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I wanted to take this opportunity to say something to all of your about the midterm —
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both to those of you who took the exam
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and to those of you who did not.
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Let me begin by congratulating all of the folks
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who were able to sit down and do it.
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I know that for many of you, this was the first time in many years that you have taken an exam.
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It was a stressful thing to find the time to prepare
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and then to go through the rigours of a three-hour closed-book exam
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in which you consulted no notes.
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But now that you have done it, you can see that you have what it takes
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to formulate your thoughts on sociological themes and concepts and theories in a coherent way.
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Now we are about to begin a new process, called “peer assessment,”
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in which you will be asked to evaluate up to five exams from your fellow students.
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You’ll be using a rubric that we’ve designed here at Princeton.
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You should know that this rubric is not only based on my initial opinion about the correct answers,
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but also upon our analysis of a large number of exams
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that were turned in over the past few days.
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Sometimes, I noticed that you guys did not get the answer that I had expected,
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but that you wrote something else that showed an understanding of the material.
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For those students who did not receive many points for the answers I had stipulated,
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I have added the possibility that you can get a certain number of make-up points.
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These make-up points are based on additional correct answers that emerged from your responses.
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As you go through the process of peer assessment,
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there is the possibility that you will suddenly feel discouraged by what you wrote —
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the sudden recognition that your exam is not as strong as it could have been
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can lead many people to think that they are not good enough.
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Anyone who comes to that conclusion would be making a big mistake at this early stage.
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I want you to focus not on the score that you get —
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or that you think you will get — on this or that question,
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but on using this experience of peer assessment to learn the material.
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After the process is over, I will talk to you again
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about how to think about these results in a constructive way.
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Just remember one thing: Our focus here is on enhancing learning.
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If you keep a positive focus and don’t let yourself get discouraged,
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my prediction is that you will learn the material
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and, by the final, you will also become a much better test taker.
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I also want to say something to people who did not take the midterm.
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There are many ways of getting something out of this class.
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And even if you did not take the exam,
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I know from your participation in the forums
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that you too are learning a great deal.
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Although you cannot officially complete the class without taking the midterm,
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you are welcome to take the final and to see how you do.
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To everyone in this class:
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Please do not think that my respect for you is based on the various numbers that you receive on this midterm
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or even whether you took the exam in the first place.
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I have been enormously impressed by your ongoing participation in the course forums,
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and I believe there are many ways to demonstrate to oneself and others
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a more systematic understanding of the social world.
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So those of you who are doing the peer assessment, get to work!
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You will be asked to assess up to five papers before you can get your own results.
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Remember, there is no online seminar this week;
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we all have enough work to do with the midterm as it is.
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I’ll see all of you again on Monday,
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when we will be talking about being alone,
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being in groups, and being in networks.
