Class participation is crucial to your success and the success of this course, including how much you learn and how much fun you have with your classmates. Come to class having read and/or viewed everything assigned for that day. Be prepared to ask and answer questions about the assignments, be prepared to dissect the arguments and figure out what you think about them and why you think that, and be prepared to engage in informal in-class writing about the readings if your professor builds that in as part of participation. Be prepared to consider and talk about the different kinds of works you will be exposed to: research articles, articles making a philosophical argument, stories, poems, paintings, and photographs.

“Participation” may include asking your own questions, responding to the instructor’s or fellow students’ questions and comments, contributing to group learning activities, completing in-class writing exercises, doing presentations, or participating in various other in-class activities designed by your instructor. Thus, it is more than simply talking in class each day. Class participation is an important way to develop individual critical thinking skills and to contribute to a collective learning process, which often yields greater results than studying in isolation.

Please see the grading rubric attached to this syllabus and your section syllabus for more information on the parameters, expectations, and criteria for class participation in your particular section.