Grades are not "curved" but calculated in the following way: each assignment counts for the indicated percentage and gets a certain amount of it (e.g. 18/20). After the final exam, everything (including extra credit) is summed up to compose the final score and transformed into a letter grade according to the scale shown below

A = 96-100      C = 66-70

A- = 91-95      C- = 61-65

B+ = 86-90       D+ = 58-60

B = 81-85        D = 55-57

B- = 76-80       D- = 51-54

C+ = 71-76     F = 0-50



Assessment Guidelines for assigning main letter grades: A, B, C,D, and F.


A:  Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.

B: This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.

C: This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.

D: This level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.

F: This work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

In order to take full advantage of this class and make it an important learning experience, it is crucial to create a communicative virtuous circle, i.e. an environment where possible misunderstandings are reduced to a minimum or altogether eliminated and potential problems and issues are addressed and solved very quickly. Example: some of you may have a stronger background in Economics , History, or Politics, and some a weaker one or none: there is nothing wrong in acknowledging it and  alerting the professor, so that he can adjust his pace to the audience and work more with single cases if need be.

More specifically, you can contribute quite substantially to the creation of a virtuous circle if you consider the following:

 1) Some demeanors are invisible in a large infrastructure, yet become disruptive in a smaller one. They include the following (during class):

- walking in and especially out of the room, in absence of an emergency or prior permission;

- making use of the internet and/or any social network, such as Facebook, Twitter or a mere sms;

- reading or studying for a class other than the one being attended.

Taking good note of all this and acting accordingly will greatly help and will be much appreciated.  Therefore, you are kindly requested to turn off your blackberries et al. and avoid using a laptop during class. Exceptions can be made only in some specific cases

 2) Students should be able to make the difference between occurrences which justify their absences and those which don't, and alert the prof only in the former case.

 Examples:   Occurrence                                 Absence Justified?            Communication needed

                        Sickness                                                       yes                                         yes

                        Major emergency                                         yes                                         yes

                         (accident, serious

                         family issues,

                          permesso)        

                         Travel issues of any kind                               no                                           no

                         Family/partner/friend(s)

                         are in town                                                      no                                           no

                         (although  welcome to

                          class if interested,

                          in which case please

                          notify the prof)

                                AoB                                           to be determined on case-by-case criteria

3) A smaller environment should encourage a more active and direct participation of students and a more effective communication between students and professor. The former are strongly encouraged to intervene in class at any moment if something doesn't sound clear, or in the appropriate discussion time if they wish to raise a specific issue or argue about it (this latter part will be considered for grading purposes, only to the extent it shows interest for the topic and capabilities to support an argument). Opinions can be freely expressed (teacher included) and are never graded as such.  Should a student feel uncomfortable about speaking in public, s/he is welcome to contact or email the professor to discuss privately

 4) Finally, and on a more academic note, some concrete tips to start off in the best way possible and obtain satisfactory results:

 - This is a textbook-based course. No matter if individually or in a group, students should get hold of a copy anyway, as all their assignments will be based on it. Alternative routes based on the use of popular websites (e.g. Wikipedia) are strongly discouraged and would lead to poor results

 - Class lectures do not merely repeat or explain (unless specifically required) the content of the readings, but aim at completing them by providing additional information and different visual angles. In order to achieve optimal results, students should work on combining their notes with reading assignments and videos screened (see next point) and raise immediately all issues related to any perceived discrepancy, incoherence or misunderstanding

 - Videos shown in class command the same respect and attention as all other instructional materials and should never be considered as avoidable parts of the course program (or the right moment when to disregard point 1 above)

 - Whenever possible, students are encouraged to take advantage of extra-credit opportunities (field trips, evening films, Guarini Institute events) even if their score is good, as these could prove ultimately decisive in enhancing their grade. The regular 10% attendance score can be reached by not missing class and joining in the two museum visits, and it can be enlarged to include up to an additional, extra 10% if all relevant evening movies and Guarini Institute events are attended