major assignments
policies
Caveat
emptor: the fine print
Look here for a description of your most important responsibilities and obligations for the course, and the consequences of not fulfilling those obligations. All students are expected to familiarize themselves with the ground rules for this class. Ignorance is no excuse! All of these policies are outlined in the syllabus; I've gathered them here to provide a quick reference. I try to be as flexible as possible whenever or wherever I can, but certain missteps and omissions are irreparable and might well result in your failing the course.
Attendance: Hear me now; believe me later. Everyone is entitled to miss four classes--no explanations, no apologies necessary--to cover the contingencies of life: illness, family emergencies, busted alarm clocks, flood, fire, famine. Miss more than four, and your final grade will suffer; the more you miss, the more it’ll hurt, and the pain will increase exponentially. You can fail this class because of excessive absences; if you miss more than six classes, you will certainly fail the class (at six absences, you’ll have missed 20% of our class time). If it's still possible, you'll be free to withdraw from the class, but there is no further recourse--no extra credit or community service you can perform to pay penance. Please note that missing a class doesn’t excuse you from completing the assigned work for the next session; remember, the informal writing assignment will be available at the updates page, whether you made it to class or not. If you know in advance that you’ll be absent when a major assignment is due, let me know, too; I'm happy to grant extensions given sufficient notice. Otherwise, routine absences should not include sessions when major assignments are due.
I'll make every effort to let you know when you've used your permitted absences, but the burden of keeping on top of this rests with you. I'll have the attendance records with me each class session; feel free to ask me what your standing is if you're unsure. Please don’t expect me to make individual exceptions to my attendance policy; I don’t think it’s fair to ask me to judge the validity of other people’s priorities. Ultimately, the decision to attend or to miss class is your decision; use your sanctioned absences conscientiously and wisely.
Homework and updates: You're expected to monitor the website regularly, especially the updates page, where I'll keep you apprised of what work is required for the next class session and any changes to the schedule (within reason, of course; I won't hold you responsible for any changes made with less than 24 hours notice, and no major changes with less than 48). Missing class is not an excuse for being unprepared.
If you don't have access to the web at home, you'll have to plan on dropping by a computer lab several times a week to check the site.
Late work: I'm happy to grant minor extensions on the three projects for the semester. I do, however, insist that you inform me at least 24 hours ahead of time that you'll be taking an extension, and that you indicate when you will be handing in the assignment. If you simply grant yourself an extension without notifying me ahead of time, your grade on the assignment will suffer.
Informal writing assignments: Under no circumstances will I accept late informal assignments. This work is due before class, it must be uploaded to Moodle, and that's the only time I'll accept it. Don't leave hard copies in my mailbox or on my office door; they'll be returned unread. Do not email them to me. In part, it's a question of timeliness--we'll be discussing in class the issues that you ruminate on in the assignment the night before. It's also a way that I regulate your day-to-day commitment to the class--especially those students who aren't as comfortable contributing to class discussions, for whatever reasons. And finally, and perhaps most important, this is how I reward those students who are disciplined, who get the work done consistently and get it done on time.
DO NOT ASK ME IF YOU CAN BRING THE ASSIGNMENT BY LATER. YOU CAN'T.
There will be no opportunities to make up missed assignments later in the semester; don't ask me in week fourteen if you can do some extra credit to bring your grade up. That's just weasely. Do the assigned work when it's assigned, or suffer the consequences.
Finally, PLEASE DON'T ASK ME TO MAKE ANY EXCEPTIONS. I WON'T. That's unfair to the students who abide by the syllabus and don't ask for or expect special treatment.
Plagiarism: I take academic dishonesty very seriously. Turning in work that is not your own will result—at the very least—in a failing grade for the course. The university definition of and policies regarding academic dishonesty can be found in the HSU catalog; please be aware that plagiarism and other forms of dishonesty can result in expulsion from the University.
I'm only asking you to be reasonably disciplined and reasonably responsible in your approach to this course. Please consider any and all obligations you have in addition to this class. I strongly advise you not to commit to more than you can realistically accomplish in the next fifteen weeks (you're working 30 hours a week? and you're on the volleyball team? and you're the choreographer for an upcoming production of The Sound of Music?), but if you do, please recognize that you set your own priorities, and that I can't and won't cut private deals with students based on their individual circumstances--particularly when those circumstances are of their own making.