What is actually important in a seminar/ discussion based class?
I am a first year student in a humanities PhD program. This week I received an A- grade for a class I was very interested in. I know the A- is not a big deal, but in my program, an A is usually a good sign that you are doing well. An A- means that you should’ve talked to the professor to see where you could’ve done better. When I asked the professor why the A-, they stated that they didn’t really see any academic progress through my 3 essays (1st: A-, 2nd:A, 3rd and final term paper: A-), and that they didn’t think that my class presentation or seminar participation was an A. They also stated I should’ve gone to office hours to learn more about how to improve throughout the semester instead of just asking at the end of term.
Here’s my dilemma. I participated the most (with comments and questions alike) in that class out of all my classmates and engaged with all the readings assigned (even the suggested ones). Many times my classmates responded more to what I said than what the professor said. My presentation went great. The professor even quoted the topics and readings I brought in at later seminars. I went to office hours after each assignment asking how I should improve! I can’t really get the professor to change my grade to an A, so I’m just left with frustration instead of a concrete action plan.
Here’s my actual question: what are the expectations for a seminar- a discussion based class? I am still learning to write 20 page papers as a final essay in like a week including adding your own research, how do you do it? I feel like my problem is I’m trying too hard in areas that might not count that much, and ignoring areas I should focus on. What has been some things that you do that assure you that you‘ll get a good grade at the end?