RMST 495
For RMST 495, this course uses a modified version of contract grading. This means that you commit in advance to the work you will do, and receive a grade accordingly so long as you fulfil that contract. You will know throughout the semester exactly what your final grade will be, provided you do not break your contract. You will sign (and the instructor will countersign) this contract within the first two weeks.
In short, you are guaranteed an A so long as you do all the work and do not use AI.
Students will have to:
- Read two long books (The Savage Detectives and another of your choice, approved by the instructor) and one shorter book (Amulet), as well as some shorter reading, mostly if not entirely in class.
- Write a weekly reading journal on a blog that they set up for this purpose. Plus write comments weekly on two of their classmates’ blog posts.
- Attend and participate fully in weekly class discussions.
- Do all the above without the use of any AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini etc.)
If they do all the above (complete the reading, submit all blog posts on time, and attend and participate every week), they will receive an A for their work.
If they do not do all the above (if they do not complete the reading, if one or more blog posts are not on time, if they miss a class without a medical or other unavoidable certified reason, or if they do not participate in discussion) and/or if they use AI at any point, then they will receive a lower grade, to be determined by the instructor, depending on the extent of the infraction.
There will be no final paper, project, or exam for RMST 495; nor will there be a midterm exam.
If a student is interested in the possibility of receiving an A+, they should talk to the instructor: there may be the opportunity to do an extra assignment (a presentation or a final paper, alongside students enrolled in RMST 520, for which see below), but this is not guaranteed.
RMST 520
For RMST 520, students will fulfil all the requirements for RMST 495, and under the same terms:
- Read two long books (The Savage Detectives and another of your choice, approved by the instructor) and one shorter book (Amulet), as well as some shorter reading, mostly if not entirely in class.
- Write a weekly reading journal on a blog that they set up for this purpose. Plus write comments weekly on two of their classmates’ blog posts.
- Attend and participate fully in weekly class discussions.
- Do all the above without the use of any AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini etc.)
In addition, they will:
- Give a twenty-minute presentation in class on one or more of the theoretical and ancillary texts proposed for the course. They will pick the text(s) and undertake this presentation in consultation with the instructor.
- Write an 8–10 page (double-spaced) final paper related in some way to the themes and texts of the course. This paper should be written with the aim that it could be presented at a conference or symposium. The choice of theme and topic will be made, again, in consultation with the instructor.
- NB it may be that there can be some productive use of AI tools in the preparation of the presentation and/or the paper. But any such AI use must be fully declared and undertaken in consultation with the course instructor.