Grading

Turning in work and late policy
Late work will receive no credit. You will turn in project milestones via email or canvas (TBD).

Cheating policy
I have a no tolerance policy on cheating, which includes copying from friends and plagarism. If you get caught cheating, you will get an F in this class and I will turn you into the univerisity's academic integrity group.

Quizzes
I will give you full credit on your lowest quiz grade for the quarter. That way, if you need to miss a class and there is a quiz, you won't be penalized. If you take all of the quizzes, I will replace your lowest quiz score with full credit.

Leading a lecture
My goal is for all of you to get full credit for leading a lecture! Here's how I will break down the points for your grade when you lead a lecture:
  • (8 points) -- pick meaningful optional reading. Should have 2-3 optional reading items.
  • (9 points) -- The presentation itself (should be 15-20 minutes long) that goes over (1) background on the required reading, (2) a balanced view of the issue at hand, and (3) a summary of the optional reading and why you picked it.
  • (8 points) -- In class discussion. Create good questions, make sure there is a lively discussion.
As a challenge to the entire class: come prepared to class so that you can discuss the topics in a lively debate. Since your grade depends on it, please do make sure that you come to class prepared to debate.

Grade breakdown
Your grade will be composed of the following items:

Item Percent Description
Quizzes25% Five quizzes worth 5% each
Research project50% Pick topic and group 5%, proposal 5%, midterm report 5%, final presentation 15%, final report and results 20%
Presentations25%

Grade scale
I grade on a straight grade scale. Although most of the points in this class will come towards the end of the quarter, the milestones will help give you a sense of how well you are doing on the final project.

Grade Score
A[93, 100]
A-[90, 93)
B+[87, 90)
B[83, 87)
B-[80, 83)
C+[77, 80)
C[73, 77)
C-[70, 73)
D[60, 70)
F[0, 60)