Assignments & grading

MC300 International Communication

Grading will be based on four components.

1. Attendance

Attendance is expected. Based on consistent attendance, a student can earn up to 5 additional percentage points. This will be added to the final course grade. Students who come late to class or leave class early will be marked as absent.
 

2. D2L Discussions (30 percent)

You will participate in 10 on-line discussions as specified in the class schedule (Weeks 1-6, Week 9, Weeks 11-12, and Week 14).  Participation is required, not optional. Your participation in the Desire2Learn Discussions indicates that you are keeping up with your weekly course work. Your contributions must show your analytical skills. You should read what others have already written on the topic so that you can provide new insights rather than repeating the same. In addition, you should show that you have done the background reading on the subject.  Draw in from the sources listed for the week's readings and go beyond them to get other relevant documentation. Cite your textbooks, as well as related books available in the library. Consult the library catalog, the encyclopedias, the journals, etc., to back up your position. 

Mere opinions will not do. Plan on rigorous analysis and creative thought. Support your opinions with data and rational discourse. The discussion related to a  particular week's topic must be completed within that week. Delayed contributions will not receive passing grades.

The schedule clearly shows the discussions due for grading.  
 

2. Class Presentations (20 percent)

From Week 7 through Week 15, during the last hour of the class period, a team of two to three students will present oral reports on the state of the mass media and new media in Asia and its sub-regions as listed below. Team members should use the Handbook of the Media in Asia, (on reserve at the Livingstone Lord Library) as the basic reference for their report, but they should update the facts and figures using the most recent library and online sources. The presentation should take a comparative form (pointing out the differences and similarities among countries) rather than each member presenting a single-country report. This requires coordination, and each member should have read all the country chapters assigned to the team. Audio-visual aids are vital to clarify points to the audience. 

Week 7 (Oct. 10): Asia: Overview

Week 8 (Oct.17):  East Asia: China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau

Week 9 (Oct. 24): East Asia: Japan, South Korea, North Korea, and Mongolia

Week 10 (Oct. 31): South Asia: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

Week 11 Nov. 7): South Asia: Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, and Bhutan

Week 12 (Nov. 14): Southeast Asia: Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia

Week 14 (Nov. 28): Southeast Asia: Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam

Week 15 (Dec. 5): Southeast Asia:  Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand

Checklist for grading presentations
  

	Low				High
Organization
1. Stated a clear theme	0	1	2	3	4
2. Used 3 or more supporting points to document theme	0	1	2	3	4
Content
3. Used all assigned countries for comparison	0	1	2	3	4
4.   Used up-to-date facts and figures	0	1	2	3	4
5. Showed knowledge/understanding of subject	0	1	2	3	4
Presentation
6. Engaged the audience	0	1	2	3	4
7. Used allocated time (10 minutes)	0	1	2	3	4
8. Used clear visual or other aids	0	1	2	3	4

3. Midsemester essay (20 percent)

This essay (comprising a minimum of1,000 words) should have an international or global communication focus.  A topic related to a single country is not acceptable. It should have a clear thesis backed by strong documentation. A thesis is a declarative statement pertaining to a focused topic (see below for examples). In grading the paper, I shall take take into account the following format.

Your paper should contain a cover page that provides the following: the topic of the paper, the name of the author, the date of submission, and the statement "Submitted as a term paper for MC300 International Communication."

Your paper should also contain a contents page headed by a clear statement of your thesis followed by the outline you used to document the thesis. Number each part of the outline, including the introduction and the conclusion. 

Begin the paper on the next page. State the thesis in the introduction and follow the outline systematically to persuade the reader that you have adequately documented your thesis. Anchor all opinion to authoritative sources, facts and figures. Cite the sources using APA or Chicago style. (Go to Purdue OWL below for help on style and the outline.)

End the paper with a new page containing your list of references. Carefully follow the APA or Chicago style. 

[Take advantage of this opportunity to write a paper suitable for presentation at the fourth annual Student Academic Conference in April.]   Expert advice on writing a research paper is available at:

    Purdue OWL. (1999). Research papers http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/index.html
        A step-by-step procedure http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_ressteps.html
        Developing an outline  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_outlin.html
        Sample outline http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_outlinS.html

Do not confuse topics and theses. Examples:

Topic: English as a global language  
Thesis: The rise of English as a global language is the result of the economic dominance of Britain and the United States.

Topic: The digital revolution 
Thesis: The digital revolution is likely to reverse the core-periphery structure of the world when computers and microchips become inexpensive commodities in the foreseeable future.

Topic: Freedom of the press
Thesis: The four criteria that Freedom House uses to measure press freedom in each country do not reflect the impact of the world system on each of the countries.

Topic: The global media
Thesis: The dominance of a few media conglomerates at the world system level, as well as the abundance of government-sponsored broadcasting at the same level, fails to support the concept of press freedom.

Deadline: Week 10 (Oct. 31)
 

3. End-semester examination (30 percent)

Students will receive a choice of questions one week before the final  examination. They should answer the questions in essay form during the final class meeting within the allocated two hours. Answers written outside the allocated examination period are not acceptable.

Date and time of examination:: Wednesday, Dec.19, 6.30 p.m.-8.30 p.m.