Grade Weighting: Participation and Discussion Questions (20%); Inklings Investigation Projects (30%); Creative Presentations (10%); Final Research Paper (40%)
Participation (10%)
Participation marks will be based on two, peer-reviewed evaluations, given halfway and at the end of the term; some time will be allocated during the seminar to fill out these forms.
Grading: A rubric based on the criteria will be provided by the Student Coordinator.
Discussion Questions (10%)
These are a list of carefully-prepared questions on the text(s) discussed on the given day of the term. Students in pairs will be tasked with developing questions based on the readings for the class. Discussion questions will ideally connect all of the assigned texts. These questions will be submitted to the SDS Coordinator the week before class on the given text is being held, and will be posted here, on the Course Blog. Students who are assigned discussion questions are responsible for facilitating the seminar on that day.
Grading: Discussion Questions will be peer-evaluated in class, based on the amount of preparation and thought shown by the students presenting; a rubric will be provided by the Student Coordinator, and time will be given during the last class of the week to fill these evaluations.
Inkling Investigation Projects (30%)
Two options will be provided for this assignment: either the student can choose a lesser-known text from the list of Inklings included under the Required Readings list OR the student can choose to investigate a lesser-known Inkling and their works. The purpose of these presentations is to provide a targeted, informed analysis of their chosen work. Additional research is encouraged but not required for this project. Inkling projects may provide the foundation for the Final Research Paper. Presentations will be delivered on Tuesday, March 6th as per the Course Syllabus.
The student has about 10 minutes to present and lead a brief discussion around their chosen work – length will depend on the number of seminar participants.
Grading: Inkling Investigation projects will be presented as Seminar Papers. Written copies of the Inkling Investigation presentation papers will be provided to the Faculty Sponsor for grading one week after the presentation date; this gives the student time to review and add to their written submission. The Peer Evaluation of the presentation will account for 40% of the final grade for this assignment, and the written report marked by the Faculty Sponsor will be weighed at the remaining 60%.
Creative Presentations (10%)
The rationale in support of the Creative Presentations is that they provide opportunities for students from several disciplines to take a unique approach to the material. Examples will be discussed closer to the submission date. Students must provide a solid, academic rationale supporting their choice of project, in the form of a brief (250-500 word) written argument. This written Project Rationale will be submitted and presented on the same date as the student’s project.
Grading: A rubric for Creative Presentations and the written Project Rationale portion will be provided by the Student Coordinator. Written or recorded components will be given to the Faculty Sponsor for marking. In such case as the Faculty Sponsor is not able to attend the presentations, depending on their format, a portion of the grading may be peer-evaluated. This will be assessed closer to the end of the term, based on the proposed format of student projects.
Final Research Paper (40%)
The purpose of this assignment is to allow students to develop their own research topics on an Inkling or text of their choice. A list of possible topics and a more detailed rubric will be circulated closer to the date. Length will be 2500-3000 words.
Grading: The peer-evaluation portion (draft review) will account for part of the final grade (10%) and the written report marked by the Faculty Sponsor will be weighed at the remaining 90%. The final paper is due on Tuesday, April 10th, and the draft for peer-review will be due the day before the workshop date, Monday, April 3rd.