announcements

May 8

Dear all,
 

The stress of the pandemic and some tragic events in the news are weighing deep in my mind as I write to you at this moment. I do genuinely hope that you are coping with the extenuating circumstances of distance learning, as well as life in general.

I know that school is not what it used to be. “Distance learning” is not what you signed up for, and it is undoubtedly difficult to keep up the motivation without the physical act of being on campus. I assume that that is why many of you have still not turned in your essay, which was due yesterday. If you have emailed me your assignment, thank you for being on time. If you have not, do so immediately. Because of the unusual situation, I am taking late papers until a reasonable date. The assignment is worth 20% of your final grade.

As a gentle reminder, all comments are due on May 13th, next Wednesday. The Listening Project bundle should be uploaded to your Dropbox folder on May 19th. If you do not know how to use Dropbox, let me know or stop by office hours.

I will update your grades over the weekend so that you know where you stand as far as assessment goes before the semester closes. Let me know if you have any questions.

Kind regards,
 
Michelle
 

Apr. 21

Hi everyone,

I am just writing a quick note to let you know that I am impressed with the video responses thus far. To those of you who have already posted, great job. Also, some changes to the rules for commenting:

1. The deadline to post comments or responses is now May 13 for all of them. I decided on this change so that you can have more flexibility on when to watch videos and to write responses to them.

2. Direct citations are no longer required in your responses. I still expect you to refer to the video and/or the readings, but do so in your own words. If you find quotations useful for communicating your points, by all means, cite the passages directly.

Both of these changes were with your well-being in mind. Some of you have already written to me with thoughts on the workload (re today’s video), and I will wait until next week to hear from more of you before deciding on whether to lower the number of comments/replies that count towards your participation grade.

As a reminder, there are only six more videos left in the semester, so plan accordingly.

Warmly,

Michelle

Mar. 26
Hi everyone,

After yesterday (and today’s) fiasco on my end with technology, I am making a schedule change. Yesterday’s video on Slobin/heritage/klezmer will be tomorrow’s video, and we are skipping the Szpoznik reading.
 
The replying and commenting can thus start tomorrow at the earliest. However, you are required to post a total of five replies and five comments from now until the end of the semester. By the end of the semester, you will have replied/commented ten times, at five each. This is a significant change from the previous requirement that you post a reply and two comments for every video. I am very concerned with your well being during these complicated times, and reducing your workload is my way of showing that. 
 
All replies/comments still adhere to the deadlines I set last week: Replies by 12 pm the day after the video, and comments before the immediately following class.
 
Additionally–and this is a bigger change–you now need to do EITHER assignment 3 or assignment 4. 
 
Whichever one you choose, the due date is May 7. Whichever paper you choose not to do will be given a default grade of 100% (20% of final grade).
 
There are no new changes to the Listening Project. As a remember: you are not required, and even discouraged, from conducting in-person interviews.
 
Regarding the “Recalibration Period for Educational Equity” memo sent out by the Office of the Chancellor, I will write to you again with schedule changes. I know this is a lot to keep track, but be assured that the class website will reflect the latest changes, and I will email you so that you do not have to keep checking.
 
(For those of you who have not yet read it, the Chancellor is mandating that we do not hold classes from March 27 to April 1. Here’s a video of the Chancellor explaining it (addressed to faculty): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yebqRBqF7AQ&feature=youtu.be)
 
Finally, I dearly hope that you are taking good care of yourself. I mean that truly, and if I can be a resource to you in ways pertaining to your academic success, let me know. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented doings, and your academic success is of concern to me.
 
Warmly,
 
Michelle
 
 

Mar. 13
We are online!

Some changes to the course as a result:

  1. No synchronous meetings. I will post a video for each class on the usual day and time but you can watch it when you want.
  2. Write a reply to each video. 150+ words in the comment section by 12 pm the next day. Cite the readings. 
  3. Write two replies to comments written by your classmates, sometime before the next class. 
  4. The replies are worth 10% of your final grade. 
  5. For obvious reasons, no end of the course group presentations.
  6. The readings going forward have shifted one week. Check the syllabus.
  7. All assignments should be emailed to me on the due date. 
  8. As usual, handouts are posted to Blackboard.

We’ll find out together and as we go what works and what doesn’t. Your feedback is important: [email protected]