UWC2101L: Writing & Critical Thinking: Masculinities: Contemporary Theories & Representations

Module Requirements

• Essay One - 3 to 4 pages (25%)
• Essay Two - 5 to 6 pages (30%)
• Essay Three - 7 to 10 pages (35%)
• First Drafts of the above three essays - Although I have not allotted a percentage grade for the first drafts, you are expected to submit all these drafts on time. Any missing drafts will result in a grade of F for that particular essay. Late drafts will be subjected to the usual late paper penalties.
• Class Presentation (5%)
• Quizzes / Active participation in class and IVLE discussion - Attendance at seminars is naturally mandatory. (5%)
• Instructor-student conferences - You are expected to be present at conferences for which you have signed up. Each absence from a scheduled conference will count as an absence from a class session.

Attendance Policy

Attendance at class meetings is essential. Class discussion will help you in understanding some of the rather difficult concepts we will be dealing with and it will also help you generate ideas for your essays. Hence, the following will be the policy:

• You are allowed two (2) unexcused absences. Upon your second absence, you will receive a friendly reminder from me. A third absence will require you to offer an explanation to the Dean of the University Scholars Programme herself. Dismissal from the course or a failing grade may result. A few excused absences due to illness, family crisis and emergencies, or official university events will be permitted if documented to my satisfaction (for instance, a medical certificate, a letter from your parents, or a letter from the Dean of your faculty). If you know in advance that you will be absent for an extended period of time (with the appropriate documentation), please come and talk to me about the problem or situation you are facing.
• Students with absences are not excused from the work assigned for a class session. It is your responsibility to contact me by e-mail, by phone, or by appointment, to make up anything you have missed. The key is always to try to inform me in advance, where possible, of an upcoming absence.
• Please do not be late for class unless, for instance, you have a long test in your previous class or if there is an MRT breakdown. Your final grade for the course may be affected if you are chronically late.

Essay Assignment Policies

Specific details of the individual unit essays will be provided in the instructions for each of these essays. However, the following are some of the general guidelines I will expect you to follow for all your essay assignments:

• Initial drafts of essays must be submitted during class time on the day assigned (unless otherwise stated). Each assignment will have specific features, but in general, essay assignments are to be printed on white smooth-edged paper, doubled-spaced with one-inch margins on all sides, and printed on one side. I will not accept hand-written essays. Follow the MLA or Chicago format for all essays. All sheets of paper must be stapled; do not use paper clips and do not fold your essays in the corner! Final drafts are to be submitted as Word attachments via e-mail.
• On the top left-hand corner of the first page, please include the following information in a name/info block:
  

  Student's Name
  Module No., Group No., Course Title (e.g. UWC2101L, Group 1, Masculinities)
  Essay No.
  Instructor's Name (Dr. Kenneth Chan)
  Date Submitted

Also include a title on the first page. The title must be appropriately chosen to reflect your topic and must be centred on the page after the above name/info block and before the body of your essay begins. Do not underline, italicize (unless it is a text you are referring to), or make bold the title; and do not use upper-case letters for the entire title.

• No late papers are permitted. All papers will be penalized one letter grade for each day late. Should you foresee any difficulty in handing in an essay on time, please discuss the problem with me before the due date.
• IMPORTANT!!! - Keep hard copies of all your essays for your record. Do not just save it on your hard drive or floppy disk.

Collusion and Plagiarism

Unless otherwise indicated by me in connection with class group work, all work must be individual. Evidence of collusion (working with another student or tutor not connected with the class), plagiarism (use of another's ideas, data, and/or statements without acknowledgment or with minimal acknowledgment), or multiple submissions (submitting an essay you have used in a previous class) will lead to a failure in this course. To learn some ways of avoiding plagiarism, see Philip Holden's Plagiarism or read Diana Hacker's A Writer's Reference, pages 76-78 and 82-85.

As this class involves active discussion, we will encounter situations where there will be a sharp disagreement on various issues. I will expect students to respect one another and to participate in these discussions in a mature, collegial, and responsible manner. Learn to disagree diplomatically.