Latinos Requirements

Course Format and Requirements

This course will include lectures, discussions, guest lectures, small group activities, and films. Attendance is mandatory at all course activities, and the only excused absences are for family or health emergencies (with proof). In order to get the most out of this course, it is necessary that you arrive at class prepared - this means having done the assigned readings before the class session for which they are assigned.

You will be graded on the following:

Class Attendance and Participation 10%

Reading Quizzes 25%

Course Logbook 25%

Debate 10%

Final Exam 30%

You should keep a course and film logbook that will be turned in and graded three times during the semester (2/13. 3/27. and 4/24), amounting to a total of 25% of your grade. In your logbook you should do the following: describe your reactions to course materials, readings, lectures, debates and/or discussions; describe and register your reactions to current events in newspapers, television programs, magazine articles and advertisements, etc. that relate to Latinos (if possible, clip them out and attach them to your logbook); describe internet resources on Latinos that you have discovered (include web address and date); describe a Latino event you attended during the semester, in Burlington or elsewhere, and how it relates to course materials (possibilities include attending monthly Latino dance parties in Burlington, Spanish mass at St. Michael's College and the social hour afterward, art openings, public lecture, etc.). Furthermore, you should write at least two pages of reaction to each of the films we watch during the semester. Except for this minimum on films, there is no set amount of pages to write, and I will be looking for the quality of your engagement with materials, not necessarily quantity. However, you should plan on writing something at least twice a week in your logbook. Failure to cover a variety of resources and sources in your logbooks will result in a lower grade. Logbooks should be typewritten.

There will be four in-class debates related to NAFTA, immigration, language and immigrants' rights. I will assign each of you to a debate topic during the semester. You will work in a small group to come up with a position and then present that position in class.

There will be brief reading quizzes at the beginning of class every Tuesday, the total of which constitute 20% of your final grade. You cannot make up any of these quizzes if you miss a class, unless you have arranged it with me ahead of time because of an expected absence.

There will be a final exam, assigned during our assigned final exam day and time, to be announced. The exam will combine key word definitions, short answers, and essay questions.

A note on writing papers:

In these days of computer-mediated writing, there are no excuses for the two following problems: 1) late papers due to 'computer crashes,' and 2) poor spelling. Regarding the former, claiming a 'computer crash' is the basically the same as telling me that your dog ate your homework. This is not a valid excuse if you are backing up your materials on diskettes. If indeed this has happened, I expect you to provide a note from a computer specialist explaining the problem; otherwise your late paper will be evaluated in terms of my late paper policy. Regarding the latter problem, use your spellcheck option - I will mark you down for poor spelling.

My policy on late papers and logbooks is that I do not accept them, although I will make an exception if you are willing to receive a lower grade. Written work is due in class. Anything not turned in during class is late, and for every 24 hour period your paper or logbook is late, you drop a full grade from the grade I feel your paper would receive if it were not late. For example, if your 'A' paper is not turned in at class, you will receive a 'B' if it is turned in within the next 24 hours. The next day, your grade drops to a 'C.' The day after that, it is a 'D.' If you turn in a paper late and expect to receive a non-reduced grade, you must provide evidence of an emergency.

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