In-Class Essays
There will be three in-class essays, completed on:
Tuesday, October 27 (week 4)
Tuesday, November 17 (week 7)
Thursday, December 17 (finals week) at 10:30 am (please note the different start time!)
Essays will be completed by hand, in our regular classroom, on the dates listed above. This is an open-book and open-note exam, with one limitation: the one book you may bring is our Course Reader, and you are limited to the notes you have taken in the margins or in the “Notes” section at the back of the book.
The essay exam is designed to take 80-100 minutes. Your time will be limited to the 110-minute window of our regular meeting time. You must hand in your essay promptly at 2:20 pm for Essays #1 and #2, and at 12:20 pm for Essay #3. No electronic devices are allowed. Exceptions to these rules are only granted for students with disability accommodations which conflict with them (see below).
Questions are not given in advance. See each individual exam page, and refer to lectures, for expectations regarding what you should study. For details on how these exams are graded, review the Guide to Grading Levels on In-Class Essays.
If you have disability accommodations with UW DRS (Disability Resources for Students) that impact how you take quizzes, exams, and other in-person assessments, please read the following:
DRS Alternative Testing: information for students with testing-related disability accommodations
The most common testing-related accommodations are extended test time or access to a “low-distraction testing environment. These accommodations give you the right to take your exam at the DRS Testing Center instead of in our classroom. I encourage you to exercise this right!
Students must schedule their own exams with the DRS Testing Center. Here’s how. In short, make sure that you have activated your accommodations for this course, then log into your myDRS, click “Alternative Testing,” and select this course. Each of the 3 In-Class Essay exams must be scheduled separately. Please select a date and time within +/- 3 business days of the exam. A few things to know:
1. It is your responsibility to schedule your Testing Center time with DRS. Your accommodation does not automatically schedule your exams at the DRS Testing Center for you, and your instructor cannot schedule your exams, either.
2. Schedule your Testing Center time as soon as possible. DRS encourages students to schedule all exams for the whole quarter by the end of Week 2. Times can fill up quickly. To be guaranteed a time in the DRS testing center, you must file your request at least 5 business days before a midterm (this includes Essays #1 and #2) and at least 10 days before a final (this includes Essay #3). After this, you may try to schedule a Testing Center time, but you will have lost your right to one, and DRS may be unable to accommodate you. If you fail to schedule the exam on time, you may need to sit the exam in our regular classroom, with your time limited to 110 minutes.
3. You must keep to your time limit. If you have extended testing time, your time limit will be a multiple of the in-class limit of 110 minutes. (165 minutes for 1.5x testing time; 220 minutes for 2.0x testing time, etc.) You are not obligated to take the full time allotted, but you must finish before your time limit.
4. You are the timekeeper. DRS Testing Center staff will not tell you when you have reached your time limit. They will mark your start and end times (and break times, if applicable). This documents how long you took to complete the essay. It is up to you to watch the clock and make sure you have completed the exam within your time limit. You will have points subtracted if you go over your designated time (-1 point per minute).
Alternative testing arrangements not related to testing time or environment can usually be accommodated in the classroom. If your alternative testing arrangements are not covered by the above criteria or already covered by the open-book policy, please reach out to your professor.