Class attendance is especially important for succeeding in this compressed class format.  Near-perfect attendance is expected of all students. Class time provides an opportunity for you to ask questions, clarify issues, and deepen your understanding of the concepts covered in the text. If you are absent, you are responsible for getting any notes, assignments, and schedule changes made on that day. If you come in late, you are responsible for seeing that the attendance record is correct. Class attendance may affect marginal grades.

Above and beyond the expected class attendance, students are required to complete the readings prior to coming to the first night of class. Demonstrated mastery of the assigned readings through class discussion is necessary to earn full participation points. In addition, students will have another opportunity to earn points by participating in an in-class group project. Further guidance on this project will be provided closer to the time scheduled.

CLASS PROJECT

Each student must choose one (1) of the following two class projects in which to participate:

Option #1 - In-Class Team Presentation

Having been inspired by the incredible course you are taking in Political Humor, three to five of your student colleagues (in other words a group of 4-6) and you have decided to form a political humor consulting group. It’s a brilliant idea and you are planning on making the big bucks. Rumors of your group’s formation have already spread throughout the political world and clients are already beginning to contact you.  You realize though that you need to catch a "big fish" to make a real name for yourselves. Therefore, your group is compiling a list of politicians who are comedically challenged or who otherwise face major humor problems. Your group is meeting in order to brainstorm potential clients. Among this list you will select one client to which you will try to market yourselves. Your hope is that you can use this high-profile political candidate to demonstrate to other potential clients what your group can do for them.  An investment group sees the worth of your venture and has offered financial backing to subsidize the first client. These investors realize that they will lose money initially, but expect once your group’s reputation is established to make great profits. Therefore, you have a virtually unlimited budget in which to bring outside expertise and talents to your group and to implement your plan.  You’ll also need to agree on a name for your consulting group that will communicate its purpose and be memorable for advertising purposes.  Assume for purposes of your presentation that you will be meeting with the politician you have selected along with his or her advisors. At that meeting, you will have no more than 15 minutes to quickly present your diagnosis of their particular humor problem(s) and what strategies your group can offer for solution.

 

This option will be graded according to delivery style, overall impact, demonstrated teamwork, content delivery, organization, and creativity.  The presentation portion of this project must be completed on Sunday afternoon prior to the final exam.  You should have fun with this assignment.  It is intended to foster your creativity.  Your team is expected to use outside class time (lunch period on Saturday, Saturday evening, and Sunday morning) as a collective opportunity for working on this project. Other in-class time may also be provided depending on the number of teams selecting this option.  An overhead projector, VCR, CD player, cassette player, computer projector, and a dry erase board will be available for your use in presenting your ideas.  A 1-2 page information sheet outlining the reasons for selecting your client and your proposed plan and strategies must be provided to the instructor.  Other elements of the class project may also be turned in to the instructor for grade consideration.

Option #2 - Individual Research Report

The student will write a 6-8 page research paper on a topic that directly concerns the role of political humor in the Fall 2004 election campaign season.  The report should incorporate class readings, lecture, and audio/video presentations as well as outside sources.  The report should be written according to an accepted style convention such as APA or Chicago/Turabian (see recommended textbook by Scott and Garrison for further information).   This paper will be graded according to topic selection, content delivery, grammar, writing style, research documentation, research quality, analysis, and overall creativity.  If you select this assignment, it must be delivered to the professor's office (Liberal Arts Building Room #102J) by Tuesday, September 7 at 5:00 PM.  If the professor is not available, the student can slide the paper under the office door or give it to the departmental secretary, Diane Brown.

There will be one exam at the end of the course. It will contain both multiple choice and short answer questions drawn from the readings.  In addition, students will be provided an opportunity integrate their learning experience in an essay format section of the exam. Make up examinations will not be offered except for documented emergencies. In case of school cancellation due to weather or other reasons during the scheduled time for the final exam, university policy will be followed in the assigning of grades.

Cheating = Failure (please refer to attached Academic Integrity Statement below and link to UCO Student Code of Conduct).  Academic dishonesty includes, but is not confined to plagiarizing; cheating on tests or examinations; turning in counterfeit reports, tests, and papers; stealing tests or other academic material; knowingly falsifying academic records or documents of the institution; accessing a student's confidential academic records without authorization; disclosing confidential academic information without authorization; and, turning in the same work to more than one class without informing the instructors involved.  Each student is expected to engage in all academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach.  Students are expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in the academic experiences both in and out of the classroom.  Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty will be subject to disciplinary action.  More information concerning this policy can be found on page three of the UCO Student Code of Conduct located at:

http://bronze.ucok.edu/ssvp/UCOStudentRights.pdf