Every student’s name goes on a card. At the beginning of each class, I will draw several cards randomly from the deck. These persons will be “on” for the day. At the end of class, I will replace those cards in the deck, so if you are drawn in one class, you may also be drawn in the next. Toward the end of the semester, I will occasionally remove the cards of students who have been called on several times, to ensure everyone will have an opportunity to participate.
Although I expect attendance, I do not always take it. However, if I draw your card and you are absent at the time I draw or you are obviously unprepared, your final grade in the class will automatically drop a full step (e.g., from a B to a C) from what it otherwise would have been.
There are only three exceptions to this rule. The first is if you have notified me by email before class that you will be absent or are unprepared. However, on every fifth such notice that I receive from you during the semester, your grade will drop one-third step (e.g., from a B to a B-). The second exception is if you (not your mother, grandfather, dog) are physically or mentally incapacitated and therefore unable to give notice. The third is if you have a unique need for accommodation, such as a disability, and you have worked out a prior arrangement with me.
The foregoing notwithstanding, I prefer to spend the bulk of class time in a relatively informal discussion of the problems presented by the reading material. I therefore encourage you to volunteer whenever you have something to contribute. Volunteering will not be painful.
You are responsible for everything discussed or distributed in class. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to get notes, handouts, assignments, etc. from a trusted fellow student. Please do not ask me for these materials.
