Evaluation
The course grade will be based on class preparation, class participation and a final product
| component | worth | due on |
|---|---|---|
| preparation | 30% | each session |
| participation | 30% | each session |
| product | 40% | on the day and time the final exam would be given |
Preparation for each class session:
You will have readings for each session, starting with the second session. The readings will be made available online and you will find links to them on the class pages.
Do the readings to prepare yourselves for discussions in class and AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, write a more-or-less single-page, double-spaced consideration of what you have read. There is no set format to what you write; it should just reflect your thoughts on the topic.
Post your consideration on the class blog at any time before the first session of the following week.
In conjunction with having done the readings and written a consideration of what you have read, plan to discuss what others have written by commenting on considerations postings made by your peers. There is no set format to what you write; it should just reflect your thoughts on the topic.
Grading Standard for Preparation
Participation in each class session:
We will consider the topic of the day in class by engaging in a free-form discussion. I will have a basic outline for the class which may include
- a review of what you were asked to think about in the readings
- perhaps some lecture notes
- perhaps a guest speaker
- perhaps a presentation to the class by one of you all
- and an idea of the day to think about
Your role in class will be to participate with questions, discussion, leadership, and curiosity. Discuss the topic of the day and/or topics of relevance that the daily topic caused you to think about.
I will be asking outside experts to sit with us on occasion to discuss their areas of expertise. At a minimum, I hope that Drs. Wildemuth and Moran will share with us their Prague and London summer seminar experiences, and Dr. Daniel will talk with us about The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).
Don't get too attached to the details of each class session as the dynamic of the session might take us in a new direction. Feel free to explore the topic in class.
Grading Standard for Participation
Final Product:
There will be no final exam in this class, but there will be a final product due at the time the final exam would have been scheduled.
Your major product for this seminar will be a fuller exploration of your own interests. You will have a choice to make:
You may choose to create a review of 1-3 key books that would serve as a good, thorough introduction to an international or cultural area that you find interesting. Such a review should be about 5-10 pages long.
To get an idea of what a review might look like, glance over these examples. If you want more, you may want to look at these. In this second collection, one each is about Asia, about Europe, about Latin America, and about language. Two are about American cultures and five are about Middle East topics. All were selected from the same source and are decent, if not necessarily perfect, book reviews. You would do well to emulate them - be thoughtful and think about the readers' needs to understand the topic under review.
OR
If you want to stretch yourselves, you could create a draft outline of a book that you might write yourself. This outline would be composed of three things.
- An introductory section that discusses the proposed book. This section could be the preface to the proposed book.
- A fleshed-out table of contents, identifying the topics covered in each chapter of the book by use of sub-headings within each chapter.
- An annotated bibliography of references that you would either use in the creation of said book, or that you think should serve as a listing of key documents readers of such a book should also read about the topic.
You might get a fuller idea of what this might entail by looking at this product created in 1977 as an outline of a notional book that might serve to explain American culture to an Arab audience. You will note that the notional author of this book needs to have an appreciation of both the culture under discussion and the culture of the notional audience.