I hope you are having a great summer.
I wanted to know if you are going to be teaching Think Critically, Dammit in September this year? I am very interesting in taking this course with you in September because I have heard a lot of good things about you and the course itself (from Super Nice Girl in particular) but I am in bit of a problem. I am doing a full time internship through the university program (I am also doing a Computer Science major). This means that I won't be able to attend class come September. But I just wanted to know if I can take the course with you. I will be doing all the readings and catching up on slides and will email you if I really get stuck somewhere. I have worked with flash in the past so I am not a total beginner. Do you think I can take the course?
Thank You
-No Show Snowflake
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Dear No Show,
First of all, I am teaching the course in September.
This seems to be a bit of an odd request, since you're asking me if you can take the course without coming to class. Although I cannot prevent you from taking the course, I definitely don't suggest taking it if you won't be coming to ANY classes. Even the tests are scheduled during class time. Also, a major component of the course is the final flash project. While you may be proficient in flash, it is highly recommended that you attend one of the lab portions weekly. The TA does take attendance for the labs which is calculated in your final mark.
So, what it comes down to is how well can you really do taking a course that you won't be attending? This doesn't make sense to me, and I would advise against it. Obviously, not attending will reduce your chances of doing well in the course and, perhaps, passing. But with that being said, once again, I cannot make you not take the course.
I hope that this makes sense to you. Please contact me if you have any further questions.
Sorry for the late response but it is summertime and I don't check my e-mail as often.
Good luck with your decision! :)
Best,
CB
[+]
[+]
Dear No Show,
First of all, I am teaching the course in September.
This seems to be a bit of an odd request, since you're asking me if you can take the course without coming to class. Although I cannot prevent you from taking the course, I definitely don't suggest taking it if you won't be coming to ANY classes. Even the tests are scheduled during class time. Also, a major component of the course is the final flash project. While you may be proficient in flash, it is highly recommended that you attend one of the lab portions weekly. The TA does take attendance for the labs which is calculated in your final mark.
So, what it comes down to is how well can you really do taking a course that you won't be attending? This doesn't make sense to me, and I would advise against it. Obviously, not attending will reduce your chances of doing well in the course and, perhaps, passing. But with that being said, once again, I cannot make you not take the course.
I hope that this makes sense to you. Please contact me if you have any further questions.
Sorry for the late response but it is summertime and I don't check my e-mail as often.
Good luck with your decision! :)
Best,
CB
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WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO SAY....
Dear No Show,
First of all, are you fucking kidding me? Secondly, FUCK NO! And yeah, I'm teaching the course.
What you're basically asking is for me to give you permission to take the course knowing full well that you won't be showing up. Ever. This is a recipe for disaster and not something that I would recommend. Ever!
Admittedly, you could conceivably pass or even do relatively well (a B) in the course without showing up. The final project is fairly straightforward and if you happen to be a flash wiz, then you're all set. Also, a full comprehension of the course material and the powerpoints and the ability to articulate them clearly in the tests and exam would definitely assure you of a passing grade. I'm not self-aggrandizing and only about 10-15% of the tests and the exam comes from material NOT found in your texts and PP - you know, from the stuff I talk about in lecture! Plus, you're guaranteed a big fat 0 for your attendance. So give or take a few percentage points, you'll be taking the course looking at a best-case-scenario of 75%. So yeah, you could pass or even get a solid B. But for some reason, I get a very bad feeling that the clause "I will email you if I really get stuck somewhere" will morph into a constant.
I really don't know what to tell you. It's entirely up to you! I'd rather you didn't. But if you're a genius, then take it. If you just want a pass and are fairly smart and have a good work ethic, then take it. Otherwise, don't even bother. Many of your classmates have employed a similar strategy in the past and have failed miserably.
Perhaps you should solicit their opinions. I do commend you for your honesty and being upfront about everything - those others didn't even bother telling me about their game plan at all.
That shit cray!
CB
P.S. How many courses in total do you plan on taking and not attending this year? Just curious.
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