POL 2700:
METHODOLOGY AND ANALYSIS
Course-related Extra Credit
In most of my courses you can get extra credit for various things like finding
errors in the text, etc. A description of that kind of extra credit appears here. In
some courses, however, like this one, you can get extra credit points for doing
things related to the course. These are listed below, along with their
extra credit value. Each extra credit point is worth about 1/1000 of a
letter grade — 1000 extra credit points would raise your grade from
a C+ to a B+. (However, you can't accumulate more than 750 e.c. points.) The
credit values aren't huge, but they are not intended as payment for your
participation in something you wouldn't really like doing; They are, rather,
a concrete acknowledgement that you're
thinking and learning outside the confines of the course.
- Attend one of the many lectures or colloquia sponsored by our Math
Department (or other departments, e.g., Philosophy) on methodological
and statistical issues. [50
pts]
- Video report: Watch a video in the UMD Library, and write a 500-word
essay describing its message and in particular how it relates to Pol
2700. [50 pts/report; max 100 pts; the
material must be pre-approved by me.]
- Dealer's Choice: Convince me that something you want to do is
worth extra credit. However, the project must be fairly directly
related to the subject matter and/or purpose of the course. [Negotiable
points]
Getting extra credit for an outside activity requires
that you provide, within a week or so of the activity, some objective
evidence that you did indeed participate in it. Generally, this
means a signed note from the organizer of the activity or the speaker
stating that you were in attendance. (A signature & date
on a flyer is sufficient.) Sometimes this is impossible, e.g.,
if you request extra credit for renting and watching a movie relevant
to the course. In those cases, I ask that you write a 500-word
essay describing what you saw and discussing its relevance to the subject
of the course.
Not all activities bring extra credit, even if they seem relevant to you. Check
with me ahead of your participation. (Or go ahead and participate,
but don't assume it will necessarily bring you extra credit.)
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educator and employer.
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