Syllabus: This provides a basic overview of all the course requirements. First up, the part everybody always wants to know up front...

Grades: Paper 1: 25%; Paper 2: 25%; Paper 3: 30%; 5 reading quizzes: 10% (the lowest quiz grade will be dropped); Participation: 10%.

Quizzes: Five reading quizzes will be given at the beginning of class sessions staggered throughout the semester and will cover the current readings up to that point. There will be 5-6 simple questions on each quiz and they shouldn't take more than 10-15 minutes to complete. The lowest grade of the five will be dropped.

Papers: There will be three papers, two of them 5-7 pages each, and a final paper of 7-10 pages. Papers must be turned in on the due date listed in the weekly assignments. Unless catastrophic circumstances apply, any paper turned in late will suffer a reduction in grade to be determined when the paper is received.

Paper topics will be provided well beforehand. A detailed guide to paper formatting and other important information will shortly appear on the Paper section of this site and in a hardcopy handout.

Final Paper Special Option:  For the final paper only, I am willing to accept a paper in the form of a comic book, or in some way incorporating comic book methods. I will expect precise thinking and a solid basis for the argument presented, since you will probably be writing far less text for that paper. If you do wish to pursue this option, talk to me about it well in advance of the due date. I may ask you to write a short description of your plan for the comic if you choose to go through with it.

A Note on Plagiarism: A depressing point, but a necessary one - plagiarism is theft. I encourage all of you to be diligent in forming and writing your own ideas. Besides, chances are if there's something that's been written about comics, I've read it, so please do your own work. Students caught appropriating previously published material can face penalties as severe as expulsion from UMBC, and we don't want that to happen. End of unpleasant paragraph.