Regular attendance is an essential part of the learning experience in R201,
so plan accordingly.
Attendance will be taken in each class session.
In R201 there are no "excused absences," even in an emergency. Up to a
certain limit, absences can be made up, however.
Absences which are not made up will have a direct bearing on your grade.
2 to 3 such absences for any one of the three sections of the course will
lower the grade for the course 1/6 grade point; 4-5 by 1/3 grade point;
6 or more by 1/2 grade point. Only 6 absences for any one of the parts
of the course divided by the examinations can be made up. Any more will
have a direct effect on your grade which cannot be made up. (In situations
of genuine emergency over which the student has no control, petition for
modification of this rule can be made.)
Absences for any one section of the course may be made up by viewing
for each class session missed one of several videotapes available
in the Media Lab (in the South end of tthe basement level of the Instructional
Technology Center, main building) and writing a one page typed summary
of the video, on which you clearly indicate the date of the absence being
made up and the title of the video. For the list of available videotapes
on Eastern Religions, click
here. The list is also available in the Lab. The tape chosen to
serve as an absence make up must be on the relevant tradition covered in
the class session missed. You should not choose a videotape shown in
class unless you are making up for an absence on the day it was shown.
Absences for the first part of the course are to be made up by one week
after the first exam; for the second section, by one week after the second
exam; for the third section, by Monday of final exam week.
This policy is based on research which establishes that students of average
or below average ability do significantly better when attendance is required.
It is also based on the fact that understanding of the content of any given
class session in R201 is very often directly dependent upon understanding
what has been covered in the immediately preceding class sessions.
Some of you may wonder why attendance is required if the main substance
of the lectures is available for reading outside of class -- indeed, required
reading before class. At one time, students in R201 had to take down the
content of those lectures during the class session. Many students were
not particularly good note takers and those that were had difficulty really
paying attention to what was being said due to concentrating on getting
it down accurately. The lectures have been made available for students
to purchase in order (1) to insure accurate notes, (2) to free students
up to pay closer attention to what is said in sessions and to reflect upon
it, and (3) to have students more informed and better prepared to take
in and respond to the course content in any given class.
