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Assignments:

Assignments will be evaluated based on:

• The originality and creativity of your ideas,
• The quality of your argument,
• The quality of the sources you use to support your argument
• How well you connect your assignment to the topics we are discussing in class,
• The quality of your writing / speech

All assignments must be completed in order to pass the course. No late assignments will be accepted, except in the case of an excused absence.

Many assignments in this course are written assignments. It is expected that you write in clear, formal, academic language. If you need help with your writing skills, please let me know early in the semester. You can contact the University Writing and Speaking Tutorial service for support.

1. Weekly reflections (blog posts) (20 points)
-- due each class
These are brief summaries/comments about the text you just read for the class. The writing comments are due the day before each class (i.e., on Tuesday) and should be around one paragraph (minimum of 8 lines and maximum of 15 lines, in 1.5 leading space, 1” margins, 12-point font).

All text comments shall be posted in the class weblog the day before the class meeting. Posts are graded as 1, 1/2 or 0. To receive full credit for the blog post, students must:

1. Provide a clear and objective summary of the text's main ideas
2. Connect the text main topics with previous classes / readings and/or your previous experiences with the topic. Try to answer the following question: why do you think this text is/is not important to understand the topic game studies?

Late posts will automatically receive a 0. However, if you don't post until one week after the text is due, you will get a -1. If you have an excused absence, you can still get credit to your blog post if you post it within one week of the absence. You are excused from posting if you are presenting to the class. If you write an outstanding blog post, you'll get an extra credit (*) which will make that post worth 2 points. You will receive your partial grades for the blog posts in the end of each course section.

You should bring a print out of your blog post to class. Each class, one student will be randomly chosen to read the blog post aloud to the class. If you fail to bring your blog post to class, you will automatically get a 0 for that post.

In the first class you will receive a login and a password, as well as detailed instructions on how to post your comments.

Instructions to post comments:
1. Go to: http://www2.chass.ncsu.edu/blog/com498w/wp-login.php
2. Login with your username and password.
3. Go to "Write > Write post"
4. Give a title to your post: the title should be the last name of the text's author, e.g., Abbatte.
5. Write your post.
6. Sign your post (include <p></p><p></p> by "your name")
7. Assign a category to your post. This should be your name, listed on the right hand side of the page.
8. Unclick the "uncategorized" category.
9. Click "publish".
10. To view your post, click on "View Site" on the top right hand corner of the page.
11. If you wish to re-edit it, click on "Edit" below your post, which will take you back to the post interface. Make your changes and click "save".

NOTE: IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO CLICK ON YOUR NAME UNDER "CATEGORY" BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR POST. FAILURE TO DO THAT WILL **NOT** ASSIGN THE POST TO YOUR NAME, AND THEREFORE, I'LL NOT BE ABLE TO GRADE IT.

Model for blog post

2. Research presentation (20 points)
-- once a semester
The research presentations are group presentations about a specific topic we are dealing with in the class to your peer-students. The presentations are in groups of 3 and are based on research. They should reflect critical engagement/analysis with the topic. It is important that the presentations not simply be a recitation of findings ("here is what we saw") but show some analysis. Think about what is at stake in what you have observed. What is interesting about it? Why does knowing "x" matter? How has what your group found connect to previous research on the subject, including things we have read? Furthermore, this is supposed to be a GROUP presentation, which means that your group should show that you worked TOGETHER by presenting coherent introduction and conclusion that summarizes the mains ideas and interconnections among the topics, external sources, and class discussions.

Presentations should take about 75 minutes (including discussion) and follow the structure below:

1. Introduction (5-10 minutes):
   Detailed explanation of the general topic. Interconnections among presentations.
2. Analysis (30-45 minutes):
• 10-15 min: presentation of topic 1 - student 1
• Description (a matter-of-fact description of the topic)
• Historical background
• Connections to other theories / concepts studied in class
• Research questions that contextualize the topic
• 10-15 min: presentation of topic 2 - student 2
• Description (a matter-of-fact description of the topic)
• Historical background
• Connections to other theories / concepts studied in class
• Research questions that contextualize the topic
• 10-15 min: presentation of topic 3 - student 3
• Description (a matter-of-fact description of the topic)
• Historical background
• Connections to other theories / concepts studied in class
• Research questions that contextualize the topic
3. Conclusions (5-10 minutes)
• Expand the topic and show possible future developments.
• Re-enforce interconnections among topics.
• What the group learned from the topic
4. References (1 minute)
• Minimum of nine books, articles, essays, or Web sites about the topic (at least three scholarly sources required)
• References should follow APA style.
• Reference source should be included in the presentation slides.
5. Discussion (20-30 minutes)
• Bring 3-5 questions to generate class discussion; lead class discussion

You should practice your presentation before presenting in class. A good way to control your time is to plan to cover one slide per minute. Do not fill the slides with text.

The presentation will be evaluated based on:

• the substance of research, that is:
• the group's introduction: how you describe your main point in adequate detail
• How well you interconnect all topics, finding similarities and differences among them.
• how well you address research questions and conceptualize the topic in a broader context,
• how well you connect with other readings and theories studied in class,
• the group's conclusions (how to expand the topic).
• how clearly it is presented to the class, that is:
• if your presentation is clear and well-organized,
• if you use audio/visual materials
• your presentation skills
• how your group leads the class discussion.
• the correct timing of the presentation.
• a correct citation of sources according to the APA style
• you should also mention your sources during the presentation
• You may use HTML or Power Point slides to present your topic.

All presentations should be turned in in a CD-ROM right after the presentation.

- For help with APA style format and scholarly sources, see http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/courses/com487/ . However, I recommend getting the APA style guide (the book) to make sure your citations are correct.

- Presentation slides and discussion questions must be submitted a week prior to the presentation to the professor.

- Dowload research presentation grading rubric model

3. Mid-term and Final Exams (20% and 30% respectively)
-- on 10.17 and 12.05
The mid-term and the final exams are in-class, open-note, open-book essay. The purposes of the exams are for you to demonstrate that you have understood the major issues addressed in the course and that you can articulate an insightful, well-supported position on some of those issues.

Some questions will be given to the class a week prior to the exam, each of which focuses on a major issue raised in the course. On the exam day, one question will be chosen (two questions on the final exam). You should be prepared to answer any of the questions based on your class notes, slides, class readings, and outside sources. Your essay should present a clear, well-structured answer to the question, incorporating information, facts, or quotations from the course readings and from your lecture notes, research sources, and blog postings. You are required to use at least three quotes or facts from the course readings listed after the question and at least three quotes or facts from any other outside sources. This is the minimal requirement, however; if you are aiming for an “A,” don’t settle for the minimum. All source material must be properly indicated using quotation marks (if it is a quote) and credited using proper parenthetical references.

You may bring printouts of any of the above materials to class, but you may not use a computer to access them during the exam. You must write your essay by hand in an exam blue book that you provide. Blue books are available at most student bookstores. When your turn in your completed exam, you will also turn in copies of all the sources you used (not including course readings).

Your essay should be between 2 to 4 pages long for each question. However, quality is more important than quantity. In other words, a well-written essay that is just over the minimum length will receive a higher grade than a longer, but less well-written, essay.

Directions for the mid-term and final exams:

• Each question should be from two to four pages long.
• Write your name, class name/number and date on the front page.
• For each answer, you should cite at least 3 texts used in class and 3 outside source references.
• Include your sources at the end of each question in a references list.
• Sources and in-text citations should be formatted according to the APA style.
• Attach copy of all the sources you used to your essay (not including course readings).

Your answers will be evaluated based on:

• the substance of your research, that is:
  o how you answer the questions in adequate detail.
  o the originality and creativity of your ideas.
  o the quality of the sources you use to support your argument.
  o how well you connect your assignment to the topics we are discussing in class.
• the correct citation of sources according to the APA style
• the correct number of sources
• the adequate length of the answer
• the quality of your writing.

Download mid-term grading rubric + questions

Download final exam grading rubric + questions

4. Participation (10%)

Participation entails not only attending the class but coming prepared having done all the readings, having made an honest attempt at understanding the author’s argument, and bringing reading notes and questions you’d like to ask. In order to get the maximum amount of points for participation, students are expected to:

• Be present in class;
• Contribute to the class with your ideas, comments and questions;
• Actively participate in the course, answering the instructor's questions and engaging in class discussions.

The final participation grade will be given according to the following criteria:
A (9.5)            Student is well prepared, attentive, always responds when called upon and                                     volunteers often with pertinent answers or questions.
B (8.5)            Student is usually prepared, responds when called on and volunteers on                                                 occasion.
C (7.5)            Student shows evidence of being unprepared on occasion, has trouble                                                 when called on and does not volunteer often.
D (6.5)            Student is unprepared, inattentive, never volunteers, or comes to class late.