I will avoid lecturing. I hope to minimize the stress you feel over big assignments. I do this in part by creating assignments that build on each other, so that the big assignments are actually the accumulation of lots of work that you have already done and have received feedback about. This approach also helps you improve your grades through time. The feedback is designed to help you identify what you are doing well, but also how you need to improve.

How we'll learn

My basic assumption, in the words of bell hooks, is "that everyone in the classroom is able to acte responsibly" (Teaching to Transgress, p. 152) and contribute to our supportive learning community. Our classes are a series of workshops. You prepare for the workshop by completing homework, and then I study the homework to celebrate what you’ve achieved and to see how you can make your work even stronger. In class, then, we’ll complete a series of activities to prepare for the next assignment, and, as time allows, begin the next assignment. I’ll check in with you one-on-one during most classes, too.

Class meetings and homework

We’ll meet in person once a week, although you have the option of Zooming into that meeting. Because our class sessions are tailored to you, they will help you complete the next assignment. Class is a time to practice work and get feedback about it. It’s a time for figuring out your way through challenges in the course.

Because I prepare for class by grading your homework, it’s important for you to turn things in on time. Homework assignments are due by end of the day every Friday. You have an automatic grace period of 2 days for each homework assignment with no penalty. After these two days, I will not accept late work.

I recognize that some of you may need to miss class meetings. Therefore, all the work that we do in class will be accessible to you. We’ll record classes and post them through Canvas. 15% of your grade is participation, so you’ll be able to complete the activities for the day on your own time within 2 days of class. You will also be able to drop two participation grades.

Computers

We will be using computers regularly in this course. Please refrain from (1) activities without a direct connection to what is happening in class and (2) disturbing other students.

Materials

You will need three browser tabs open for each class session:

I will provide all of the materials for the course to you through Canvas. No need to purchase anything.