Syllabus HST137 (Spring 23)

Instructor: Dr. D’Haeseleer

• Contact me!
  • E-mail: tinekedhaeseleer@muhlenberg.edu
  • Office phone: 484-664-3324 –> leave a message!
  • Office: Ettinger 300A –> wear a face mask!
• Course website (this site): Webpage
• Canvas course page: webpage
  • It’s just the place where you claim your points and occasionally submit assignment notes. Course content will be on THIS website, not on Canvas, and I’ll always link you back to where you need to be.
• Discord Server (Dr D’s classes Spring 2023)

Warning:

The syllabus is long. There are certain things I need to include by college policy. Take your time reading through it, and annotate with hypothes.is (in the group HST137) with your questions, requests for clarification, or suggestions for improvement.

Table of Contents

• Class meeting time
• Tea Room times
• About the course
  • Co-constructed course/syllabus
  • Required by the College
  • A note about official language
  • Course description
  • Course goals
  • Course unit instruction
  • Course schedule
• All about grades
  • Course requirements
  • Due dates
    • Late work and extensions
    • Incomplete grade
• Useful information
  • Required texts
  • Language of instruction
  • Thoughtful participation in the Learning Commons
  • What if class is canceled
  • Covid-19 policy
  • Academic Integrity Code (AIC)
  • Information for students with disabilities and special needs
  • Information for students experiencing financial hardship
  • Academic Resource Center
  • Class recording policy
• Details of the assignments
  • Weekly blog posts
  • Hypothe.is comments for peer feedback
  • Extra credit exercises
  • Reflections

Class meeting time

We meet twice per week in Ettinger 212:

• Tue. and Thu: 3.30pm-4.45pm
• Read below what to do if you can’t make it to class because you’re ill with something contagious.
  • If you will be unable to attend class for a few sessions in a row, please look into the Short Term Temporary Absence policy.
  • There is no Zoom or Discord option to attend class remotely. Running Hybrid classes is really difficult, I have tried for 3 semesters and it sucks for you and me and nobody learns anything better than with the alternative I offer — check the Covid Policy and how to make up for missing attendance points there.

Tea Room times

Tea Room: open for YOU to meet with ME. Meet in my office (please wear a face mask!), or drop by via Discord (Use voice channel “Tea Room”). I sometimes forget to open the Voice channel on time so drop me a message when I do to alert me to that!

(What actually is the tea room? <– contains examples of why you might want to visit.)

• Tue: 2PM-3PM
• Wed: 1-2PM
• Or by appointment. Check my Google Calendar to see my availability and make an appointment. (“See someone else’s calendar availability” (use my e-mail address), or check out this video tutorial)
• I will announce changes and cancellations to to the regular scheduled Tea Room opening times will on the Discord server.
• Please note: the Tea Room is open for you to meet at any point with anybody else who’s on the server. You can also use the Voice Channel specific for our class if you want to meet virtually with a fellow student at any point.

About the course

Co-constructed syllabus

Do you have comments, questions, suggestions for the syllabus? Is something here not representing what we discussed in class in the first weeks of the semester? Do you see areas where we can make improvements? Use they Hypothes.is group HST137 and share your ideas, or talk with me.

There is a lot of stuff that the College requires me to add to the syllabus:

This includes grading guidelines, course attendance policy, course goals, info about Academic Integrity Code, the class’s Covid-19 Policy, course unit instruction, info about the Academic Resource Center, info for students with disabilities and special needs, info for students experiencing financial hardship, incomplete grades, and a course recording policy. For some of this there is official language, which I have indicated in italics.

A note about official language, and issues which I have already decided:

The college has given us official language to use in our syllabus (indicated in italics); for other items I have made an executive decision. Here is the list:

The class’s Covid-19 Policy, course unit instruction, Academic Resource Center, info for students with disabilities and special needs, info for students experiencing financial hardship, incomplete grades, and a course recording policy.

Course description

From fine paintings and calligraphy in imperial collections to everyday household items like bowls, from palaces to humble houses, and from the Great Wall to the ink, brushes, and paper scholars used to write and paint, objects and the way people interacted with them tell us much about China’s past.

This course explores the historical context of some of the most iconic objects of Chinese history, and traces the link between China’s traditional material culture and the present. We also look at how attitudes towards objects and their historical significance have changed through the centuries.

Finally, we investigate how Chinese objects ended up in Western (and in particular American) museums.

Course goals

At the end of this course you will:

• be familiar with the history of various iconic material objects of Chinese history,
• understand the different ways of thinking about material culture,
• have developed research skills to contextualize objects within their historical context in China,
• have developed a vocabulary to talk about the connections between material culture, conspicuous consumption, wealth and status in the Chinese context,
• understand how this cultural heritage still plays a role in cultural practices for many Chinese people today, in China and in the wider diaspora,
• have improved your written and oral communication skills by presenting your ideas in blog posts and small research projects, aimed at generating discussion, showcasing your newly acquired knowledge, and through reflecting on your learning process.

Course unit instruction

This class is scheduled to meet for 3 hours per week. Additional instructional activities for the course include conferences with the instructor, Writing Center, Digital Learning assistants, and librarians, and appropriate College lectures and events, distributed across the semester. These activities will add an additional 14 hours of instruction across the semester.

Course schedule

Check the dedicated webpage with the links to the individual weeks, or the tab “Course Schedule” at the top of the page with the drop-down menu at the top of the webpage.

All about grades

Course Requirements

More specifics for the assignments below. You must attempt all assignments to pass the course.

You have a few free passes for the weekly blog posts, but otherwise

• Class attendance: We are an “in-person, 3D” class: be there or be square. Or catch-up assignment (details below). Graded by completion, ±11%
• Weekly tasks: Blog posts, ± 27%, and Hypothes.is comments, ±16%. Both graded by completion.
• Term project and scaffolding exercises: Four exercises to help you toward a final project (think “term paper”), and the final project itself, ±36%
  • Each step is open for “rewrite and resubmit” using feedback you received on your initial submission.
• Reflections: on your development as a student and historian. ±9%
• Extra credit exercises: optional additional tasks to catch up if you missed an assignment or if you want to build a buffer, graded by completion. Points accumulate.

(The course uses a points-based system, hence the ± for the percentage breakdown)

Grading scheme

Points	Letter grade	Percentage to	Percentage from
266-274	A+	100 %	to 97.0%
258-265	A	< 97.0%	to 94.0%
247-257	A-	< 94.0 %	to 90.0%
238-246	B+	< 90.0 %	to 87.0%
230-237	B	< 87.0 %	to 84.0%
219-229	B-	< 84.0 %	to 80.0%
211-218	C+	< 80.0 %	to 77.0%
203-210	C	< 77.0 %	to 74.0%
192-202	C-	< 74.0 %	to 70.0%
164-191	D	< 70.0 %	to 60.0%
0-163	F	< 60.0 %	to 0.0%

Instead of focusing on grades, please focus on learning. Good grades will follow when real learning happens. If you are learning new things, and communicating in clear and concise language what you are learning, you’ll do well in this course. As you complete your weekly tasks and come to class, points will accumulate. As you participate, you will also get ideas for your Semester project, and learn how to reflect on your progress, ensuring good grades in the components that are not “graded by completion”

Due dates

• Weekly posts: due by Sunday night [You have 2 free passes]
• Hypothes.is comments on each other’s posts: due by Tuesday night
• Scaffolding exercises for the final project and final project:
  • Feb. 13: Pitch your idea:
  • Feb. 27: Annotated bibliography
  • March 31: Outline and a paragraph (or more)
  • April 20: Full first rough draft (as near to completion as feasible)
  • May 8: Final version of final project is done
• Reflections:
  • Feb. 21
  • April 4
  • May 4

Busywork: “work that keeps a person busy but has little value in itself”

(Source: The dictionary on my computer)

There is no space in this course for busywork. If a task seems pointless or you cannot see the value of it, speak with me. I can clarify what the value is from my point of view, and if you feel it is still of no use to your development as a historian, you can suggest an alternative way to demonstrate your engagement with the course material or your peers’ research. Life is too precious to spend it doing pointless things.

Late work and extensions

Due dates are important for you, and for me: I space them so that you have enough time to complete the assignments and work with the feedback on earlier assignments. Due dates also help me to stay (more or less) on top of the feedback throughout the semester, so it can be prompt.

I understand that life and personal issues can get in the way. Therefore, all assignments have a built-in 12hr extension. After the extension expires, you can make up some of the lost points in the “Weekly” tasks with that week’s extra-credit tasks. For the Scaffolding Exercise toward the final project and “Reflection” assignments, I am open to extending due dates, but I need you to communicate with me, so I know what to expect, and (more importantly) when. If you notice that you will be unable to finish a Scaffolding Exercise or Reflection by the due date, you can request an extension in advance, by email. Propose a new due date, which is maximum one week later than the original due date.

If you fall ill suddenly, or are otherwise unable to complete tasks by the best-before date due to circumstances beyond your control you may not be able to arrange a new best-before date in advance. In that case, let me know ASAR (as soon as reasonable). If you need an extension beyond one week, this is likely part of something bigger, get in touch with the Dean of Academic Life or the Dean of Student Affairs, or the Health Center. They can help you to coordinate care to see you through a rough patch.

If you habitually and routinely miss due dates for assignments or don’t show up to class, I will ask you in for a virtual cup of tea and a chat, so we can address what the underlying problem is and how I/the College can help you. This does not mean you fail. It only means that I really care about your wellbeing as a human. To help you find the right balance, we need to communicate.

Incomplete Grade

Please check the College policy. Note that YOU must request an incomplete grade for the course, I cannot initiate this process. you will fill out a form, and you can only request two incomplete grades per semester.

An Incomplete will only appear for a brief while on your transcript. Once you get your final grade, a small asterisk will appear after your grade, but otherwise it will be as if nothing happened.

Useful information

Texts

This course is a “Zero-textbook-cost” course: this means you can succeed in this course without investing in (often expensive) textbooks. If you want to follow along with a good text you own or rent, I recommend this one. It is also available on reserve at the front desk in Trexler Library.

Recommended, but not required:

• Hansen, Valerie. The Open Empire: A History of China to 1800. Second ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2015.

If you get the recommended textbook, try to you get the second edition. All other materials will be provided through the course website, or Trexler Library e-reserves.

Language of instruction

The entire course is conducted in English, all materials are provided in English and you submit all your work in English.

You may consult materials in other languages, and use those in your work, with proper referencing to these sources. We can work together on how to put references in an English language paper to Chinese primary and secondary sources, for instance.

Thoughtful participation in the Learning Commons

AKA: What do I expect you to do in class and outside of class to be a valuable and valued member of this course?

A “Learning Commons” is a virtual and physical space that aims to optimize learning, exploring, discovering, and fosters curiosity through collaborative effort. Only if all of us do our bit, will the learning happen.

To create such a space, I request your thoughtful participation, inside the classroom, in online spaces connected to this course, and in your head. Thoughtful participation requires more than just being in the room. Here is how you can bring your best self to each class to make the Learning Commons come to life:

1. “Traditional” active participation:

As we learned over the past years, being together in the same physical space is special: it allows us to focus better on the work at hand, it’s easier to communicate, and to “read the room.” Let’s make sure we make the most of that precious time, by actually showing up, and showing up ready to learn!

Before class: Make the most of our physical time together by preparing for class: read the texts we will discuss, take notes, think of discussion questions, or make a summary or list of what you think are the most important points of the chapter(s) or text(s) for that day. You can mark passages that you don’t (quite) understand, and focus on explaining precisely what the question is (asking concise, pointed questions is a great life skill you can practice here!). Likely you are not alone with your question. Occasionally I may invite you to prepare specific tasks in advance of a class session, please prepare these.

In class: Take part in the discussions! When I ask you, “what did you think about the reading?”, you should move well beyond a simple answer such as “I like it” or “I did not like it.” After reviewing the materials, you will be able to say something meaningful about them, for instance about how you see a text fit in with the other materials. At the very least, your reading notes will give you a couple of ideas: what is interesting? What is revealing? What is strange?

I treat this course not as a lecture course, but as a seminar. This course is not about my ideas or knowledge, but about teaching you new skills, and figuring out how to unlock your potential and skills as a historian, and to do so we need your verbal participation. We want to avoid awkward silences (different from thoughtful silences, when we need time to process difficult things), or having the same two people always dominating the conversation. You can avoid this easily: Have two (or more) points prepared in advance, based on the readings, because that will make it very easy to direct or jump into the discussion. A good challenge for yourself is to make an active contribution at least once per two sessions (i.e once per week). When we shift discussion into new topics, you can jump in with for instance “This is something completely different, but I noticed [insert point here]”. I’ll even make sure to hold back the people who always jump in first, so you have plenty of space to formulate your ideas.

What is thoughtful? “Filling airtime” with contributions that wander aimlessly off-topic is not thoughtful. You may of course draw on your personal perspective and experiences, but our time in class will be more productive if your contribution remains connected to the topic of that session. If you are an extremely active contributor, I may ask you to hold back and give your fellow students a chance to join in. Please understand not everybody is as quick with their thinking, or as comfortable speaking in a larger group.

If you feel uncomfortable speaking in front of a large group, please read the document This course is hard, for a few tips and quick-win strategies that work for most courses, not just this one.

During small group activities in class, formulate ideas, questions, and interact with your fellow students; in the plenary session we usually have afterwards, you can summarize the points of your group, and of course give credit to your fellow students where due, preferably by name! (This is why we use name tents.)

2. Other ways of actively contributing to the “Learning Commons”:

Here are other ways to contribute to our Learning Commons:

• Sharing materials: e.g. link to a news report on a recent discovery, a great video you found that helps you to understand the course material better, a useful website or podcast.
  • Write a blog post (with link to online materials if applicable) and include that in category HST137. I will “signal boost” it. Another option is adding a book or article to the Zotero group library. Include a brief comment on why you think that material is interesting for our course and/or how we can discuss this in class.
• Extra commenting: Use hypothes.is or add comments on your fellow students work on their websites: treat these as an extension of the classroom space for further discussion. Make thoughtful contributions: be specific, concrete and kind; you can also provide links to examples or further information.
  • We have regular feedback on posts, and sometimes as an extra credit exercise, but you can always go beyond the minimum amount of blogs you are invited to comment on.
• Respect each other: There are many different ways you can show your respect for your fellow students, but one of the best is to help create an environment that’s conducive to learning, and that minimizes disruptions. Think of arriving in timely fashion for class, being prepared, and having your materials with you, treating micro-assignments with appropriate earnest (e.g. a closing exercise, peer reviews), but also helping others, not intentionally distracting others, not just being there for the instructor, but being there for and with your classmates.

What if class is canceled?

In the event I cannot make it to class, due to illness or other circumstances beyond my control, I will cancel class, and I may reschedule it for a later, mutually convenient date and time. I will send a message via e-mail, and in the Discord channel for our course. If you commute to campus, please check your e-mail before setting off on a journey that may be wasted, or set up an alert system with your classmates to pass the message via your preferred medium (text, WhatsApp, Facebook,…).

In the event I am out of action for a few weeks: there will be a syllabus to let the course run for a couple of weeks as it currently stands (“graded by completion”).

If I am out for the entire semester, everything is set up to go online and you could conceivably teach yourself! You can, in fact, run ahead and complete many assignments. This is so that a colleague who takes over can step in easily with pre-set course contents and assignments. Let’s hope we don’t need to do that!

Covid-19 policy and course attendance

• Masks are required in class, at all times.
  • Pending excellent figures in Covid- and flu numbers I may consider a change later in the semester but I am not in a hurry to get people ill, myself included.
• Make sure your mask:
  • fully covers your nose and mouth. No nosing!
  • fits snugly
  • filters well (at least two layers of fabric or a KN95/N95 type respirator, no valve, or a surgical mask)
  • review Dr. Bachynski’s video if in doubt.
• If you are Covid-positive and have symptoms, don’t come to class.
  • If you are vaccinated and test positive but don’t have symptoms (“asymptomatic”), you may choose not to attend class. (This is above what the CDC and College recommend, but this is what I will do if it happens to me!)
• If you’re ill with something else that’s infectious, please don’t come to class. Germs are best kept to yourself!
• If you miss class, you can get your attendance point retro-actively: submit a Google Doc with a brief (1-2 paragraph) “summary and reflection” of the course materials for that day. Focus on the areas that are not clear to you, and the things that intrigue you. I’ll provide feedback so we both know you are understanding the materials and making progress with what you learn, because we will build on this in later sessions. Make me a commenter on your Google doc, and email or alert me. You’ll get your point by showing engagement with the course materials for that day!
  • Please send this in as soon as reasonable after class, and preferably before the next class. I understand that illness in particular throws your schedule out of order, so I appreciate an ETA of this brief assignment if it will be a bit late.

Academic Integrity Code

My guess is that “cheating” is the result of students finding the need for a shortcut, or not understanding why academic integrity matters. I strive for prevention rather than a cure, so tell me what would stop you from trying to cheat (or push you to do it). Here’s what I used to tell students. Do you agree with this language?

I consider it my duty to uphold academic integrity and to teach my students how to do this. I will not hesitate to forward a case to the Dean’s office if I suspect dishonesty. In this course, this will mainly concern references (“citations”) to sources. I will always give you feedback on your work and a chance to correct any issues before doing so. If, however, you do not make the required changes, or in later assignments still do not heed the warnings, I interpret your behaviour as disrespecting the Academic Integrity Code, and will report the case to the Dean of Academic Affairs. The penalty varies on the seriousness of the offence, but you will at the least receive a 0 for that particular assignment. Muhlenberg College takes academic integrity very seriously, so please read in detail and with great attention through the College’s policy. May I in particular draw your attention to this sentence from that document: “The College puts the burden of responsibility on students for knowing what plagiarism is, and then making the effort necessary to avoid it.”

(past syllabi)

Also, don’t use “AI” chat programs to write your blog posts for you. They write at the level of a fourth or eighth grader and you’re college students who strive to be better writers than that. Work with the Writing Center to develop authentic, handcrafted and bespoke writing that sets you apart from the crowd!

Info for students with disabilities or special needs

To ensure that you get the most out of this course, I welcome accommodations if you have a disability or special needs. The College strongly encourages you to make arrangements with the Office of Disability Services, which then legally entitles you to certain accommodations and levels of support. The process to get fully tested and an accommodation plan set up is lengthy, so please get in touch with the Office as soon as you arrive on campus, or even earlier. You can tell me in private what specifically I can do to help your learning process, without disclosing your disability or condition. Past examples of changes I made include adding presenter notes to slides, adding OCR to PDFs, flexibility with due dates (with mutual agreement in advance of the due date) and seating arrangements. I hope to learn from you how to create a truly inclusive/less excluding classroom.

The College’s official language: Students with disabilities requesting classroom or course accommodations must complete a multi-faceted determination process through the Office of Disability Services prior to the development and implementation of accommodations, auxiliary aids, and services. Each Accommodation Plan is individually and collaboratively developed between the student and the Office of Disability Services. If you have not already done so, please contact the Office of Disability Services to have a dialogue regarding your academic needs and the recommended accommodations, auxiliary aides, and services. I look forward to learning how I can best meet your educational needs.

Info for students experiencing financial hardship

If you are experiencing financial hardship, have difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day or do not have a safe and stable place to live, and believe this may affect your performance in this course, I would urge you to contact our CARE Team through the Dean of Students Office for support. The webpage is: www.muhlenberg.edu/main/aboutus/deanst/careteam/. You may also discuss your concerns with me if you are comfortable doing so.

If you’re worried about where your next meal is coming from, or how to pay bills, you can’t focus on learning history. Let’s figure out how to make the worries disappear so you can be fully present in class. I am committed to help you find the resources.

Academic Resource Center

The Academic Resource Center (ARC) offers individual and small-group tutoring, course-specific workshops, peer mentoring, and professional academic coaching for all currently enrolled Muhlenberg students. Students may request to be assigned to work on a weekly basis with a tutor for the duration of the spring semester starting on Tuesday, January 17th. A link to the online tutor request form is available on the ARC website: www.muhlenberg.edu/arc. Questions regarding the ARC or any of their services may be directed to arcstudent@muhlenberg.edu.

Remember the Writing Center also is a great place to help you develop your budding idea into a full-fledged paper and anything in between!

Class Recording Statement

Before you hit the record button on any device, think twice. There are a lot of legal implications. I want to help you learn, but there are a truckload of reasons why it’s not easy to just say “sure, go ahead”, including considerations of copyright and concerns about fellow students’ privacy. Please read the official language from the college available via the link below, and talk with me if you need to record class on your own device. I have a less draconian approach than the legal language stated here but we need to talk first.

Link to Class Recording policy

Details of the assignments

Weekly blog post:

• Due every week by Sunday, 11:59PM
• These are in the form of a “5-15” report with an added Reading Journal, in which you respond to the readings for that week.
• How to get your points? Check your post conforms to the requirements in the Declaration for that week on the weekly page, then go to Canvas and fill out “True” on the Declaration Quiz. You will automatically collect your points.
  • If something is not quite right with your post, I will ask you to correct it. If you don’t make the changes I request, I will take away your points.
• You have two free passes
  • TIP: You do not have to take the free pass: reading and writing more can only be good for your understanding of Chinese history!
  • to activate your free pass: create a post that says “no post this week”; collect your points in the Declaration quiz

Good to know:

If you prefer, you can upload an audio or video recording in lieu of a written blog post. Video/audio recording content should be about the same length as you’d have for a written submission, and I suggest you work from an outline, or a script, to make sure you have a succinct yet substantive contribution.

Ideally, you include a transcript or provide captions, for accessibility, but I realize that takes extra time (however, if you have a script or notes, you can post those). If you are interested in creating captions, please check out this how-to video tutorial (for Panopto). Note that machine-made captions are prone to errors. You can edit captions, and while it takes a bit of time, it makes a video look much more professional.

Hypothes.is comments: Peer feedback

Due every Tuesday, 11:59PM

Feedback on each other’s writing, and on course readings using a small tool called Hypothes.is for “social annotation”: this means we leave comments on each other’s websites (yes, you can comment on this site!) in our own private group (HST137), rather than open on the web.

To ensure you find out what others think, you will also read other students’ work: they may have selected different Exploration Pack, or have different insights in the same materials. You will provide feedback so they (and you!) can take it to the next level, either by rewriting, or by incorporating suggestions in the next assignment. We will use a small tool called Hypothes.is (group HST137) for this purpose.

There is no free pass for the Feedback component: it is important that you remain engaged with the course contents, and even in a busy week, you should be able to find 30 minutes to read and comment on your fellow students’ work.

If you did not read the same exploration pack, you may feel that it’s difficult to give feedback on a post or project. That’s not true! A well-written post will guide you through the content in such a way that you feel you’re learning new things, without feeling stupid. We likely also touched on the content in class. You can comment on posts where you feel the writer needs to provide more information for the non-specialist, for instance. You can also comment on structure of the argument, and use of sources, or maybe hints about how to stick more closely to the requirements of the assignment.

Final project and scaffolding exercises

• These assignments are open for “rewrite and resubmit”: after receiving feedback, you can rewrite and resubmit to improve your grade, within two weeks of receiving feedback.
• Find a detailed description of each component through the main overview page (which contains links to the detailed webpages)

The due dates for these exercises are as follows:

• Feb. 13: Pitch your idea
• Feb. 27: Annotated bibliography
• March 30: Outline and a paragraph (or more)
• April 18: Full first rough draft (as near to completion as feasible)
• May 8: Final version of final project is done

Reflections on the course and your learning

• Graded by completion.
• Submit as a Google Doc and collect your points in a Declaration Quiz on Canvas.
  • If your document does not meet the assignment specifications, I will ask you to correct it. If you don’t make the changes I request, I will take away your points.

Three times during the semester you will write a reflection as a Google Doc in which you reflect on how you’ve grown as a student and historian and what you can do to make the course work (better) for you. An open, honest reflection can help you identify your strengths. Find out what you’re good at, and do more of it! Some questions you can expect:

• What did you learn from engaging with the work from your fellow students?
• Which posts, written by you or a fellow student, really stand out?
• What connections do you see across the weeks?
• Where have you improved?
• What remains difficult, and how would you overcome that difficulty?
• What new skills have you learned?
• Have you done any of the extra credit tasks, and have they helped you?
• How have you grown as a student, as a writer, as a learner?
• How would you rate your participation and engagement in this course?

These reflections are important: they give you a moment to see how far you’ve come, in learning about Chinese history, and your strengths as a student.

Due on:

• Feb. 21
• April 4
• May 4

Extra credit

Every week, there are a few small tasks to help you catch up if you missed a few of the Weekly tasks, or to get ahead if points motivate you. If curiosity motivates you, these tasks will also be of interest to you! Some tasks you can do every week, others you can do only once. Keep your eyes peeled in the weekly schedule, and the reminders in the Daily Course Announcements.

Q: How many points can I earn?

A: You can do as many extra credit tasks as are available, they’re all healthy for your development as a budding historian and college student.

You can collect points to make up for missed assignments such as the Weekly Blog Post and the Hypothes.is feedback, and for lower than perfect scores on the Scaffolding assignments for your Semester project. As soon as you hit 274 points, you can keep collecting points but they won’t change your overall grade because I can only add A+ in Workday at that point. You still have to come to class when you hit 274 points. That’s an arbitrary Dr. D rule.

Q: Do I have to do extra credit tasks?

A: No. If you do all your assignments in the “Weekly” component and your Final project Scaffolding Exercises, there is no points-based need to do them. But consider the following scenarios:

• As I’ve been saying since Fall 2020: This is another strange semester and while we are hopeful about this one, there is no certainty yet. Last minute panic and punctuated hysteria may not work to pull something fabulous out of thin air or do a massive amount of rewriting in those final weeks. Instead: bank small amounts of points now, at regular intervals, and be prepared for a potential rough time ahead.
• All of the Extra Credit tasks are based on sound educational principles: using feedback to revise, engaging with other’s work, and fostering curiosity. Why not get rewarded for doing what the instructor hopes you’ll do anyway? I’m all about intrinsic motivation (versus points-based incentives), but by turning this into a game, maybe you will get you into good habits, and in future revise your work, engage with others, and just follow your curiosity every now and then even when there is no reward to get, other than personal satisfaction.

Remember to leave a comment using Hypothes.is group HST137 (or a page note signifying you read through the syllabus and agree to abide by it). Report requests for changes to me.