REQUIREMENTS

• Careful reading of all assignments
• Active (and informed) participation in class discussions
• Frequent quizzes on the reading and the lectures (typically once a week)
• Two map quizzes (Europe in 1914, Europe in the 1920s)
• Four short writing assignments (1-2 pages)
• Five short research assignments (to prepare for the research paper)
• A 10-15 page research paper
• A presentation of your research paper in a class poster session
• A small group presentation to the class on a chapter from a historical monograph
• Three short exams (30 mins), a chance to demonstrate your mastery of key developments and turning points
• A comprehensive final examination

GRADING

Your grade will measure your effort, the level of your thinking and writing, as well as the progress you make across the semester. The following is offered as a rough guide. It assumes a good faith effort on all assignments.

• 10% reading quizzes (I will drop the lowest grade for every four quizzes taken)
• 5% map quizzes
• 15% short writing assignments
• 15% research assignments
• 15% final research paper
• 25% short exams
• 15% final examination

Other things that can have a significant impact on your grade: absences, coming late, being a distraction to the class or the professor, and excellent or poor participation. Informed, engaged participation (coming to class prepared, contributing to discussion) or the lack thereof can raise or lower your final grade by one third of a letter grade. I will give you feedback after the first half of the course.

I will grade quizzes and the short writing assignments on a check/check plus/check minus scale. A check indicates good work in all aspects of the assignment and equals 5 of 6 points; a check plus indicates excellent work and equals 6 of 6 points, and a check minus indicates work that is missing something important and equals 4 of 6 points;  sometimes I will give credit for a partial or late assignment with a check minus minus of 2 of 6 points. Other assignments will be graded out of 100 points. I will keep the electronic grade book on Moodle so that students have access to a record of their grades.

I follow the College of Wooster guidelines for grading. A grade in the “A” range indicates excellent work, the “B” range indicates good work, the “C” range indicates adequate work, the “D” range indicates a minimal performance. A grade of “F” indicates unsatisfactory work or the failure to complete all course work.