Commitment:  Preparation, Attendance, Attention, and Participation

Education follows attention.  Whatever you pay attention to, you will learn.  If you pay attention to the material in this course, you will learn it, and so in grading you in this course I place considerable value on your focus on the course and its central issues.  I am much less concerned about the depth or speed of your learning;  if you start with genuine interest in the material, then the learning will take care of itself.  For this reason, a large component of your course grade is the "commitment" grade, embracing preparation for class, attendance at class, attention (i.e., staying awake) in class, and participating in the course discussions.

The "commitment" grade is based on my own judgment—a subjective judgment, in the end, but still informed by various objective factors:  your attendance record;  evidence from class discussion that you have read the material and thought about it;  and your participation in the class discussion.  Please note that participation in class discussion doesn't mean saying brilliant things;  it is equally valuable for you to ask questions for clarification or to push boundaries — these contribure to the class process (and to me) and will be valued as such.

Some people feel shy of participating in class.  If you are one of them, let's recognize that participation includes sending me emails and talking to me in my office.