Assignments and Grading
All assignments should be uploaded here: Assignment Dropbox
- Weekly Responses (10%): Students will be asked to provide short but insightful weekly responses to the readings. These are due in advance These are due in advance There will be 11 of these assigned throughout the semester, and the lowest score will be dropped. The questions will be posted each week before Sunday and due before class on the following Tuesday. See more details here.
- Audio Project 1 (10%): This assignment will cover the basics of audio editing. It will be assigned on 1/23, workshopped on 1/30, and due on 2/6. See the complete details here.
- Audio Project 2 (15%): This assignment will consist of a short sound piece recorded and edited by the student. It will be assigned on 3/6, workshopped on 3/20, and due on 3/27. See the complete details here.
- Writing Project 1 (10%): This will be a short essay that will ask you to synthesize readings and class discussions into an original essay. It will be assigned on 2/13 and due on 2/27. See the complete details here.
- Writing Project 2 (10%): This will be a formal proposal for your final project, including an annotated bibliography of sources. It will be assigned on 3/27 and due on 4/10. See the complete details here.
- Final Project (25%): This will be a student-driven research project. It will be assigned on 3/27 and due on 5/1. See the complete details here.
- Class Participation (19%): In a small seminar such as this one, class participation is vital to the success of the course. Students are expected to not simply attend class, but to actively engage with the course materials and each other.
- Class Mixtape (1%): Each of you will be responsible for emailing me the names of two songs that you would like to be included on the class mixtape. I’ll assemble it for us and post a download on the website. This is due on 4/24.
- Note: This class does not have a final exam.
Grades are determined using a plus/minus scale: 97–100 A+, 93–96 A, 90–92 A-, etc. Generally speaking, major assignments that are completed on time and meet the basic requirements are worth a C. Work that demonstrates critical thinking, enthusiasm, and clarity will likely be in the A and B range, with As reserved for truly exceptional work.