Participation
The biggest worry past first-year students have about speaking in class at the beginning of term is that "they don't know what to say". Of course they don't! Speaking in class is part of a process; it requires that we try different ways of interacting and over time students learn how and why academics talk to each other in specific ways to allow for open, evidence based debate. The classroom is a laboratory for us to experiment with speech, it is not something that you are expected to have mastered before you arrive.
A good discussion includes a plurality of diverse, well-informed voices. For real intellectual confrontations, students must come to class having read the readings thoroughly. Students should be prepared to be active members of class, contributing to discussion on a weekly basis.
Participation is very important for this class since one of its main learning objectives is to improve students’ ability to verbalize their thoughts and assesments, as well as logically discuss/ debate. Nothing can be evidence unless it is placed in a logical argument, and class is meant to let you practice this faculty.
At minimum, students are expected to attend class having read and processed the readings, and be willing to talk about them (and by talk I mean out loud in the group). Students are expected to engage during the course to identify key themes and issues, evaluate the authors’ positions/ reasoning/ logic, ask and answer questions from classmates and the professor, etc.
Normally, this takes place in person – during class lectures and small group discussions, and through one-on-one interaction with the professor (office hours, conversations before/after class).
Be Prepared
The most important part of participation is being prepared. You might be willing to contribute and be able to speak persuasively, but it is very difficult (impossible?) to contribute properly if you have not read and thought about the materials assigned for each class. You are asked to make annotations on the readings and then turn these annotations into notes. This will be an important part of your participation.
Participation can take many forms, from informed listening to open debate. Successful participation is not always frequent participation. The aim is for a thoughtful exchange of ideas.
Participation is very important for this class since one of its main learning objectives is to improve students’ ability to verbalize their thoughts and assessments, as well as logically discuss/ debate. Nothing can be evidence unless it is placed in a logical argument, and class is meant to let you practice this faculty.
Be Prepared
The most important part of participation is being prepared. You might be willing to contribute and be able to speak persuasively, but it is very difficult to contribute properly if you have not read and thought about the materials assigned for each class. You are asked to make annotations on the readings and then turn these annotations into notes.
General principles of assessment for participation:
| Work Assessed | Value |
|---|---|
Attendance | 0 (not present) or 5 (present) points |
Quality of Participation | 0-5 points |
Annotations | 0-5 (based on quality and quantity of annotations assessed by the professor). 5 annotations are considered the minimum. |
You will self-assess your participation mark for each class, but your participation grade remains subject to the oversight (and potential revision) of the professor.
The weekly student evaluation will be filled out by individual students on paper – handed out at the beginning of each class and returned at the end of the class to the professor. If you do not attend class you will receive 0 for that class, but can still receive up to 5 points for completed annotations. Students receive 5/15 points for each class simply by showing up. If students have completed the weekly annotations they receive up to an additional 5 points. The quality of their participation is quantified, according to the following table:
Points | Nature of Participation |
0 | Student does not engage in participation (i.e. ask questions in class/ on Teams, respond during the in-person portion of class, and has not done the readings. |
2 (needs improvement) | Student participates but has not read the readings. OR the student does not participate but has read the readings. |
3 (satisfactory) | Student participates minimally and has done the readings. This is the maximum most students should be assigning to themselves. |
4 (above average) | Student participates more than typical in comparison to their peers and shows considerable engagement with the readings in their classroom contributions. |
5 (rare) | Student participates exceptionally (asks questions and gives answers during class, posts on Teams and helps peers, and shows exceptional engagement with the readings. |
In general, here are some examples of the type of questions students will be asked to think about in evaluating their participation:
Were they present during in-person parts of the course?
Did the student remain strongly focused during the class and did s/he/they seek to actively listen/process/integrate the ideas during class?
Did the student demonstrate significant and insightful knowledge regarding class material (has s/he/they been able to consistently answer questions about the readings in class, pose thoughtful questions in/outside of class, demonstrated that s/he/they has attempted to connect the themes/ideas of class to broader historical themes, etc)?
Did the student enhance the learning environment by participating respectfully in discussions with her/his/their colleagues?
While you will be asked to self-evaluate your participation, your professor will also keep track of his subjective evaluation of your work.
Bonus Marks
Students can earn bonus marks by participating in optional supplemental activities:
the professor will host bi-weekly game afternoons to familiarize students with the range of historical themed games (and have fun)
the History Undergraduate Society (HUgS) may organize events, like a field trip to the WarGame exhibit at the Canadian War Museum
If the professor assesses that a student has consistently (i.e. in every class) participated at an exceptional level throughout the term, the professors may decide to award bonus marks at the end of term, above what the student has self-assessed.
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