ALL GRADES ARE IN WEB ADVISOR!

I will be in on Monday Morning. Please feel free to call me after 10am (or come in). It is nearly 10:30 pm on Friday night and I am just getting ready to leave the office. So please, let me have some time over the weekend to regroup.

I still want to meet with several of you, so do expect some type of communication from me early in the week.

Happy Holidays, please enjoy your weekend.

Dr. Holmes

Paper Feedback so Far...

I just posted several paper grades to BB.

Where might you have lost points?

Several papers were closer 3 pages than 5. If it was closer to three, most of you only wrote a few sentences on a 2nd theory. You can't get full points on a partial paper. 3 pages on one theory and a paragraph on the second, won't get you a full 40 points. It should have been difficult to get everything into the reduced- to- 5- pages- maximum.

You may have lacked citations or support.

If your only reference was the book you read, it wasn't enough. How else would you know about the theory you are discussing? We talked about it several times, at length in class, but a few of you tried to go without any additional support.

In general typos, spelling and grammar errors improved, but some points were lost in these areas.

Exam 1 Grades are In!

Exam grades are in. You can figure out your % by dividing your number by 65 (the number of points possible).

If you received below a "C", please make an appointment to see me. Feel free to drop by most of the day tomorrow if you want to see it or wed thur or fri next week. Otherwise I will just bring them to class at our next meeting.

Overall, I was very impressed with the exam. The most memorable skits were the exam questions most often answered right, so getting involved makes a big difference!

Make sure to check into Blackboard and the blog frequently.

Re: Your Book: (Suggestion) Get it right this minute. If you wait until next week, and try to read and write that paper in a matter of days, your grade will suffer, surely. If you need writing assistnace, make an appointment at the Hundley Center by tomorrow or thursday. You don't want to gamble with an 80 point project.

Great work on the exam!

Dr. Holmes

Your Worldview Papers...some Notes

Hello All, I am working on your papers. I figure that I should address some themes as they arise, so that I don't forget.

I have changed my mind. I said that I wouldn't be returning papers to you for re-dos because it is too much work, and I shouldn't have to do that at the Master's level. However, I would be doing a disservice to you all by not helping you with feedback from the outset.

You will have the opportunity to improve your grade, but keep in mind that you cannot get all 50 points on a second go- round. It simply isn't fair to those who didn't have to do a re-do.

You may want to check back on my notes, they may change over the next few days while I continue to grade.

I am averaging 15-20 minutes per paper.

Rules in redo-s:
First, you have to turn in your old paper with the new one (paper clip it). And, you must highlight the changes in the new so that I can compare them- Either with highlighter pen or with the computer. I don't want to re-read the entire thing if I only wanted certain areas addressed. Lastly, make sure that whatever I point out in this paper does not show up in the next.

THEMES

1. Rush errors. i.e. typos, missing words, sentence fragments. Obvious lack of editing or a read-through before turning it in. Be careful with these types of errors. Not only does it come across as sloppy and rushed, it speaks to a level of professionalism.

2. Global words and phrases such as, "these kinds of things", "the list goes on", "to name a few", "etc." "someplace"...words related to death when that is not what you mean "I would just die" "would be fatal" "is a fatal mistake" "given up on life"..."Can you just imagine" - this one was frequent, and not sure what you mean by it... "Everyone" "No one" (when you think about it there are few things that apply to everyone or no one)...or things that refer to "what everyone thinks/ believes".

3. Overdoing your descriptors: SO VERY MUCH, VERY EVIL,COMPLETELY UTTERLY, very, very, very...

4. Tense issues

5. Grammar. If you get grammar, editing and even comma happy remarks- ESPECIALLY if you get more than one of them, you may want to get yourself to the Hundley Center immediately for some one on one tutoring. If you have these types of comments, they are usually difficult to address/ see on your own.

If you don't mind spending a little bit of $$ you can use an ONLINE service like Smart Thinking- I think it is $19.95 per submission. It is extremely helpful if you are lacking in the writing skills area.

http://www.smarthinking.com/static/individuals/buyNow/