Since we had to switch to emergency remote learning, I feel it is increasingly hard to demand each and every student complete the course assignments as I designed it at the start of the semester.
The course calls for two more assignments that give you a chance to engage with the history of Japan in a broader perspective: a second Primary Source Essay, and a Response Paper. These give you a great opportunity to show how much you learned, and how you analyse materials as a historian. The second Primary Source Essay should not pose too many problems: you have engaged with these materials already through the course of the semester.
The Response Paper is a different matter: it requires you to read a lengthy piece of new material. Because your personal circumstances may make it difficult to do so, and to give your best quality of work, I offer the following paths:
- You complete the Response Paper. You like the grade, and you keep it to be calculated as part of the final grade.
- You complete the Response Paper. You don’t like the grade, and decide to not have it included as part of the final grade. The coursework you did complete (=85% of the original requirements) will count towards your final grade for 100%. In other words: you do not get penalized for taking this option.
- You’re overwhelmed and cannot see how you can possible read and write a Response Paper amidst All Of This. You let me know you won’t complete the Response Paper. The coursework you did complete (=85%) will count towards your final grade for 100%. In other words: you do not get penalized for taking this option.
I trust you to make the right choice. I do not judge you for the choice you make: you know why you make these choices, and you don’t need to tell me why. These are exceptional circumstances and require flexibility (and a calculator on my part.)
