• Reading quizzes (6 total)--30% of grade [Bring small scantron on quiz days]
• Each quiz consists of ten multiple choice questions. Scale: 10=extra 9=A 8=B 7=C 6=D 5=F 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 pull down average.
• Student projects --20% of grade [see rubric]
• At these six fifty-minute sessions, five projects will be presented, each by a four-person group, each group allotted ten minutes, an average of 2.5 minutes per person.
• Signup sheets for groups will be distributed on the second class day. Groups need to meet and work together outside of class.
• Presentations may be by individuals within a framework established by the group or by the group working together.
• Projects need to combine critical insight into works read with creative personal response. They can take a wide range of format, including, but not limited to, musical presentations (vocal and/or instrumental), visual designs (posters, ad campaigns, illuminated texts, paintings, drawings, photography), dramatic performances (solo and group, live and/or on videotape), dance performances (with or without musical accompaniment), webpages, writing (poetry, fiction, drama, memoir).
• You are encouraged to confer with the instructor after class, at office hours or by email, for further guidance on these projects.
• Some suggestions for projects by groups
• Sample group projects for English 253 Spring 2011 can be found on that course's website
• Project essay--1000-1200 words, due one week after presentation--25% of grade [see rubric]
• This essay provides a personal account, justification, and reflection on the genesis, composition, meaning and reception of your contribution to the project. Be sure to emphasize the relationship between reading class texts and your creation. Send essay to instructor as MS Word attachment. Name the document with your last name only, followed by "Project Essay." In the subject line of the email to which you attach it, type your last name only, followed by "Project Essay."
• Responses to projects--250-300 words, due from those not presenting in class by 6 pm the day following presentations--no separate grade but half grade penalty to your project essay grade for not submitting on time.
• Email smarx@calpoly.edu a paragraph or more about which of the student projects was most meaningful to you and why. Type into the email, not as attachment. Refer to specifics of the project, the class text it's based on and your own experience. Be clear and concise. Avoid vagueness and padding. These responses will be posted for everyone to read on the class website. In the subject line, type your last name only, followed by "Project Response." Your name should not appear in the text of the email. Samples
• Take home exam--1500-1700 words--25% of grade.
• The exam involves an overview of readings, lectures and responses as well as detailed references to specific texts. It requires you to write a symposium or platonic dialogue featuring six speakers conversing about one of the images or topics to be distributed nine days before the exam. 
• The conversation can mix brief quotations--within quotation marks--with paraphrases or extrapolations of what the authors might say. The paraphrases or extrapolations may adopt the speaker's style of expression. (Please include page references in parentheses.) Questions and sample responses

• Late papers are penalized one full grade for each class session's delay unless a postponement is granted by the instructor in advance.
• Attendance is not optional. Three unexcused absences lower grade by one half letter; five unexcused absences result in no credit. Two unexcused latenesses count for one absence. Certified medical absences are not counted in these totals and are the only reason for makeup exams or quizzes.
• Behavior to avoid: arriving late or leaving early; using cell phones, smart phones in class; using laptops or ipads for anything but notetaking; packing up disruptively before the class is dismissed; eating in class; sleeping in class; reading newspapers; chatting with neighbors.
• Plagiarism or other forms of cheating result in a failing grade and referral to the dean. Students are responsible for understanding the definition of plagiarism. Please consult the instructor if the Cheating page doesn't make it clear to you.

Reading and Writing

• "A Paradigm for Literary Analysis"
• "Dr. Marx's Special Formula"