All details and instructions for assignments are under ‘Modules’ and ‘The Google Doc’ for weekly work, and the submenu under ‘Assignments’ for scaffolded work building towards your final project. Below is just a summary of assignments and the purpose they serve.

There are both low-stakes and high-stakes assignments in this course, but none are graded. Instead, you will receive feedback from your classmates and myself on several occasions, and I will keep records of your work throughout the semester.

At the end of the semester, you will submit a self-assessment form and suggest a final letter grade for yourself according to the grading contract on the Syllabus. Exactly what you get credit for is in that contract, so be sure to read it. Completing every assignment (low and high stakes) and respecting instructions will earn you full credits (A). You are allowed to miss two modules entirely and still earn an A if you completed all required assignments as per instructions and deadlines. If you miss more assignments, you may not earn an A, but you can do extra-credit (see ‘Syllabus’ for the detailed grading contract, and ‘Optional extra credit’ under the ‘Assignments’ submenu). For this course, I believe in continuous work rather than finals, so there will be no final exam, but you won’t be able to pass the course without submitting your final project, which you will be working on gradually over the semester.

Low-stakes assignments (still required, but nothing to stress about!):

• Modules (readings, video lectures, and exit tickets on Google Forms).
  Modules are designed to hone your inner literary analyst week after week. It is work you do alone, at your own pace each week. Exit tickets are also private, so use them to be creative and explore your own thoughts in writing! I will give you privacy and only answer any questions you may ask in the bottom section of exit tickets. For the rest, I will record your participation thanks to your name appearing on the exit ticket, but no one will intrude in this short weekly practice you have for yourself).
  
• Google Doc individual posts and comments:
  The Google Doc is a safe space for the class to share thoughts on the weekly readings. When it is your turn to lead the discussion through your single 300-word post, think of it as a creative space to articulate your thoughts without the pressure of ‘correct’ language, and see how the rest of the class relates to your post in their comments. When you are just commenting, honour the lead posts and share a substantial comment as you’d like to see them in response to your own post. There is no right or wrong in literature, just as many readings possible as there are people. So get the discussion going!

High-stakes assignments:

• The project proposal
  
• The project outline and peer-review
  
• The final project

To help with your assignments, you will be required to book at least one free online or in-person appointment with a Writing Center tutor (see deadline on Schedule). You will then send me confirmation that you have attended that appointment. You can book it with the following link (early is best!): https://bc.mywconline.com/

Checklist

For the high-stakes assignments, the checklist below may assist you. You do not need to have all of this figured out at proposal stage, but it is helpful to read it so you know what is expected of you when you work on your project:

Thesis/Argument	Is my main “point” of my clear throughout? What insights do I offer, or what argument do I make, about my chosen topic? What do I bring to the table? What are my “findings”?
Support of Thesis	Do I provide details that walk my reader through my argument, step by step? Do I provide rhetorically persuasive reasons and specific evidence to support my thesis?
Quality & Integration of Quotes	Do I summarize, paraphrase, and quote directly in a logical way from the text I’m analyzing? Do I acknowledge my sources when I quote or paraphrase from them AND at the end of my work?
Counterarguments	Do I anticipate and address the arguments and beliefs of those who may disagree with my position (in a respectful way)?
Organization	Do I organize my analysis in such a way that my audience can clearly follow my main argument (thesis)? Do I state my analysis structure in the introduction, and do I use transitional sentences when I move on to another point? Can my readers easily follow how I develop and support that argument? Does everything I say contribute directly to my thesis, and if not, did I delete unnecessary points? Do I group information that goes together? Do I include paragraph breaks (essay version) or take a breath (podcast and video versions) to clearly signal that I am “switching gears” to a new point?
Style, Grammar & Editing	Essay version: Have I used the Word spelling and grammar check tool to polish my writing? Have I proofread myself at least twice to avoid typos and mistakes that would distract my reader from my argument? Is my document well presented? Is the layout easy to the eye (Font 12 Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman, justified alignment, 1st line indent, etc.) Podcast or Video version: are my notes easy to read and free of typos, so that I don’t trip over them? Is my tone engaging? Do I speak at a steady pace? Am I avoiding gap-fillers (“like”, “erm”, “I mean”, “right”) as much as possible (take a breath instead)?
Overall Respect of Instructions	Did I thoroughly read and refer several times to instructions? Do I respect the word count/time limit indicated in the instructions? Am I on time for the due dates? If not, did I read the late-work section on the Syllabus, and did I communicate with the professor as soon as possible to figure out a solution?