• TOC

Course Information

  • Meeting Times: Monday/Wednesday 8:00-9:15 AM
  • Location: Mondays: Morgridge 3610, Wednesdays: Zoom.
  • Instructor: Prof. Ben Lengerich, lengerich@wisc.edu

Course Materials

Grading

This course is structured as a seminar and collaborative writing project, not a traditional problem-set or exam-based class. Grades reflect engagement, scholarly contribution, and writing quality.

The grading breakdown is:

  • Presentations (30%)
  • Writing Contribution to the Class Paper (30%)
  • Notes & Participation (20%)
  • Peer Editing & Review (10%)
  • Professional Engagement & Reliability (10%)

There are no homework assignments and no exams.

Presentations (30%)

Throughout the semester, each student will give paper presentations, typically tied to:

  • A paper or set of papers relevant to their section of the class paper, or
  • A conceptual overview that helps frame a discussion topic.

Presentations are expected to:

  • Quickly summarize the paper and facilitate class discussion
  • Emphasize structure, assumptions, limitations, and open questions

Evaluation criteria:

  • Technical clarity and accuracy
  • Depth of insight and synthesis
  • Organization and time management
  • Ability to inspire discussion

Writing Contribution (30%)

The primary written deliverable for the course is a single, collaboratively authored survey paper, written using Manubot on GitHub. Each student is expected to:

  • Take primary ownership of one major section
  • Draft, revise, and polish that section
  • Contribute substantively to other sections through editing and feedback

Writing quality, synthesis, and intellectual judgment matter more than length.

Notes & Participation (20%)

Active participation is essential for this course to work. This includes:

  • Adding questions, comments, and clarifications to shared notes before class
  • Engaging constructively in discussion
  • Helping surface connections between papers and topics

Participation is evaluated based on consistency and substance, not volume.

Peer Editing & Review (10%)

Students are expected to review the shared survey paper beyond their own section. Contributions can include:

  • Creating figures
  • Line-level edits
  • Conceptual feedback on structure and clarity
  • Comments via GitHub pull requests and issues

Feedback should be specific, constructive, and actionable.

Professional Engagement & Reliability (10%)

This component reflects how you function as a collaborator in a research-style setting.

Examples include:

  • Meeting deadlines
  • Communicating proactively
  • Following through on agreed-upon responsibilities
  • Respecting shared infrastructure (GitHub, Manubot, notes)

This is not about perfection; it’s about being dependable.