Class participation will be assessed not simply on the volume of one’s participation in discussions but on the quality and thoughtfulness of a student’s contribution. This is invariably a subjective measure, but it is important for students to consider whether they have a particular question that they want to address and how that relates to the readings. What I particularly want to see is that students demonstrate close reading skills by drawing on the texts themselves and offering analysis of an author’s argument. This might be in the form of showing how the archaeological evidence does not support the substantive claims of an article, or to ask for clarification of technical terms or theoretical concepts.

Included in the class participation grade are the various non-graded short assignments that will be part of the course (e.g. Map Assignment) and which may include in-class debates, short presentations, as well as wiki postings.