HIST 160-799 HINDUS AND MUSLIMS IN INDIA

PARTICIPATION / SECOND WEEK PORTFOLIO

I. PARTICIPATION (UG 15%; MA 10%)

Instructions
Participation in this class is graded. I use Course Activity Reports in Blackboard to track online
use including discussion, blog, and wiki participation, readings, and other course content. Your
participation grade is not about quality (that is graded elsewhere). It is about regularly showing
up in our virtual forum, taking the time to understand the course and its requirements, doing
the readings, completing the assignments, and making your voice heard. A-level participation
requires doing all the readings and A/V content, making multiple weekly contributions to the
online fora (blog, wikis), and completing all the assignments.

II. SECOND WEEK PORTFOLIO (UG 20%; MA 15%)

Instructions
Compile a portfolio of your six best discussion or blog contributions to the “First Takes” blog,
“Thesis in Brevis” wiki, “Indilogia” discussion forum, and/or “Thesis Workshop” wiki. Three of
your portfolio items must be responses you made to comments posted by your peers.
Your best contributions will have at least two of the following three characteristics:
a. your response is on topic, thoughtful, and analytical
b. you give evidence from assigned primary and secondary sources to support your points
c. you practice good online etiquette while helping your classmates to improve the quality
of their own work
Along with your portfolio, include a brief paragraph explaining the strengths and weaknesses as
you see them of your contributions thus far.
If a contribution requires additional context to be understood outside its original environment,
please include that and mark it clearly as “Context.” This may mean including a post someone
else wrote that you were responding to. If so, make it clear who authored what.

Due Date and Submission Instructions

Your Second Week Portfolio is due on Thursday, June 17, by 5:00pm. Please submit it as a .pdf (I
will not accept other formats) by email to Julie.Hughes@qc.cuny.edu.

Formatting
Double-spaced with reasonable margins and font size (around an inch for margins, around the
size of Times New Roman 12 for the font).
Grading Rubric
Points Interpretation
4 Excellent (A)
3 Above Average (B)
2 Average (C)
1 Minimal (D)
0 Unacceptable (F)
Grading Criteria
The comment or entry is accurate, original, relevant, teaches
us something new, and is well written. Four point comments
and entries add substantial teaching presence to the course,
and stimulate additional thought about the issue under
discussion.
The comment or entry lacks at least one of the above qualities,
but is above average in quality. A three point comment or
entry makes a significant contribution to our understanding of
the issue being discussed.
The comment or entry lacks two or three of the required
qualities. Comments and entries which are based upon
personal opinion or personal experience often fall within this
category.
The comment or entry presents little or no new information.
However, one point comments and entries may provide
important social presence and contribute to a collegial
atmosphere
The comment or entry adds no value to the discussion