The course grade will be based on attendance (10%) and participation (10%), a series of homework assignments (30%), and a research project (50%).

Attendance and Participation: Since this is an interactive, discussion-oriented class, I expect you to be present, prepared, and participating. If you must miss class, it’s your responsibility to find out what went on. While I do not differentiate between “excused” and “unexcused” absences, please let me know of any problems or illnesses that may affect your attendance or ability to complete assignments on time. If something is due and you are absent, I will have to consider it late unless you have contacted and made arrangements with me beforehand. The attendance portion of the grade will be determined in the following way: each person starts with 1.33 points and receives .33 points for attending each complete class session, up to a maximum of 10 points.

Homework Exercises: The homework exercises will be assigned at irregular times during the term. They are designed to serve several purposes: to provide hands-on practice in using the Webs, e-mail, the World Wide Web, and the library data bases; to exploit the material in the Webs for deepening your engagement with the novels; to provide a model for asking and answering the kinds of questions of novels that literary critics often ask; and to stimulate class discussions. As a result, the exercises will take different forms, but all will involve writing. You are free to work on these exercises in groups or individually, but each person must turn in exercises written in his or her own prose. Exercises will be graded on a check plus/check/check minus basis; those submitted late can receive no higher than a check, and no exercise will be accepted more than a week late.

Research Project: The research project grade will be broken down as follows: 35% will be based on each student’s individual project and 15% will be based on the quality of class web as a whole or of the part of it that your group is responsible for. This group grade is designed to reflect the reality of the outside world, where many tasks are done by groups rather than individuals; to encourage the consultation and collaboration that the Web facilitates and depends on; and to provide incentive for all class members to take responsibility for the finished product that subsequent students will use. Depending on your interests and how you see your work fitting into a Web, your research project may look like a fairly traditional research paper, but it may also look very different. All research projects, however, will incorporate textual analysis and interpretation of the novel as well as one or more of the following: historical research (literary, social, or cultural), literary criticism or theory, or biographical information. Class members will work in groups with others who are pursuing related topics, but each person writes an individual project. Two drafts of the project are required; a late draft will lower a project's ultimate grade by five points. Students are also expected to critique the drafts of their group members; failure to do so adequately can also result in a reduction of half a letter grade from a student’s final project. Absolutely no final research projects will be accepted late.