Grade/Regulations

Grade: Attendance and Participation 12% (half for the class and half for sections) /// Map Quizzes 8% /// Short Quizzes 8% /// Midterm 20% /// Final Exam 30% /// Assignments 22%

ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION: Students are expected to attend all classes and sections, participate in its activities, and contribute to discussions. You’ll need to read and think about the assignments before discussing them. If you miss a class, I want you to know that you are responsible for the material discussed and announcements made that day. Your final grade will be affected if you miss one week of classes. If you miss more than six meetings (or two weeks), you will fail this class. If you miss more than two discussion sections, you are out as well.

MAP QUIZZES: THREE unannounced in-class map quizzes involving Latin America and the week’s subject will take place. Your three graded map quizzes will count for 8%. Maps are located in the Maps tab in this blog. Maps refer to readings and the contents of lectures.

SHORT QUIZZES: There will be THREE in-class multiple choice quizzes on the readings during the course –with no previous announcement of when quizzes would take place. Each quiz will have three simple multiple-choice questions regarding the week’s readings. Your three graded quizzes will count for 8%.

You can miss a MAP QUIZ or a SHORT QUIZ, which will not affect your final grade (so the lowest grade of 6 quizzes will be dropped).

MIDTERM:   You will have to identify four terms from a  study guide that we will work on over the first half of the course. In addition, you will be given two sets of fragments. These are quotations from the sources we have worked on in class. You will be asked to identify the source of the quotation (date, author, type of document, all to the best of your ability); and discuss the quotation’s significance, that is, how the source tells us something about the larger historical context.

FINAL EXAM: This will be a combination of identifications and essays. Instructions will be posted in the tab FINALS.

ASSIGNMENTS: Students are expected to submit TWO 1000-word papers. Instructions for each of these assignments will be posted in this blog. I will explain each assignment in class before each deadline. You will also work on these assignments in the section. Students must submit a hard copy of the paper to the professor by the deadline on CANVAS.  Responses sent by e-mail will not be accepted. Late responses will be given a zero.

These assignments are shaped to pursue the learning outcomes of Arts and Humanities General Education.

  1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how different forms of art engage multiple sensory experiences.
  2. Communicate a recognition and understanding of diverse forms of expression across the globe, past and present.
  3. Demonstrate an understanding of the research and creative methods used in the construction of knowledge in the arts and humanities.
  4. Demonstrate a critical recognition of the historical and philosophical approaches to the formation of culture, including the impact of technology on aesthetic experience.
  5. Identify how different theories and practices, over time, shape our interpretation of the cultural and creative expression.

REGULATIONS

Electronics:  Laptops and tablets are only for usage related to the course. Otherwise, turn it off, pack it, and put it away. Turn mobile phones off, not to vibrate, not to silent mode, just off. Keep your phone outside of view.

Missing classes: Your final grade will be affected if you miss one week of classes. If you miss two weeks of classes, you are out. If you miss two discussion sections, you are out as well.

On Plagiarism, or the not-so-nice part of writing: There will be zero tolerance for academic dishonesty in written assignments, as in examinations. Any student caught cheating or plagiarizing will be penalized to the fullest extent allowed by University regulations. Evidence of the consequences of academic dishonesty is published by UCI. The University forbids plagiarism in any student’s work. Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of another’s work as if it were one’s own, e.g.:

(i)  inclusion of more than a single phrase from another’s work without the use of quotation marks and acknowledgment of source, summarizing another’s work by changing a few words or altering the order of presentation without acknowledgment, (ii) copying another’s work, (iii) use of another’s ideas without acknowledgment, or the presentation of work as if it were one’s own which is substantially the ideas of another, (iv) resubmission of work previously submitted for a past course to a current course.

On Artificial Intelligence:

Using an AI content generator like ChatGPT to complete the assignment without proper attribution violates academic integrity. By submitting assignments in this class, you pledge to affirm that they are your work, and you attribute the use of any tools and sources. Be aware of the limits of conversational, generative AI tools such as ChatGPT.

Quality of your prompts: The quality of its output directly correlates to the quality of your input—master “prompt engineering” by refining your prompts to get good outcomes.

Fact-check all of the AI outputs. Assume it is wrong unless you cross-check the claims with outside reliable sources. The current AI models will confidently reassert factual errors. You will be responsible for any errors or omissions.

Full disclosure: Like any other tool, AI should be acknowledged. At the end of your assignment, write a short paragraph to explain which AI tool and how you used it, if applicable. Include the prompts you used to get the results. Failure to do so violates academic integrity policies.

There are some approved uses of AI in this course, like a) brainstorming and fine-tuning your ideas or using AI to draft an outline to clarify your thoughts, and b) checking grammar and style or helping you find a term or phrase.

Assistance:  Students who need alternative placements should talk privately with me, including AB540 students. If you need help with the work for this class, please see me during my office hours or schedule an appointment. For help with written work, you may also consult the Learning and Academic Resource Center, the Campus Writing Coordinator or Peer Academic Advising. If you have difficulty with written or spoken expressions of English, please see me, especially if you are not a native speaker of English. Support services are available to students with documented disabilities through the UCI Disability Services Center (949-824-7494). Students are encouraged to contact the office before the beginning of the quarter to arrange for assistance.

 

 

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Midterm instructions

Where/When: Wednesday, February 11, 9AM, HIB 110 (our usual classroom and time)

What you will need:

  • Big Bluebook (or Green, but not the small ones)
  • A PEN, is better than pencils

General pointers:

  • There are no secrets or surprises on the exam. All ID terms and Images will be drawn from those covered in the lecture from Week 1 to the end of Week 5. Essay questions are drawn from quotes discussed in class.
  • It is your job to review ID terms, images, and quotes posted on the class website. 
  • Answers should evenly blend information from course readings and lectures.  This pertains to ID terms as well.
  • Do NOT consult Wikipedia, Google, or outside information to study.  Your grade is based on what you have learned in this class. For example, if you see the ID term “Portugal,” it is not relevant to state the country’s annual GDP. Instead, you should draw on the information that we covered in this class.
  • Always say something!  You always know more than you think.  Even if you cannot remember all the details, provide a general location and time period.  

Exam Rules

  • You will have fifty-minutes from the start of class time to complete your exam.  Make-up exams will not be permitted (unless otherwise discussed), nor will extra time be granted to students who arrive late. Please arrive before 9AM to be ready to start!
  • Once the exam has been administered, you are expected to remain in the room until you have submitted your exam to the TA. It’s best to go to the bathroom before the exam.
  • As usual, cheating (looking at another person’s exam, talking during the exam, or using technology) will result in a grade of zero. Cheating also includes using long quotations from readings without providing your own analysis. 
  • Phones or computers may not be used during the exam. This is considered cheating and will result in a grade of zero.

Exam Components: Your midterm exam will consist of two Parts:

Part 1: Identifications (50 pts)

  • A: Image Identification (10 pts)
    1. You will be asked to identify one map/illustration to the best of your availability. Describe what you know about the image and how it relates to course themes.
    2. Ideal answer length is one paragraph or six lines.

B: Key IDs: Identify Four ID terms (10 pts each=40 pts)

  1. ID terms are short descriptive statements that offer a) a definition of the term, b) relevant information, e.g. who, what, when and where? and c) the significance of the term and its overall importance to broader themes. Note that significance pertains to why we studied a particular eventThis requires you to reflect on the purpose of a lecture or course reading, and to apply independent critical thought to determine why a concept is important. 
  2. Ideal answer length is one paragraph of at least six lines
  3. The essay prompt will ask you to identify one quotation (author, type of document, etc.) to the best of your ability and discuss the significance of the quote.
  4. If an ID term corresponds to a particular reading, be sure to discuss that reading.  If an ID term was mentioned in multiple lectures, be sure to explain how a particular term or concept had a wider impact.  

    Part 2: One essay (50 pts)
  • Choose one of the quotes. The essay should have a thesis statement.  A thesis statement is a concise summary of the argument that you will advance in the essay.  It is often placed toward the middle or end of an introductory paragraph.
  • Ideal answer length is 3 paragraphs or at least one page in length.
  • It is important that you address course readings and lectures in your answer. 

How to Prepare for the Midterm

  • Review lecture notes and readings
  • Review Key IDs, Images, and quotes uploaded onto the class website.
    • Budgeting time in a 50-minute exam is important. Here is a suggestion for how to do so: Image Identification- 5 mins, Identifying Key IDs, 20 mins., Essay, 25 minutes.

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