Molly Hardy's Courses

GOALS

This course is designed to highlight the connections between literary study and the study of the law, both in national and international contexts. Generally, we will approach these works from cultural, formal, and historical perspectives while also focusing on the political contexts that inform the events narrated in our course texts. See the grading policy section below for more information about our class goals.

ATTENDANCE
You are expected to attend class, to arrive on time, to have prepared assigned reading and writing, and to participate in all in-class editing, revising, and discussion sections. Please sign in when you walk into the room. Should you miss the equivalent of five class sessions this semester, excused or not, you will fail this course. Tardiness can also affect your grade; for every three times you are more than 5 minutes late for class, you will receive one absence. If you find that an unavoidable problem prevents you from attending class, you should contact me as soon as possible, preferably ahead of time, to me know.

You will not be penalized for missing class on religious holy days. A student who misses classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day should inform the instructor, in writing, well in advance of the absence, so that alternative arrangements can be made to complete work. If you know you will have to miss class(es) for this reason, provide your instructor with the date(s) as early as possible. Please note that the University specifies very few other excused absences (e.g., jury duty or military service). When you must miss a class, you are responsible for getting notes and assignments from a classmate.

GRADING POLICY

Grades in this course will be determined by use of the Learning Record Online (LRO), a system which requires students to compile a portfolio of work at the midterm and at the end of the semester. These portfolios present a selection of your work, both formal and informal, plus ongoing observations about your learning, plus an analysis of your work development in terms of the five dimensions of learning and the goals for this course.

The dimensions of learning have been developed by teachers and researchers, and they represent what learners experience in most any learning situation:

1) Confidence and independence
2) Knowledge and understanding
3) Skills and strategies
4) Use of prior and emerging experience
5) Reflectiveness

In addition to analyzing your work in terms of these dimensions of learning, the argument you make for your grade will also consider the specific goals for this course. These goals are called Course Strands, and there are four of them:

1) Read carefully and critically.
2) Understand and apply literary analysis to a wide range of texts.
3) Analyze, apply, and formulate theories about the relationship between literature and the law.
4) Develop and refine writing, editing, and revision skills.

The course website provides detailed descriptions of the Course Strands and the Dimensions of Learning.

Your work in class (and in other classes during this semester) along with the observations you record throughout the semester will help you build an argument in terms of the dimensions of learning and the course strands. We will discuss the LRO in detail at the beginning of the semester, and we will have various conversations about compiling the LRO as the semester progresses. The grade criteria are as follows:

A

Represents outstanding participation in all course activities, perfect or near perfect attendance, and all assigned work completed on time. Also represents very high quality in all work produced for the course. LRO provides evidence of significant development across the five dimensions of learning. The Learning Record at this level demonstrates activity that goes significantly beyond the required course work in one or more course strands.

B

Represents excellent participation in all course activities, near perfect attendance, and all assigned work completed on time. Also represents consistently high quality in course work. Evidence of marked development across the five dimensions of learning.

C

Represents good participation in all course activities, minimal absences, and all assigned work completed. Also represents generally good quality overall in course work. Evidence of some development across the five dimensions of learning.

D

Represents uneven participation in course activities, uneven attendance, and some gaps in assigned work completed. Represents inconsistent quality in course work. Evidence of development across the five dimensions of learning is partial or unclear.

F

Represents minimal participation in course activities, poor attendance, serious gaps in assigned work completed, or very low quality in course work. Evidence of development is not available.

I

Work for the course is incomplete and the instructor will allow the student additional time to complete it. The amount of time allowed is at the discretion of the instructor.

Late Assignments
Late assignments will be factored into your argument in the LRO (see the grade criteria for more details). Though I do not place letter grades on your papers, I do keep track of work handed in late. In addition to the evidence you provide, I factor in late assignments in your midterm and final assessments.

SCHOLASTIC HONESTY
Turning in work that is not your own, or any other form of scholastic dishonesty, will result in a major course penalty, possibly failure of the course. This standard applies to all drafts and assignments, and a report of the incident will be submitted to the Office of the Dean of Students and filed in your permanent UT record. Under certain circumstances, the Dean of Students will initiate proceedings to expel you from the University. So, take care to read and understand the Statement on Scholastic Responsibility because the standards for this class are the same as the Department of Rhetoric and Writing. To review definitions of plagiarism using the library's All About Plagiarism Tutorial. If you have any doubts about your use of sources, ask your instructor for help before handing in the assignment.

CLASS PARTICIPATION

The small size of this class requires your intense participation in class activities. To state the obvious: you need to read assignments carefully and critically and to contribute enthusiastically to discussion. The success of this course—what we learn and whether we are engaged or bored— depends on all of us. For this course to be worth your time and that of your colleagues, you must be and active participant in every discussion and response. Student discussion is essential; my goal is to moderate discussion so that you are speaking with each other about your ideas. I reserve the right to call on students whether or not their hands are raised. If I find that students are not coming to class prepared, I will give pop quizzes.

Cell Phones and Laptops
Please turn off or silence cell phones when you enter the classroom. You are welcome to use laptops during class if you are using them to participate in what we're doing (for instance, Googling terms or concepts that we're discussing).

UNDERGRADUATE WRITING CENTER
You are strongly encouraged to attend the Undergraduate Writing Center in FAC 211 (471.6222), which offers free one-on-one writing consultations with trained specialists. UWC consultants are trained to help you develop and improve your writing in ways that preserve the integrity of your work.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-6441 TTY.

COMPUTER USE AND AVAILABILITY
Computers are available to you in the Student Microcomputer Facility on the second floor of the FAC. If you have not already done so, you should get your Individually Funded (IF) account number for the SMF immediately by going to ITS Accounts. You are also invited to use the CWRL open lab at PAR 102. Also, the University offers every student 75 megabytes of free Webspace for personal document storage and website creation. Austin has an increasingly large number of free public wireless Internet hotspots, which you can find out about here.

EMAIL ACCOUNTS
Email is an official means of communication at UT Austin, and I will use this medium to communicate class information. You are therefore required to obtain a UT email account and to check it daily. All students may claim an email address at no cost by clicking here. Please feel free to email me with your questions and concerns. It may take me up to two days to respond, so please do not expect an immediate response. If your question is a lengthy one (about writing, etc.), I may ask you to visit me during office hours instead of responding to you on email. Emails sent to me must include a greeting, must be written in complete sentences, and must end with your name. I will show you the same courtesy.