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your frequently
asked question
| Questions
about People, Books, and Things: |
Questions
about Tests, Papers, Absences, and Grades |
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Where
is Dr. Ditto's office?
and When are Dr. Ditto's office hours?
Dr. Ditto's office is in Bishop
Hall room 318. Office hours vary each semester, but are
printed on your syllabus and can also be found
on the Contact
page of your course's
website.
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How else can I contact Dr. Ditto?
Her
phone number is
662-915-6945. Feel free to leave a voice mail message if she
doesn't
an answer. You may also leave a message with the History
Department
secretary
at 662-915-7148.
You may send email to scditto@olemiss.edu.
Due to the large volume of email that Dr. Ditto receives every day,
however, it is essential to include a specific
subject
heading on
your email. Be sure to also indicate which course and section (or
time) you are enrolled in, and don't forget to sign your name!
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What is a TA?
and What are the names of Dr. Ditto's TAs,
and how can I contact them?
T.A. stands for "Teaching Assistant." Promising graduate students
who are working toward either a Master's degree or Ph.D. in History are
awarded graduate teaching assistantships, which include a full waiver
of tuition and a monthly stipend (small salary) in return for working
10-20 hours per week for the History Department.
Teaching assistantships
are like internships or apprenticeships, in that TAs are learning the
skills that they will need to become successful historians and teachers
after finishing their education. As such, they often give
lectures, meet with students, grade papers, keep attendance and other
course records, and perform other teaching tasks under the guidance of
the professor of record (in this case, Dr. Ditto).
So that TAs have the
opportunity to assist in a variety of history courses and observe a
number of different teaching styles, TA assignments change every
semester. Most of the History Department's Teaching Assistants
have offices in room 306 or 307 of Bishop Hall. You can find current
name and contact information for the TAs assigned to Dr. Ditto on the Contact
page of your course website.
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What if I can't find a copy of the textbook
or other required reading?
Live and learn. The Barnes & Noble bookstore on campus
and other bookstores in town do not usually stock as many textbooks as
there are students in any given class -- especially not large survey
classes such as this one. Their reasoning is based on the
assumption that some students will get their books online, while others
will borrow from friends or use library copies, and a small percentage
of total slackers will simply never bother to get the books at
all. Hence, in order to keep from getting stuck with too many
books, they often don't order enough. If it turns out that there
are still books on their shelves at mid-term, Barnes & Noble will
usually return any unsold copies to the publishers for a refund.
Lame, but true.
Nonetheless, it is
the student's responsibility to acquire all necessary course materials
in plenty of time to complete their assignments. The smart thing to
do is to get to the bookstore as early in the semester as possible and
purchase all required readings, no matter how far down the
syllabus they appear. Whatever you do, don't wait until
right before a paper is due to go looking for the book!
Dr. Ditto will usually
be able to place ONE copy of each book at the reserve desk
on the bottom floor of the J.D. Williams library. You will not be
able to take those books out of the library, but you can make photo
copies.
Other than that, Square Books on the Oxford
square can special order any book in print. In most cases, books
arrive in less than a week. Amazon.com
promises to ship most titles within 24 hours, but you can expect to pay
about $12 extra for shipping.
I encourage students to
share
books with their colleagues whenever possible.
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I lost my syllabus. How can I get
another copy?
Your syllabus is your bible for this course. Protect it with
your life!
In case of emergency, a
copy of the syllabus and all other important course documents
(other than textbooks) will be uploaded to the "Syllabus" page of
your course's website.
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I missed class yesterday. Did we
do anything important?
and I can't come to class next
time. Will I miss anything important?
These two questions are proof that there really are
dumb questions. Not that it's dumb to want to know what
happens in class on a day you are absent, but it's dumb to let your
teacher know that you think it's possible that what she does for a
living might not be important (at least to her)! It
also calls attention to the fact that you were or will be absent, which
you'd prefer we didn't notice, and it presumes that the professor has
both the time and willingness to repeat just for you what those
who did not (or will not) miss class have already heard (or will hear).
Instead, take advantage of the many ways that you can answer
this question for yourself by:
Do I need to bring a scantron or bluebook to the
test?
Scantrons are not necessary. We grade objective tests the
old-fashioned way (by hand). However, you will need a
bluebook in which to write your comprehensive essay for the final
exam. All students must hand in one bluebook to Dr. Ditto (or
one of her assistants) no later than Friday, November 19.
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What's a bluebook?
A bluebook, as its name implies, is blue, but it's not really a
book. It's actually about 8 pages of loose-leaf paper stapled
together inside a blue paper cover. They provide a tidy container
in which to write in-class essays. You can find them in all of
the textbook stores in town. They cost about a quarter.
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What will our test cover?
Tests other than the final exam
will consist primarily of objective questions (matching, multiple
choice, fill-in-the-blanks, or listing) built around the key terms that
were listed on the PowerPoint overhead during lectures since the
previous test.
Do not assume that
"objective" means "simple". Some
will be straight-forward definitions -- either providing a description
and asking you to choose the term that best fits that definition or
providing a term and asking you to choose from one of four possible
definitions. Others, however, will
test your understanding of cause and effect or the relationship between
ideas, events, and/or people. Still others will test whether or
not you understand where people or ideas fit within larger movements or
see if you get the larger significance of things beyond simple
definitions. In short, it is possible to test your mastery of
quite a lot of information in one brief question. Therefore, students
should study for Dr. Ditto's objective tests as though they were
preparing to write an essay. Simple memorization of names and
terms is seldom sufficient.
Each
test will also contain objective questions and/or a brief discussion
question related to readings. Although
the size of some classes (especially the 100-level history surveys)
limits opportunities for class discussion, Dr.
Ditto will give you an idea about what you're looking for in your
readings during the lecture(s) on those topics.
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I missed a test. Can I make it up?
Every
student is allowed to take ONE make-up test per
semester. Excuses are neither required nor desired.
Whatever the reason -- even if it's that you just didn't feel
adequately prepared at the time of the test -- you don't have to say
so; all you have to do is see
Dr. Ditto (or one of her assistants) as soon as you return to class
and inform her of your deisre to take a make-up test. Once we
have an
idea how many people plan to make up the test, we will find a room and
a time (usually sometime in the late afternoon, within a week of the
original test date) for the makeup. The time and place of the
makeup will be announced in class and posted on the course
website.
Students who miss
both the original test and the
make-up test don't get a third
chance.
Make-up tests will
be substantially different in format from regularly-scheduled
tests.
Rather than objective questions, makeups will consist entirely of
identifications (a list of key terms that you will have to write
detailed
descriptions of) and/or an essay question on the required readings.
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What is the absence policy for this class?
After many years of teaching, I have decided that it is best to
avoid the ethical dilemmas involved in judging whether or not students
have "good" reasons for having missed class by not putting students in
the ethical dilemma of having to invent "good" excuses.
Therefore, there are NO excused absences in
Dr. Ditto's clases -- other than those officially excused by
the University for official University business. (If
you have to travel with a team, for example, your coach or other
advisor will provide you with the proper paperwork.)
However, all students in Dr. Ditto's classes are
allowed a maximum of three (3) unexcused absences.
Use these three absences however you wish. If you or a loved one
is sick, if you have car trouble or another class to prepare for, if
you need to attend a funeral or court hearing, or if you simply want to
sleep in, it's up to you. But be aware that if you squander
all three of your allowed absences on days when you could have
been in class, there will almost certainly come a day when you absolutely
cannot be there, and you will have to suffer the consequences.
Upon your fourth
class absence, your overall grade in the course will be dropped one
letter grade. Students who acquire six or more absences
usually
fail the class all by themselves, without any further grade-penalties
from me. Since much of the material on tests will come from
class
lectures, you should try to miss class never.
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What
if I have a really good excuse for being absent?
Dr. Ditto understands that
you have a life outside of class, and sometimes things happen that
prevent you from coming to class. This is what your three
allowed absences are for. It is entirely up to you to use
your three allowed absences
wisely.
Exceptions may be
made for
long-term illnesses, family emergencies, and other extreme
circumstances that force a student to miss several classes in a row.
If you find yourself in such a position, feel free to confide in Dr.
Ditto or one of her TAs.
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Will
I be dropped from the class for excessive absences?
No. Regardless of the number of times you miss class, Dr. Ditto
WILL NOT drop anyone. If you need to drop the class, you should
do so before the deadline to withdraw with a grade of "W"(approximately
one month into each semester). You may do this through your Online Services
account. If you need to withdraw after that date, that's between
you and the Registrar's Office. If you quit coming to class (or
never attend) without officially withdrawing, you will receive a grade
of F in the course. (Occaisonally, exceptions may be made for
severe illness or family emergencies. In such cases, you should
make an appointment to meet with Dr. Ditto.)
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What
is the topic for our upcoming paper?
and When are our papers
due?
Dr. Ditto will hand out
paper topics, along with due dates and detailed paper guidelines in
class, approximately a month before the paper is due. She will
also post the topics and guidelines in the "Assignments"
area of your course's website. Paper due dates are also listed
on the course syllabus.
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What if
my paper is late?
Papers are not considered late until after 5:00 p.m. on the due
date. If you haven't finished your paper as of class time,
DON'T SKIP CLASS and make matters
worse by missing imortant lecture
material. Just finish your paper and put it in the box on the
outside of my office door as soon as you can. Remember to
also submit an electronic copy of your paper through MyDropBox.com.
(See the "Assignments" area of your course's website
for more information).
Papers submitted after 5:00 p.m. on the due date will be penalized 1/2 letter grade. Papers will lose another half letter grade for every day that they remain past due.
If you
finish your paper on a weekend or other non-class day, you may use
email in order to minimize the number of points you will lose for being
late. SEE IMPORTANT EMAILING
INSTRUCTIONS BELOW!
Even if your paper is weeks and weeks late, it is FAR better to
turn in something and get an F than it is to turn in nothing
and get a ZERO!
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Can I
email my paper to you?
All papers
in Dr. Ditto's classes must be submitted both electronically through
mydropbox.com AND in hard copy (printed) form. In
order to save those students who must turn their papers in late from
incurring excessive point deductions, late
papers (after 5:00 p.m. on the due
date) which will be marked down at least 1/2 letter
grade may be submitted via email. Emailed
papers must arrive in the form of an email attachment.
TYPING YOUR PAPER INTO THE BODY OF AN
EMAIL MESSAGE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
If you are using
Microsoft Works, you must use the "Save As" command in
order to save your
paper as a file with the extension .doc or .rtf. MS Works files saved in any other format will not open
on my computer.
Because, like everyone
on
campus, Dr. Ditto receives a number of bogus, virus-containing email
attachments every day, be sure to label the email containing your
paper with a clear subject heading, indicating that it is a student
paper. Don't forget to put your name and course/section
number in your email and on your paper.
NOTE THAT THE CAMPUS
EMAIL SERVER STRIPS
MANY ATTACHMENTS, so yours may not arrive, especially if your computer
is infected with a virus. To be on the safe side, print out your paper and bring it with you to the next
class meeting, or bring it by my office, along with a dated copy of
your email message (which will document the date and time you submitted
it).
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What
is "MyDropBox.com?"
The University of
Mississippi has recently subscribed to a plagiarism detection program
called MyDropBox. Students in all of Dr. Ditto's classes are required
to
submit their papers through this online service (in addition to handing in hard copies in class).
Students who are unsure whether or not they have cited all of
their sources correctly may submit paper drafts to MyDropBox and
receive a report on whether or not they have unintentionally committed
plagiarism. Dr. Ditto will not grade (or even read) these
drafts unless you specifically ask her to. The "Drafts" area of
MyDropBox is purely for your benefit, to educate students about
plagiarism and to give students the opportunity to fix potential
problems before handing in their final drafts. It
may take 24 hours or more to receive a plagiarism report from
mydropbox.com, so plan ahead if you intend to take advantage of this
service.
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When is
our final exam?
The final exam schedule for each semester is
usually set by mid-term.
When it's ready, you will be able to view it by
going to the Registrar's
Calendar page, then clicking on the
link under "Final Exam
Schedules" for the current semester.
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Will the final exam be comprehensive?
Yes. That means it will require you to review all of the
information covered in class since the beginning of the semester.
The format of the final exam will be that of a long essay. You
will have a choice of topics on which to write. Each topic will
cover a major theme (such as race relations or constitutional issues)
that can be
traced from the beginning of the semester to the end. You will
not be allowed to bring any notes, outlines, or other study materials
into the final exam, but you will know the topics in advance
and, in most classes, will
have had the opportunity to attend a pre-exam study session, so you
should be amply prepared.
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How can I figure out what grade I have in
this class so far?
Get out your calculator, then see the "Grades" area of
this website for a simple formula.
Or, if the Blackboard
gradebook for your class is up to date, simply look in the column
titled "Weighted Total." That number represents your current
average in the class.
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Does Dr. Ditto drop any grades?
No.
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Is
there anything I can do for extra credit?
Extra credit questions will be offered on each test.
Students who bring
drafts of their papers to the Writing Center
for a
consltation, and attach proof of that consultation to the final
version of their papers, will receive five extra points on that
paper.
Otherwise, the way to
improve your grade is to study harder for successive tests,
write cleanly
edited and proofread papers that show you have completed and
thought about the reading assignments, and do a bang-up job on your comprehensive
final exam.
Students who show
steady improvement on successive tests and who show (through a
thorough and thoughtful comprehensive exam essay) that they have
mastered
concepts by the end of the course that they may not have had a good
handle on earlier in the semester, and who do not have
excessive absences will stand the best chance of receiving a
higher letter grade in the class than their actual point totals might
reflect.
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Why does Dr. Ditto wear black a lot?
Pick your favorite reason:
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© Susan Ditto, 2004
© Susan Ditto, 2004