There are five components that will make up your final grade. The course is designed to allow you to maximize your potential learning.

In structuring the grading for the research assignment and short essays, we use a practice known as ā€œungradingā€. In that practice, all assignments are broken down into several parts to allow students to receive feedback as they move through their projects. Only the final versions of these assignments receive a grade which is reflective of the work engaged in for the whole semester. 

A few comments on ā€œungradingā€:

  • You are required to submit ALL components of a project for the final step to be graded (so if you donā€™t submit step two or three or four of the research assignment, step five will not be graded—with some exceptions).
  • We will provide detailed feedback on everything you submit. This feedback is designed to help you improve as you move forward in these assignments.
  • You will be given the opportunity to assess your own learning based on defined learning outcomes for these projects.

Research Assignment (35%)

Step 1: Sign up for your topic (due September 16th)

Step #2: Using Encyclopedias and AI to develop basic contextual knowledge (due September 30th)Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā 

Step #3: Analyzing your primary source (due October 16th)Ā  Ā  Ā 

Step #4: Using journal articles (due November 6th)Ā  Ā  Ā 

Step #5: Sharing your knowledge and reflection (due December 3rd)Ā  Ā  Ā Ā 

For details on the assignment:Ā Research Assignment

Short Essays (20%)

Short Essay Version #1Ā (due October 28th)Ā  Ā  Ā 

Revised Version of Short Essay (due November 25th) Ā  Ā Ā 

For details:Ā Short Essays

Tutorials (20%)

Tutorial attendance is required for this course. If you miss more than 6 tutorials over the semester, you will fail the entire course. HOWEVER, if you are ill, please do not attend tutorial. Get in touch with your TA to let them know.

For details on tutorials:Ā Tutorials

Final Exam (15%)

The final exam will take place during the UNBC exam period in December. It will cover the entire semester. A study guide with detailed information about questions and format will be provided.

Online Discussion (10%)

Questions will be posted weekly on the Moodle Discussion Board. You will have one week to respond to the question posed as well as engaging in discussion with your fellow tutorial members. These questions will be open-ended with no “correct” answers but rather designed to help you think broadly about the topics we are exploring in class.