Structure and grading policy

The course is going to be divided in four separate and independent sections, each one of them taught by a visiting professor.

All four sections will share a similar structure: six hours of lectures and the requirement to write a personal essay (of variable extension) on any topic discussed in class that the student finds especially appealing either because of theoretical interest or personal experience.

Since there’s going to be very few lectures (26 hours through the whole semester) attendance –and active partaking in class– is considered crucial and will be considered a relevant factor in grading (20% of the final grade).

Each essay is going to provide the grade for the corresponding section: 4 essays, 20% of the final grade each. There will be NO final examination. Think of the essays as partial exams, and take them seriously. Any kind of plagiarism (copy/paste from any website, quotations without a reference, etc.) will result in an automatic failing grade for the whole course.

The next Monday after the lectures of each part are delivered, students are expected to send a 500 word abstract about the ideas they’ve got for the corresponding essay. This can be done through mail (mnarroyo@alumni.unav.es) or by turning the document in the Department of Public Communication Secretary’s Office in the drawer that reads “Mariano Navarro”. Diligence in handing in the abstract will both help you in clarifying your ideas and secure a good disposition from me towards your essay. Failure in doing so will also bear consequences.

Feel free and encouraged to talk about your essays or projects with either the visiting professor for the section or me, the course coordinator. We will always be willing to help you BEFORE deadlines(*) arrive. Avoid coming after deadlines with excuses of any kind.

In summary, the final grade will result from the following sum:

Essay - Section 1	20%
Essay - Section 2	20%
Essay - Section 3	20%
Essay - Section 4	20%
Attendance and active participation during lectures	20%
**OPTIONAL: A 20 minute presentation of one of your essays in front of the whole class.	10% (extra)

* For a complete chart regarding dates of lectures and essay deadlines view the "Calendar" entry.

** The optional oral presentations are to be discussed and arranged with me through the semester. Depending on the amount of people interested several sessions outside the official calendar can be arranged.