Please read carefully the following policies. Compliance with these policies may have an effect on your grade during the semester!
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Regular attendance is expected from all class participants. Disruptions, rudeness and private discussions, including cell phone disruptions, will not be tolerated. This means while in class, you should be focused on classroom activities and material. Cell phones should be turned off prior to class start. If you have an emergency purpose phone (parent/childcare, EMT) and require your phone to be on, please set it to vibrate and notify the instructor that you must have it on during class period.
Attendance may be taken but will not be explicitly counted. Hence, it will not be explicitly penalized. HOWEVER, your participation in class is premised upon being here, so if you do not attend regularly and in a timely fashion, be aware that your participation grade will suffer. Generally, if you miss more than 25% of the scheduled meetings, expect to recieve no more than a C for your participation, no matter how perfect your participation was when you did show up. More than 50% of the class periods missed and you fail the participation grade, again, no matter how wonderful your participation in class.
Beyond, participation, attendance is important because we talk about the required material in class, allowing you to benefit from the instructor's expertise and the insight and contribution of your class-mates. We also may have a guest lecture, which will provide information not found in the text or online course material. All of this will help you to understand the material better, be aware of what is emphasized and how the current material relates to prior and subsequent course material. All of this becomes important to doing well on essays, exams, and quizzes.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS POLICY
All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day listed. Late assignments will be penalized at a rate of 10% per day (not merely class period) late beginning with the due date. After three late days, acceptance of the assignment is at the instructor's discretion. If you know you will not be able to meet a due date, it is your responsibility to consult with the instructor before the assignment is due. Allowances may be made for illness or other family or personal emergencies. Always, always, come to see the instructor ASAP when you know your assignment is or will be late! Extensions must be arranged with the instructor and may be approved only if the student experiences some extenuating circumstances which prevent on-time submission!
PLAGIARISM POLICY
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and will not be tolerated in this class. Always use quotation marks and a footnote citation to indicate sentences or passages you borrow from another author. Assignments in which plagiarism is found will at the least be graded at 0 (not just an F). ALL incidents of plagiarism will be reported both to the Department Chair and to the Judicial Officer in the Office of Student Affairs for possible further administrative sanction. You are responsible for reading and understanding the details of the University's plagiarism policy.
DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION
If you have a documented disability (visible or invisible) and require accommodation or assistance with assignments, tests, attendance, note taking, etc., please see the instructor by the end of the third week of semester so that arrangements can be made. Failure to notify and consult with the instructor by this date may impede my ability to offer you the necessary accommodation and assistance in a timely fashion. Also be sure to consult with the Services to Students with Disabilities (Lassen Hall) to see what other campus services and accommodation options are available for you.