40%:  Two in-depth research essays, 1,000 to 2,000 words, based on our readings, conference discussions and your own research.

You may not be familiar with research papers. In these papers, you want always to show your references. You will need numerous quotations in your paragraphs, citations after the quotes, citations after unquoted information taken from elsewhere, and a bibliography or Works Cited page. Show clearly where your information came from. Provide full URL addresses if the information was taken online.

In your paper, cite book or article authors like this (Smith, 2003, p. 45). Then give a full, traditional reference to Smith in your Bibliography.

In your paper, cite online authors like this (Freedom Forum, 1995, para. 23). Then in the Bibliography, give the full citation:

Freedom Forum (1995). Coverage of the Persian Gulf War. Retrieved June 12, 2005, from http://www.freedomforum.org/warGulf.html.

Be very careful with online sources to avoid plagiarism. If you use information from any source, even if you don't quote it directly, always cite it. Lots of sources and citations are a good thing in a research essay so when in doubt, always cite a source!

20%:  End-of-semester research project on the media system of one nation. Based on our readings and discussions, you will analyze the social, political and economic dimensions of the country's mass media. For citations, follow the requirements above. Lots of quotations and citations.

  10%:  Email responses to me addressing questions based on the readings. Questions will be assigned with each assigment.

30%:  Postings and responses to our online discussion site. As in any college seminar, your contributions each week will be judged on their quantity and quality. 

Discussion forums are held over a 3-4 day period, usually Monday to Thursday. You will get the highest grade for posting thoughtful responses to the readings early for each assignment and then returning to the conference over the 3-4 day period to discuss points made by a classmate. You should be contributing at least four times to each Forum.

For example, for a Forum that starts Monday: To get a solid B grade for your conference discussion, you would post four times over the next three days. You would write once or twice early, on Tuesday, responding to the assignment and making reference to the readings. Then through Wednesday and Thursday, well before 7 p.m. you would post twice more, commenting on one or more of your classmates' postings. If you do less than that, your grade ultimately will suffer.

To get an A, you should be contributing and commenting more frequently. You should be reading and responding regularly to classmates. Some people write 5-10 comments per assignment. This is an online seminar. An ongoing, thoughtful dialogue is our main goal. 

You should know: The bulletin board software keeps track of when you visit the site, how many postings you read and how much time you spend reading and writing on the site. You will always get credit for your work.

If you do this well, we will have an in-depth, wide-ranging discussion of the issues. Indeed, I have found written conference discussions to be much more thoughtful and thorough than similar "in-class" talks.

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