images from the Flateyjarbók manuscript (GKS 1005), ca. 1390 AD images from the Flateyjarbók manuscript (GKS 1005), ca. 1390 AD images from the Flateyjarbók manuscript (GKS 1005), ca. 1390 AD

 

 

HIS 3200: The Viking Age

 

Evaluation

 

You will be graded based on an evaluation of three principal venues of performance:

attendance & participation (15%)

exams (30% in total):

midterm (10%)

final (20%)

essay sequence (55% in total):

bibliographic assignment (5%)

primary source analysis (10%)

film response (10%)

peer review (10%)

finished essay (25%)

(NB1: the total percentages above add up to 105% -- i.e., 5% of extra-credit is built into the grading scheme. You need not, of course, earn the full 105% to do well in this course... 101% of your effort will do.)

(NB2: A passing grade in each component is needed for getting a passing grade in the course.)

You are expected to attend all classes, both lectures & sections. Three absences (or more) will affect your final mark. If you cannot attend a class, it is your responsibility to find out the substance of what you've missed. You will need to prepare for classes & participate in them. Active participation involves asking good questions, as well as proposing some good answers, and is not limited to section discussions: you will also be expected to practise active listening in lectures, and can earn participation credit if you come to office hours. Some study questions are provided in the syllabus for guidance; you should consider these questions in light of each week's assigned readings. Allow yourself time to read through assigned materials, to think about them and to research any questions you may have.

There will be two 2½-hour exams in this course, a midterm (date TBA) , covering materials from the 1st half of the course, and a cumulative final (date TBA) . Exams typically include map questions, term identifications, short 1ary-source passage identification & interpretation exercises, and synthetic essay-type questions. Do not fear! Exams serve as goads to go over the material, but you should typically have enough options to select from that you should do fine even if you can't remember every detail. Exams are designed to get you to reflect on what you've learned (which, hopefully, is an interesting experience) rather than to encourage memorization.

An essay of 1500-2500 words (excluding bibliography) is due in class 24 April. You will produce this essay in a graduated process, going through several preparatory steps: a bibliographic exercise due 23 February, a primary source analysis due 15 March, an ungraded draft due 10 April, and peer reviews of some of your classmates' drafts due 17 April. Please feel free to ask us for guidance on any aspect of the assignments you are unsure of. You can read detailed descriptions of the assignments, and we will also discuss them further in class.

All assignments should be written in 12-pt font and double-spaced, with ample (at least 1") margins. Always keep a paper trail of your work; you may be asked to submit research notes, drafts, etc. When handing in your work, please submit both a paper printout and an electronic copy, which I will keep on file. A late-penalty policy will be strictly enforced: a third of a letter grade deducted per day overdue (so, e.g., an A– paper that is two days late will receive a B grade).

I aim to encourage your independent thinking about the topics we study and provide guidance as needed; lectures, readings and sections are designed to complement each other, not overlap. You're encouraged to come to my office hours anytime, to consult about your work or just to chat about course materials. It's a good idea to schedule meetings in advance so I know to expect you. You can also expect me to be available for consultation on course-related matters via e-mail anytime. I will do my best to respond to all e-mail queries within 24 hours

 

Grading Principles

 

A-range marks indicate work whose excellence stands out. The work demonstrates thorough preparation, nuanced comprehension and synthetic ability, analytic insight and even originality. It is beautifully written and presented. This grade signifies exceptionally fine achievement within the already high standards expected of Cornell students.

B-range marks indicate skilful, thorough work at the high level of academic competence expected of Cornell students. The work demonstrates a good grasp of specific subject matter and knowledgeable reliance on the course materials, as well as the writer’s analytical engagement with the assignment. It is clearly written and sensibly structured.

C-range marks indicate work that evinces some preparation, general comprehension of the subject matter and assignment parameters, a degree of analytic effort and expressive skill. Such work measures up to the standards expected of Cornell students, but partially or inconsistently. It still requires significant improvement in one or several respects.

D-range marks indicate work that only barely qualifies for academic credit. The work is seriously flawed in terms of argument, structure, writing or presentation, pointing to problems in reading, comprehension, knowledge processing or preparation of the assignment. It does suggest that the writer has learned something and could, with proper investment of time and effort, meet the standards expected of Cornell students. Students should not, however, allow themselves to perform at this level over time.

A grade of F marks work that is unacceptable for academic credit by the standards expected of Cornell students. This grade does not necessarily mean that no work was done; it does mean that a student’s work fails to demonstrate even a minimum of effort, comprehension or engagement with the course materials. An F (or worse!) is also routinely assigned in cases of breach of the Code of Academic Integrity.

 

Each student in this course is expected to abide by the Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity. It is your responsibility to know what the Code requires.

All work submitted for academic credit will be your own.

Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for
textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be
included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of
detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of Turnitin.com service is subject to the Usage Policy
posted on the Turnitin.com site.

 

 

return to HIS 3200 syllabus

 


 

Oren Falk, Associate Professor

Department of History, Cornell University

of24@cornell.edu

Page last updated on: 3 March, 2012