Grading

On this page:

Grade definitions Grading system Cheating Missing or late work Disability Concerns

What is an A? a B? a C?

Grades are not based on effort. Instead, they are based on actual performance. (When you choose a doctor or an auto mechanic, you don't care if they tried hard when they were in school. You care whether they know what they are doing.)

A	A grade of "A" means that the work is judged to be of exceptionally high quality, going well beyond what is needed to be minimally acceptable. "A" level work shows originality, depth of thought, factual accuracy, good logic.
B	A grade of "B" means that the work is judged to be of high quality, going well beyond what is needed to be minimally acceptable. "B" level work shows some of the same good qualities as "A" level work, but not as consistently, or to the same extent. (Maybe lacks originality, and is less deep, although accurate and logical as far as it goes, for example.)
C	A grade of "C" means that the work is acceptable--that is, it meets the basic standard of college level work in terms of relevance, factual accuracy, and logic. "C-" work is at the the minimum acceptable level.
D	A grade of "D" means that the work does not meet the standards for acceptable college level work, but it does exhibit some positive qualities that indicate that it deserves some credit for having been done.
F	A grade of "F" means that the work is so weak that it does not earn college level credit, or the work was not completed at all.

General description of the grading system

The overall course grade is based on the combination of four types of written course work:

	Longer written projects -- three of these, each about six pages in length.
	Essay examination answers written outside of class -- there will be two of these, a midterm and a final, each about eight pages in length.
	Written answers to study questions, quizzes, and other short projects. These will occur very frequently.

The difference between an examination and an essay is that in an essay students launch out more on their own, to produce an original analysis or argument, while the examinations are more a matter of summarizing, synthesizing, and analyzing the readings and class discussions.

Expect that you will need to refer to aspects of the assigned readings that are not necessarily discussed in class. Expect that you will need to refer to class discussions that are not covered in the readings.

Study questions and similar short projects will normally be graded simply as satisfactory or not satisfactory. In some cases a little extra credit is given to an outstanding job, or only partial credit is given for a weak response.

The overall final course grade will be determined as follows:

	Each longer essay will count for 15 points.
	Each examination will count for 20 points.
	The study questions, quizzes, and other similar items will in combination count for 15 points.

It is not possible to predict exactly how many items there will count in the last category. So, each one will be awarded temporary points, based on quality of performance. For example, each study question set will normally be worth one temporary point. The resulting number of temporary points possible on all these items by the end of the term will probably be between 15 and 25. The temporary points will be converted into real points by prorating at the end of the term. For example, if there are 20 temporary points possible on all study questions, quizzes, and so forth, then each temporary point turns out to be worth 15/20ths of a real point, so that the 20 temporary points will be converted into 15 real points. (Yes, 15/20 is the same as 3/4.)

Course grades will then be based on the total points earned, using a scale no higher than this one:

A	86 points
B	65points
C	44 points
D	31 points

Since there are 100 points possible, this may look like a very lenient scale. If it looks lenient to you, that's because you are thinking in terms of the typical scale in which, for example, 70% is the lowest C. But in this course, points earned on exams and essays will not be based on the typical percentage grading scale. God did not decree that 90% is an A and 80% is a B. For a sense of what it will take to earn the points in each category see the top of this page, where there is an explanation of what an "A" means, what a "B" means, and so on.

Plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty nullify the entire grading system described above, for students involved. Such cases will be dealt with in accord with university policy, and can easily result in a student's failing the entire course, or being dismissed from the university.

Policies about missing or late course work

Quizzes or other assignments written in class must be turned in during the class. Make-ups are not allowed, except for students who are absent because they are required to attend a previously scheduled and approved officially-sanctioned university event, and who have previously notified the instructor that they will be absent for that reason, and students who have contacted the instructor with an acceptable excuse. Students who do not make arrangements in advance regarding make-ups when it is physically possible to do so are out of luck. Quizzes are not necessarily announced in advance.

Written projects each come with a due date, posted on the Schedule pages. After the due date they are not automatically accepted for credit. (Written assignments are intended to support student learning as the class progresses. It makes no sense to try to make them up three weeks late. In the event of a serious need for a student to be absent for an extended period, special arrangements will have to be worked out, and might not be possible.)

Unless a student obtains permission to turn in the work late, items will not be accepted after the due date. To get permission to be late, the student needs to have a reasonable excuse, and to make definite arrangements with the instructor.

Disability concerns

If you have a documentable disability that requires a special accommodation in this course, contact the Disability Concerns office right away to make arrangements through them.