Grading
Table of contents
Overview and Deadlines
Grading in this course will be slightly unorthodox. Every student will begin the semester with a point total of 0. Then, every assignment that you complete in the areas of homework, daily check-ins, weekly quizzes, exams, and written responses will add points to your total. Your point total across all categories at the end of the semester will determine the semester grade that you receive, and you get to decide what combination of assignments and assessments will get you to your desired final grade. You choose the grade that you want, and you are in control of drawing your own pathway to get there.
Because there will be a number of pathways to get to the minimum point total for an A (950 points), every assignment is optional. This includes everything: homework, daily check-ins, weekly quizzes, exams, and written responses. As such, if you don’t submit an assignment by its indicated due date, I will simply assume that you have opted not to complete it and I won’t chase you down for it. If you intend to complete an assignment but anticipate difficulty in meeting its deadline, please be proactive and contact me before it’s due. I am flexible with granting extensions, especially in the current pandemic atmosphere, but I can’t grant an extension that isn’t asked for! I reserve the right to deduct points from or not give credit for any assignment submitted late without prior notification or discussion.
All assignments combined will add up to a possible maximum of 1000 points throughout the semester; any extra credit opportunity points will be added to the pool but they are not necessary to get to an A. The following list indicates the point ranges for semester-end grade levels:
| Grade | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| A | 950 | 1000 |
| A- | 875 | 949 |
| B+ | 800 | 874 |
| B | 750 | 799 |
| B- | 700 | 749 |
| C+ | 650 | 699 |
| C | 600 | 649 |
| C- | 550 | 599 |
| D | 500 | 549 |
| F | 0 | 499 |
Grades ending in .45 or greater will be rounded up to the nearest whole number; grades ending in .44 or less will be rounded down to the nearest whole number.
Grade Components
Homework
- 5 points per homework assignment, thirty-six (36) assignments total = 180 total points
- There will be thirty-six (36) homework assignments throughout the semester, with due dates specified in the Course Schedule and on Blackboard. Each homework assignment will give you practice with the concept that was learned in class that day, and each homework assignment will be graded on the basis of completeness, not correctness. All assignments will be administered through Blackboard and due at the beginning of the following class period.
Daily Check-Ins
- 5 points per check-in, thirty-six (36) check-ins total = 180 total points
- There will be thirty-six (36) daily check-ins throughout the semester, with the first graded one in class on W 9/11 to give you time to acclimate to the course. Each check-in will be administered in class, and it will test the topic that was discussed during the previous class period. Some check-ins will be open-note, open-resources, and open-Internet, but some will be closed-note to incentivize memorization of vocabulary and paradigms. Each will be a time limit of about 3-5 minutes, depending on the complexity of the topic.
Weekly Quizzes
- 30 points per quiz, ten (10) quizzes total = 300 total points
- There will be ten (10) weekly quizzes throughout the semester, set on a Thursday morning and due by the beginning of the following Monday’s class. Each quiz will have a maximum total of 30 points, and each will cover all the material from that week’s classes. All quizzes will be open-note, open-resource, and open-Internet, and there will be no time limit. However, you must complete your own quiz; you are not allowed to share your answers with other students or copy other students’ answers as your own. Moreover, you are not allowed to use Google Translate or any other automatic online translation tools for translation or composition exercises; the demonstrable use of such tools will result in either 0 points for the question or 0 points for the entire assignment.
Exams
- 100 points per exam, three (3) exams total = 300 total points
- There will be three (3) exams throughout the semester. Each exam will have a maximum total of 100 points, and it will be graded traditionally. Each exam will focus on the material in its respective third of the course, but since Latin grammar is necessarily cumulative, the second and third exams will draw on earlier topics. The tasks in each exam will range from grammar and paradigm questions to translation or composition prompts. Each exam will be open-note, open-resource, and open-Internet, and there will be no time limit. However, you must complete your own exam; you are not allowed to share your answers with other students or copy other students’ answers as your own. Moreover, you are not allowed to use Google Translate or any other automatic online translation tools for translation or composition exercises; the demonstrable use of such tools will result in either 0 points for the question or 0 points for the entire assignment.
Written Responses
- 10 points per response,four (4) responses total = 40 total points
- Throughout the semester, there will be projects that you can complete and events that you can attend that are aimed at getting you to engage with the material of the course (ancient Latin language and Roman culture) in outside-of-the-box ways. Writing a response to each event or project will earn you semester points. These responses include three reflections on articles/videos about grammatical gender, verbal voice, and the subjunctive mood and a coin analysis project using Fairfield Classical Studies’ ancient coins collection. More details to come!
Assignment Submissions and Late Policies
Homework assignments and written responses will be available to submit via Blackboard, with clearly marked due dates and times. If you miss a homework or written response deadline but want to submit the assignment, you must email me within 24 hours of the missed deadlines; otherwise, you will not be allowed to submit the assignment.
Check-ins will be administered in person at the beginning of every class. If you miss a check-in and would like to make it up, you must email me within 24 hours of your absence and request a link to the check-in; otherwise, you will not be allowed to make it up.
Quizzes and exams will be distributed in person at the end of the appropriate Thursday class and due at the beginning of the following Monday’s class.
- If you miss a quiz or exam distribution day and would like to complete it, you must email me within 24 hours of your absence and request a link to the quiz or exam; otherwise, you will not be allowed to submit it.
- Similarly, if you miss a quiz or exam submission day, you must email me within 24 hours of your absence to be allowed to submit it via email or in person at the next class; otherwise, you will not be allowed to submit your quiz or exam.