Evaluation and Grades

Grading is based on frequent relatively small evaluations rather than on one or two major exams.

1. Class Preparation, Attendance, and Participation

Your presence and active participation are essential in each and every session. This will be the most significant part of your grade since it is through continuous class interaction with other students that your communicative abilities in Portuguese will develop and improve. Your grade will be determined daily by the quality and quantity of your preparation and participation in class discussions, activities, group work, etc. Each assigned reading or song will be followed by class discussion.

2. Attendance

Since your progress, and that of the class as a whole, will be impeded by excessive absences, your presence in the classroom is imperative. If you must miss a class, there is NO excuse for not being prepared for the next one. If you have to be absent, please contact the instructor in advance to find out what material you will miss. Each absence without an official excuse will lower your course attendance and participation grade. Since this course will be conducted as a student-centered seminar, it is your responsibility as a student to prepare the material in advance and participate actively in all classes. Each student’s level of preparation and participation will be evaluated on a daily basis. In-­class participation is based on your answers and comments to questions, and interest shown in the subject studied. The key to successful participation is preparation.

Absences without excuse will result in a lower final grade. After 3 unexcused absences, the participation grade will be lowered half a letter grade each time the student misses class. If you have any questions or if you anticipate any problems attending a class, do not hesitate to consult your instructor.

3. Testes (Quizzes)

   There will be 3 take-home exams to be handed in on the days scheduled on the calendar. There will be NO final exam during the official exam week.

4. Trabalhos Escritos (Essays)

A total of three pieces of writing based on different topics discussed in class that appear to be particularly significant or revealing about representation and identity in the Brazilian society. Each paper should be 2-5 pages long (+ bibliography), typed using font 12, double-­spaced, and written using MLA format. Essays should be turned in on the day assigned.

Note: Students are expected to revise and edit their essays after they are corrected by the instructor and to resubmit them a week later for a final grade. The first draft will count as 70% of the grade and the final version 30%.

Late assignments will be penalized for each late day by subtracting a fraction of the given grade (from A to A-, etc.). After 3 days NO late assignment will be accepted. Do no e-mail essays. It is your responsibility to bring it to class on the day it is due. Even if there is no focus on grammar in the course, the grammar points and the vocabulary in the songs’ lyrics will be presented or reviewed when necessary. You can find a list of the symbols that will be used for essay correction at the course website.

5. Oral Presentation and Student-Led Discussion (15 Minutes)

Students will present orally in class the results of their research for each previously written essay.

In addition, throughout the semester, each student will give 10-minute presentations on one of the assigned songs and lead a discussion session on the topic covered in class. Students should also bring up at least two questions for class discussion, based on the ideas and themes in the song. Please, try to engage the class in conversation.

As students master the main structures, the quality of both their written work and their oral presentations is supposed to improve. Consequently, the expectations of quality work will be higher as the semester progresses.

Grading Scale