Policies

These general course policies are applicable for every class I teach. Policies may differ slightly from class to class; any variation from the policies listed below will appear under the descriptions for the individual courses. Also see my site disclaimer.

Assignments

Your work represents you. Therefore, I expect everything you turn into me to exemplify the very best of your professional self. Every assignment must be typed (word-processed) on white, wrinkle-free paper. I will not accept any hand-written assignment, period. Please plan ahead so that you have plenty of time to make your assignments as presentable as possible.

As the computer becomes increasingly part of my classroom, I encourage—and often require— electronic submission of work. All assignments should be sent to [email protected] unless otherwise instructed. If you send your assignments to my regular email address, chances are it will get lost, so you should always submit work at the dropbox address, and communicate with me via my regular email address. Always specifically label your assignments with the assignment name/number and your name—especially if your name is not evident by your email address.

One final warning: always keep copies of all your work in case of computer and human error.

Attendance

Attendance will be taken at every class meeting. The university’s official attendance policy states that students may have only three (3) unexcused absenses before their grades are adversely affected. My policy is a bit different: there are no “excused absences” in my class, but students are allowed 3 hours absence each semester, no questions asked, before their grades suffer.

If students attend all classes (hours), their final class participation grade will receive an additional two (2) points; if they attend all but one class, their final class participation will grade will be increased by one (1) point. Missing two classes has no beneficial or adverse affect on their grades. Each additional hour missed beyond the three, their final class participation will suffer by one (1) point. Two (2) tardies count as one hour (class) absent.

Remember: the only thing that counts here is the physical presence of a body in class; excuses will not help this measurable fact at all. It is the student’s responsibility to discover what was missed in class and any assignments. Quizzes and in-class activites cannot be made up for any reason.

Class Time

Because discussion and active participation are integral to the learning process, I rarely lecture. Therefore, time in class will be spent on discussion of readings, student writing, and exercises with the occasional short lecture. Quizzes, practice essays, and lectures are designed to benefit the entire group while personal problems and concerns should be handled during office hours.

Deadlines

Late work is not acceptable and will receive a zero. Allowing for a single contingency, one late daily assignment will be accepted; this assignment cannot be more than a week late. After this limit, I can accept no late daily assignments. The reason for this: what you write for each class will create the class. If you write nothing, then the class does not exist. To ensure the existence of class, you are allowed only one late daily assignment. Plan ahead and turn in your work on time. Late essays cannot, for any reson, be rewritten for a grade increase.

Course Books and Materials

Course readings are integral parts of the class and should be brought daily. When readings are assigned to be discussed in class, please bring a copy of the reading with your reading notes ready to participate in the discussion.

Grades

Final grades will be based upon a traditional ten-point scale, see Table 1. See Evaluation for grade breakdowns. Students are not in competition with each other; each student will receive the grade s/he earns.

I do not transmit grades electronically at any time. I have no problem apprising you of your current standing in this class, but I will not do so over any electronic medium, including email or the phone. If you would like to know your official grade, you should see me during my office hours or make an appointment.

Incompletes

This course will strictly abide by University and departmental policy regarding Incompletes. An incomplete can only be given if a small portion of the course work is missing and the student is doing otherwise satisfactory work. “I” grades are not assigned automatically, but only upon consultation with me. The student has one semester to remove an “I” grade; otherwise it is changed to an “F.”

Library Research Days

At least one day during each semester is designated as a library research day. These days, as evident by the name, are assigned for library research and reading on assigned topics relevant to the study of the course work. The specific time when class would normally be held should be spent in the library doing research or reading.

Plagiarism

The Oxford English Dictionary defines plagiarism as “the wrongful appropriation or purloining, and publication as one's own, of the ideas, or the expression of the ideas (literary, artistic, musical, mechanical, etc.) of another,” or “a purloined idea, design, passage, or work.”

Plagiarism will result in automatic failure of this class and will be pursued to incite the utmost penalty for such dishonesty. Academic falsehood, in any form, will constitute class failure.