Assessment

toc Assessment for this course has three major components:


 * 1) Two out of six possible short essays (around 1000 words each), due on the dates specified in the schedule below (50%, or 25% each). You may submit all six essays (or however many you wish to submit); your grade for this component will consist of the grades for your two best essays. **One of the two essays must be submitted before the midterm break (i.e., it must be submitted at one of the first three opportunities for essays).**
 * 2) Participation in this course wiki, either in the main pages or in the discussion sections (25%). You may op-out of participating in the wiki by completing an additional essay (for a total of three essays; you may still submit all six, for the best three), but you must notify the instructor in advance.
 * 3) A final in-class test (25%).

Your grade may also be ultimately adjusted upwards (not downwards) by a small amount for enthusiastic and useful participation in course activities or discussions, either in lecture or during tutorials.

Ancient Conceptions of Politics
include page="Essay Topics for Ancient Conceptions of Politics" editable="true"

Just War
include page="Essay Topics for Just War" editable="true"

New Conceptions of Politics
include page="Essay Topics for New Conceptions of Politics" editable="true"

The State of Nature
include page="Essay Topics for State of Nature" editable="true"

Democracy and Intervention
include page="Essay Topics for Democracy and Intervention" editable="true"

Perpetual Peace
include page="Essay Topics for Perpetual Peace" editable="true"

Each of these assignments is described in greater detail in their respective assignment pages in the wiki: please consult these pages before writing the essay.

Essays are to be turned in electronically before the lecture on the date they are due, via e-mail, unless otherwise noted. If I have not replied to you within a reasonable time, you need to assume I have not received your essay.

If you prefer to turn in a hard copy, you may do so by notifying the lecturer in advance. Hard copies of essays may be turned in at the beginning of the lecture on the date they are due, but you MUST also turn in an electronic copy. Essays may be checked against the Turnitin database to identify plagiarism.

All essays will be returned electronically with comments.

Course Wiki
Studies show that the best ways to learn are active, participatory and social, rather than passive and purely individual. Part of you assessment will therefore include contributing to this course wiki. You are strongly encouraged to do this, though it is possible to “opt out” of this requirement by writing a third essay over the course of the term.

Your contributions to the wiki will be assessed on a weekly basis, according to the following scheme:


 * 0 points. No contribution to either the wiki or the blog
 * 1 point. Minimal contribution (e.g., proofreading a wiki page, minimal response to another person’s discussion posting)
 * 2-3 points. Regular contributions (e.g., contributing study questions, answers to study questions, and other substantial additions to the wiki, raising or answering interesting questions in the discussion sections, etc.)
 * 4 points. Exceptional contributions (e.g., major contributions to the wiki, excellent study questions or answers, outstanding participation in the blog, etc.)

You need to accumulate 25 points over the course of the trimester to obtain your full 25% mark for this assessment component, starting in the second week of the term. On average, therefore, you need to be accumulating 2.5 points per week.

Contributing to the course wiki
This course wiki is your friend: think of it as collaborative study guide, prepared over the course of the trimester. You may contribute to it in a variety of ways:
 * Add new pages with content related to the themes of the course, such as comparing views of the state of nature among various thinkers
 * Post questions in the pages for each theme discussed in the course or in the discussion pages
 * Provide links to external sources
 * Add multimedia content related to the course (pictures, illustrative video, etc.)
 * Answer study questions or discuss possible answers in the discussion pages
 * Add entries to the bibliography and comment on those already there
 * Summarize the readings in the pages for each particular theme discussed in the course
 * Provide background information necessary for fully understanding the readings
 * Proofread, correct, clarify, or reformat other's contributions

The lecturer will be an active participant in the wiki, posting material (including study questions) and helping to format it, as well as commenting on material posted there, but the wiki is ultimately a resource for the students to learn, and it will be only as good as you make it.

You may opt out of participation in the wiki by the third week of the course by notifying the lecturer in writing (via e-mail) that you will submit at least three, rather than two, short essays. The instructor will otherwise assume that you are working on the wiki, not writing a third essay. In case you plan to submit three essays, you may still submit up to six essays, but your final mark will consist of the marks for your three, rather than two, best essays.

Final test
The final test is cumulative, integrative, and closed book, and will last 50 minutes on Friday 10 October. The students will answer 2 essay questions out of a possible 6. Questions will be based on material posted on this wiki, including study questions posted by students.

Statement on penalties
Students will be penalised for late submission of essays—a deduction of 5% for the first day late, and 2% per day thereafter, up to a maximum of 8 days. Work that is more than 8 days late can be accepted for mandatory course requirements but will not be marked. However, penalties may be waived if there are valid grounds, e.g., illness (presentation of a medical certificate will be necessary) or similar other contingencies. In such cases prior information will be necessary.

Mandatory course requirements
To gain a pass in this course each student must:


 * 1) Submit the written work specified for this course, on or by the specified dates (subject to such provisions as are stated for late submission of work)
 * 2) Sit the final in-class test and obtain at least a 40% mark in it.

NB: A student who has obtained an overall mark of 50% or more, but failed to satisfy a mandatory requirement for a course, will receive a K grade for that course, while a course mark less than 50% will result in the appropriate fail grade (D, E or F).

Communication of additional information
Additional information will be communicated to students via e-mail, and through the course wiki and blog; please make sure to check your e-mail regularly.