Attendance

Attendance is mandatory.  Please be ready to begin at the beginning of the class period.  Please do not be a distraction to the class or the professor. Please do not leave the room while we are in session. Please do not prepare to leave before class is finished. There will be a very significant grade penalty for missing classes. Arriving late or being a distraction to the class or the professor will count as the equivalent of half a missed class. To be counted present, you must have a legible copy of the reading in hand or a set of good notes on the reading.

There are no excused absences.  If you have a good reason for missing class (such as a documented medical problem), I will give you an additional assignment to make up for an absence.

If you do miss a class, be sure to find out what you have missed and pick up any readings or handouts that were distributed.

Communication

We will use our course website to share the up-to-date schedule, study questions, weekly assignments and more. We will use Moodle to submit assignments, track grades, share readings, and more. Make sure you have access to the course website and Moodle.

I will respond to brief questions over email, but for larger conversations you should come to office hours. If you cannot make my office hours, see me after class to set up an appointment.

I will frequently distribute updates, news items, and discussion questions via email or Moodle. You are responsible for checking your email once a day.

Technology

Unless you have special permission, you may not open your laptop during class. Please turn off your phone before the start of class. If I see you look at or touch your phone during class, I will ask you to leave for the day and you will be counted absent. Digital readers (Ipads, Kindles, etc.) may be acceptable with my permission, but only for reading pdfs. Any other use of a digital reader will lead to your expulsion from the classroom and be counted as two absences.

Papers and Deadlines

I will hand out paper assignments a couple weeks before they are due. Late papers will only be accepted by permission of the instructor.  Unless I grant a special dispensation, late papers will be penalized (a full letter grade for each day they are late).

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

A full statement of the Code of Academic Integrity is included in the Scot’s Key.  You are responsible for reading and understanding it.

If, in any of your written assignments, you use the words or the ideas of another without attribution, you are committing plagiarism, the academic equivalent of high treason.  If you borrow the words of others, you must place them in quotation marks and properly cite the work.  If you paraphrase the words of others, you must cite the source.  Failure to properly quote and cite is plagiarism.

Any student caught plagiarizing or cheating or otherwise violating the Code of Academic Integrity will fail the course and be referred to the Dean for Curriculum and Academic Engagement.

Learning Disabilities

Any student with a documented learning disability needing academic accommodations is requested to speak with Pam Rose, Director of the Learning Center (ext. 2595) and the instructor as early in the semester as possible. All discussions will remain confidential.  Please note: the Learning Center also provides assistance to any student seeking to improve his/her academic performance.

Recording and Photography

No student may record or tape or photograph any classroom activity without the express written consent of the professor.  If a student believes that he/she needs to record or tape classroom activities, he/she should contact the Office of the Secretary to request an appropriate accommodation.

College Policy Regarding Conflicts with Academic Responsibilities

The College of Wooster is an academic institution and its fundamental purpose is to stimulate its students to reach the highest standard of intellectual achievement.  As an academic institution with this purpose, the College expects students to give the highest priority to their academic responsibilities.  When conflicts arise between academic commitments and complementary programs (including athletic, cultural, educational, and volunteer activities), students, faculty, staff, and administrators all share the responsibility of minimizing and resolving them.

As a student you have the responsibility to inform the faculty member of potential conflicts as soon as you are aware of them, and to discuss and work with the faculty member to identify alternative ways to fulfill your academic commitments without sacrificing the academic integrity and rigor of the course.

College Policy Regarding Final Examinations

No final examinations are to be given during the last week of classes or on reading days. Students who wish to reschedule a final exam must petition the Dean for Curriculum and Academic Engagement in writing in advance of the examination.  The student must confer with the instructor before submitting a petition, and the instructor should indicate to the Dean if he or she supports the petition.  Normally, such petitions are granted only for health reasons.  If other reasons necessitate a request for a change in a final exam, the request must be submitted three weeks in advance of the examination.