Assignments and Evaluation

1. Metro project (40% of grade)

• Your major task for this course, besides keeping up with the readings and contributing to class discussion, is to research and document a metropolitan area. You will conduct this research throughout the semester, as shown in the schedule, and will post your results in an online document on Google Drive.
• Twice during the semester, you will present your work in class. Once during the semester, you and another student will do peer reviews of each other’s research project by leaving comments in your respective documents.
• Grading will be based on the quality of your work and your response to the peer reviews. A checklist will be provided at the end of the semester before the project is due.

2. Tests (30% of grade)

Two tests will be held during the semester. These tests may include a mix of essays, short answers, multiple choice and matching questions.

3. Reading responses and other assignments (10% of grade)

• Throughout the semester, you will be expected to prepare four reading responses. Responses should be 300-600 words in length. Prompts to direct and guide your response will be provided on the class’s online forum for each day’s readings. Responses are to be posted as comments to the class forum and submitted in hard copy form. Late responses receive no credit.
• High-quality reading responses that fully respond to the prompt and are divided into paragraphs will earn participation points in addition to the credit for the responses (see below).
• I may ask students to complete other required homework assignments or in-class assignments, especially on the review days preceding each of the tests.

4. Participation points (20% of grade)

Each student will accumulate a bank of points that reflect their contributions to the learning environment of the classroom. You will earn points for your positive contributions to the class. You can also lose points for failing to participate or for disrupting the class.

You will earn points for each of the following:

• Contributing thoughtful and on-topic comments to class discussion: 1–10 points per class session. For example:
  • Voluntarily responding to an instructor’s question
  • Correctly answering another student’s question
  • Raising an example from the reading
  • Raising a relevant point or issue that has not yet been discussed
  • Correctly explaining a quiz answer to the class
  • Raising a thoughtful and relevant question in class
  • Sharing an insightful and on-topic reading response
• Presentations:
  • Presenting your project in class: 1–20 points, depending on the quality of the presentation
  • Presenting the results of a small-group discussion to the class: 3 points
• Peer review:
  • Handing in the first draft of your project to your peer review partner on time: 10 points
  • Peer reviewing another student’s assignment: 1–10 points, depending on how in-depth the review is [note: if you are not able to review because the other student did not complete the assignment on time, you will receive the maximum possible participation points]
• Correct written answers on mini-quizzes: 1 point per answer
• Participating in a small-group discussion: 3 points
• Posted reading responses that are on time, on topic, address the question thoughtfully and clearly, and are divided into paragraphs: 1–3 points, depending on the quality of the response.

You may lose points for the following:

• Not attending class: -3 points for each absence beyond the first two
• Entering the classroom late (beyond the first two latenesses):
  • Arriving later than the starting time: -1 point
  • 10 minutes late or more: -2 points [for details on absences and latenesses, see “General Class Policies,” below]
• Leaving the classroom during class time: -1 points
• Distracting behaviors: sending/reading text messages, engaging in private conversations, etc. -1 point for each incident
• Failing to complete your assignment in time for your peer review partner to critique it: -10 points

I may announce additional ways to earn or lose points, or modify the point system, at any time during the course of the semester. Changes will be announced on the website, by email, and in class.

I will keep a running tally of the total possible number of participation points during the course of the semester. Your participation grade will be calculated based on how well you have performed compared to the total possible number of points. (As no one is likely to earn all of the possible points, there will be some flexibility in the grading.) Please note that students with zero or negative point totals will receive no credit.

General Class Policies

1. Materials and technology

All readings and assignments will be posted as links from the course website, except that the book The Metropolitan Revolution is not available for free as an e-book. You may purchase your own copy or read the copy that the library has on reserve.

I will email announcements and schedule changes directly to students. Announcements may also be posted on the course website. Each student will need to provide me with at least one email address which you check regularly.

This course will make use of the iClicker Cloud response system, CUNY Academic Commons, and other interactive software during class time. Everyone is expected to have an iClicker Cloud account, which will require payment of a subscription fee after a 2-week trial period. Visit https://app.reef-education.com/#/account/create to sign up for an account. Do not purchase an iClicker remote as these are not supported in this course. Instead of remotes, we will use the iClicker web interface.

Everyone is expected to log into a lab computer at the beginning of class using their Hunter NetID, log into iClicker Cloud, and open the readings for that day (or print out and bring in a paper copy of the readings). Students who choose to use their own devices rather than a school computer during class time do so at their own risk. If you use your own equipment, I will not accept make-up work or late work in the event of a technical problem, such as loss of power, slow speeds, or disruptions to network connectivity.

If you did not log in promptly at the beginning of class, or are unable to log in because of a forgotten password, I cannot accept make-up work or late work. Therefore, you should plan on arriving a few minutes early to make sure that you can log in to the systems.

2. Submissions

Unless I specify otherwise, all assignments will be submitted on in hard copy form in class.

3. Contacting me

If you have any questions about anything related to the class, please feel free to email me at [email protected]. I will reply to student email on weekday afternoons.

4. Office hours

I am very happy to meet students in person; in fact, this is usually the best way to resolve issues. I am normally available Monday and Thursday afternoons from 2:30 to 4:00, but as I do not have an office at Hunter, it is necessary to email me or speak to me in class first to let me know you would like to meet. I can also find other times to meet if needed.

5. Absences and latenesses.

On-time attendance is expected and is a part of your participation grade. When you do not attend class on time, you are unable to accumulate participation points for quizzes, in-class writing, class discussion, and informal presentations, and you will also lose points that you accumulated in previous sessions. Please keep this in mind, as some students have been very surprised in the recent past when they received much lower final grades than they were expecting simply because they did not attend class regularly.

The point system is designed to accommodate most students’ typical absence patterns (normally 2–3 classes each semester for such things as minor illnesses, appointments, transit delays, funerals, etc.). I will not accept documentation for such matters. Please be mindful of how many participation points you are losing each time you are absent or late and think carefully before taking a “personal day.”

I will consider granting make-up participation points if you are participating in a school activity or if you or a family member have an illness that takes you away from class for more than a day, but I will need documentation.

Even though transportation in New York can be slow and unreliable, I must expect everyone to arrive on time; please build enough time into your commute to account for transit delays and cancellations. If you are physically able, consider using human-powered modes of transportation, such as bicycling or walking, for at least part of your commute, and build time for these into your schedule.

Tests and presentations can only be rescheduled in the case of documented illness or other emergency or attendance at a funeral that takes place the same week as the test or presentation. For non-emergency reasons, I will consider rescheduling only if you notify me at least a month in advance.

6. Access and accommodations.

In compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Hunter College is committed to ensuring educational access and accommodations for all its registered students. Hunter College’s students with disabilities and medical conditions are encouraged to register with the Office of AccessABILITY for assistance and accommodation. For information and appointments contact the Office of AccessABILITY, located in Room E1214 or call (212) 772-4857 /or VRS (646) 755-3129.

7. Grading policy.

This course strives to adhere to the following standards for letter grades:

• A: Excellent work that demonstrates full and insightful understanding and mastery of course concepts, with only minor errors or deficiencies
• B: Very good work that demonstrates solid understanding and mastery of course concepts, often with at least one significant deficiency
• C: Fair work that demonstrates partial understanding and mastery of course concepts and usually has at least one significant deficiency
• D: Below-standard work that demonstrates only a basic level of understanding and mastery of course concepts and has major deficiencies
• F: Work that demonstrates little or no understanding or mastery of course concepts.

The following final grades may be assigned for incomplete work:

• WU (Unofficial withdrawal): This is the final grade that is normally assigned if one or more required assignments was not completed. Be aware that if you receive a grade of WU, you may retroactively lose financial aid eligibility. You must complete all assignments by the end of the semester to avoid a WU.
• Incomplete: If you experience a serious problem such as a major illness, I may consider assigning an Incomplete grade. This grade can only be assigned if the student and instructor agree on a plan for completing the work. If think you need an incomplete, you must meet with me before the end of April so that we can decide whether an incomplete is appropriate and create such a plan. Otherwise, college regulations require that I assign a WU for incomplete work.

8. Academic integrity and disclosure of sources.

Students will be held responsible for following CUNY’s policy on academic integrity at http://www2.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/legal-affairs/policies-procedures/academic/integrity/policy/. Cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. You should be aware that Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations, obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents) as serious offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The College is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to the Hunter College Academic Integrity Procedures.

In work that you submit in this course, all information and images that you obtain from external sources must be disclosed and appropriately cited. This includes exact quotes, paraphrases, pictures, maps, charts, graphics, or any other information. For each source of information or image that you use, you must provide the author, title of the work, publisher, date, and URL. Exception: You do not need to provide citations on in-class writing such as exams.

9. Late work.

Late assignments will be penalized 1/3 letter grade (e.g., A to A-, etc.) for each 24 hours that they are late. I will consider waiving this penalty in cases of a documented illness or in other extraordinary, documented, circumstances. Late reading responses receive no credit.

10. Hunter College Policy on Sexual Misconduct.

In compliance with the CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct, Hunter College reaffirms the prohibition of any sexual misconduct, which includes sexual violence, sexual harassment, and gender-based harassment retaliation against students, employees, or visitors, as well as certain intimate relationships. Students who have experienced any form of sexual violence on or off campus (including CUNY-sponsored trips and events) are entitled to the rights outlined in the Bill of Rights for Hunter College.

a. Sexual Violence: Students are strongly encouraged to immediately report the incident by calling 911, contacting NYPD Special Victims Division Hotline (646-610-7272) or their local police precinct, or contacting the College’s Public Safety Office (212-772-4444).

b. All Other Forms of Sexual Misconduct: Students are also encouraged to contact the College’s Title IX Campus Coordinator, Dean John Rose ([email protected] or 212-650-3262) or Colleen Barry ([email protected] or 212-772-4534) and seek complimentary services through the Counseling and Wellness Services Office, Hunter East 1123.

c. CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct Website: http://www.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/la/Policy-on-Sexual-Misconduct-12-1-14-with-links.pdf