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There is quite a bit of information cited here for
and about my courses, including buying books;
suggestions for completing reading
assignments and writing papers; and
maintaining academic honesty. I am committed
to helping all students, particularly freshmen “survive” my classes, if they are
willing to put in the effort.
Buying Books
To subvert the system and save yourself some money,
you may want to consider buying used copies of the books. You are likely
to find used or discounted copies at the following web sites:
If you happen to find a used copy of the previous
edition of a textbook at a significantly lower price (as is often the case),
you should buy it—the differences from one edition to the next do not justify
the difference in price.
If you know of other websites to recommend for purchasing books at discounted
prices, please let
Dr. Devine know.
Completing Reading Assignments
There’s no getting around
it—history classes require extensive reading. To succeed in a history course,
you will need to complete the reading, but you also will need to have
given it some thought. Here are some suggestions for getting the most out of
the reading assignments: margins.
- Read with a pencil in hand and take notes in the margins.
- Record terms that are unfamiliar to you or that you don’t
understand, points that you find interesting or surprising, arguments
with which you strongly agree or disagree or ideas that connect to
things discussed in previous classes.
- Read smart—don’t read every single word of the first four
chapters and nothing thereafter because you ran out of time. If you
catch the argument the author is making, don’t sweat all of the details
or supporting examples; skim over them and get on to the next major
point. It is more important to have gotten the gist of an entire book
than to master every aspect of the first one-third of it.
Writing Papers
I believe in rewarding
improvement. If you perform poorly on the first essay but your written work
gets better throughout the semester, I will take this into account when
determining your final grade. Likewise, if you start out well but then slack
off significantly as the semester continues, this will also be taken into
account.
Corrections
Though I will make grammar and spelling corrections on your
papers, you are not being graded on grammar and spelling per se.
A poorly written paper, however, usually fails to convey ideas effectively,
so in this sense good writing does matter. There is no way of
separating “the writing” from “the ideas.” Keep your graded papers and
refer back to my corrections so you do not make the same mistakes again. My
goal is to ensure that you leave the class a better writer than when you
entered. You should make this your goal as well.
Emailing Papers
You may email your
paper to me as an attachment. In fact, this is the recommended method as
it is the best way to ensure that your paper does not get lost. When emailing, send a copy to yourself. If
you receive the email, it’s likely I did as well. Though I will send you a
confirmation email when I receive your paper, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY (and
not the email server’s) that I get it.
Getting Help
If you are having difficulty
with the written assignments, please ask me or my Teaching Assistant for
help. I have extensive experience in teaching writing skills and I am
willing to work with you on an individual basis to improve your essays. I
will read and edit drafts if I receive them with enough lead time before the
assignment is due.
If you do not have much
experience writing papers, you should make use of the History
Department Writing Center, which is in Sierra Tower 634. You can make an appointment with a writing
tutor by calling 677-3566.
Academic Honesty
- Do not lie to me about why you missed class or failed to
turn in an assignment. It is unnecessary and it insults my intelligence.
- Do not cheat on quizzes or tests. You will be caught and you
will receive an automatic zero for the assignment.
- Do not plagiarize from written sources or from the web. All
words that are not your own must be in quotation marks and cited. Since
plagiarism is always obvious and easily caught, it is better to
hand in your own work and get a C- than someone else’s and get an F. Any
and all plagiarized assignments will receive a grade of zero and put you
in jeopardy of failing the course. If you are unsure what plagiarism is,
please consult with me or the teaching assistant before handing
in an assignment.
- If you do
cheat or plagiarize, I will track you down and make your life miserable.
(References available upon request.)
Problems
I appreciate that many CSUN
students are stretching themselves quite thin, often working full time while
taking a full load of classes. If you are feeling overwhelmed, find yourself
falling behind or are having any problems outside of class that are adversely
affecting your performance in class, be sure to let me know as soon as
possible. Do not wait until the end of the semester when it will be too
late. Do not assume I will allow you to withdraw from class late in
the semester simply because you are doing poorly.
Attention Freshmen
Contrary to what you may have heard about professors in large
state universities, I go out of my way to be available for students on a
one-on-one basis, so if you need advice or help, even if your problem is not
directly related to the course, do not hesitate to email me or set up an
appointment. Students who make the effort to get to know their
professors end up getting far more from their college education.
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