Policies

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Attendance:______________________________________________

Attending class regularly shows respect not only for your professor, but for your peers and for the very mission of the course.  Perhaps more importantly, if you do not attend class regularly, you will not do well.  There will be regular reflective engagements in class, and our class discussions and lectures will contain crucial information to help you succeed on the the midterm and final exams, as well as in your other assignments.  Class participation and engagement are also an important part of your grade.

I will take attendance daily.  After four absences–whether unexcused or excused–I will lower your final grade by 3%–from a 90% to a 87%, for example for each additional absence. Beware the slippery slope: excessive absence not only lowers your grade automatically, but also, in almost every case, results in poor performance in other areas of the class (missed quizzes, poor test performance, etc.). If you have more than 6 absences, you will earn an “F” in the course (unless there are significant extenuating circumstances)

Excessive tardiness will be viewed as an absence. I will commit to starting class on time and I expect you to do the same.  If you walk in during the middle of a writing exercise, I reserve the right to withhold credit for that day’s portion of participation, quizzes, and in-class writing.  And any pattern of tardiness will translate quickly into an absence. In short: arrive on time, and be ready to discuss that day’s assigned reading.

Technology:_____________________________________________________

In most cases, when we are discussed readings, the only thing that should be on your desk is paper and your book. No texting! Please silence phones.  Laptops are welcome, but if I catch you using social media or engaging in online activities unrelated to class, I will consider you absent on that day. If you do bring a laptop, please sit towards the front of the class.

Assignments and Grades:_______________________________________

Your grade in this course will reflect your performance in five broad categories as described below.

• Presence—15%–measured by frequent in-class informal “Reflective Engagements” on the day’s reading. Each informal reflection is graded on a 100%-50%-0% scale: zero for absence or incorrectness; 50 for showing some–though not a thoughtful or thorough–familiarity with the reading; and 100 for demonstration of thorough and thoughtful familiarity with the reading. Many of these prompts will be open-ended and allow you to explore aspects of the day’s reading that were most compelling to you.
• Assignment 1, Exploded Analysis–15% 
• Assignment 2, Rhetorical Analysis–15%
• Assignment 3, Contextual Analysis–20%
• Midterm Exam–15%
• Final Exam–20%

• A-Range: 97.0-100.0 = A+, 93.0-96.9 = A, 90.0-92.9 = A-
• B-Range: 87.0-89.9 = B+, 83.0-86.9 = B, 80.0-82.9 = B-
• C-Range: 77.0-79.9 = C+, 73.0-76.9 = C, 70.0-72.9 = C-
• D-Range: 67.0-69.9 = D+, 63.0-66.9 = D, 60.0-62.9 = D-
• <600 = F

COURSE PROCEDURES:___________________________

Formatting :

All written assignments, unless otherwise noted, must be typed and double-spaced, with a heading in the upper-left corner including your name, the date, and the assignment name (e.g. RA First Draft), and the class name. Use uniform 1 inch margins.  No funky fonts: please use a 12 pt., easily readable font, such as Times New Roman.  Make sure you insert page numbers in the upper-left corner on every page after the first with an accompanying last name.  Follow the MLA guidelines, available on OWL, when formatting your paper and citing sources.  All of your major assignments should have titles.  It should go without saying that all papers should be thoroughly proofread and spell-checked.  Assignment due dates are noted on the course schedule.  If an assignment is due in class and you are unable to attend (see attendance policy), it is your responsibility to meet the deadlines and submit the paper to me via proxy, or, with my consent, electronically.

I will collect most assignments electronically.  It is important that you send me all attachments as Microsoft Word documents.  Most word processing programs allow you to save a document in the proper “.doc” format.  Please consult me if you have any questions about this.

Dual Submission Policy: The same paper may not be submitted for a grade in more than one class.

Plagiarism and the Honor Code: What follows is quoted verbatim and reflects official CofC policy:

Lying, cheating, attempted cheating, and plagiarism are violations of our Honor Code that, when identified, are investigated.  Each incident will be examined to determine the degree of deception involved.

Incidents where the instructor determines the student’s actions are related more to a misunderstanding will handled by the instructor.  A written intervention designed to help prevent the student from repeating the error will be given to the student.  The intervention, submitted by form and signed both by the instructor and the student, will be forwarded to the Dean of Students and placed in the student’s file.

Cases of suspected academic dishonesty will be reported directly by the instructor and/or others having knowledge of the incident to the Dean of Students.  A student found responsible by the Honor Board for academic dishonesty will receive a XF in the course, indicating failure of the course due to academic dishonesty.  This grade will appear on the student’s transcript for two years after which the student may petition for the X to be expunged.  The student may also be placed on disciplinary probation, suspended (temporary removal) or expelled (permanent removal) from the College by the Honor Board.

Students should be aware that unauthorized collaboration–working together without permission– is a form of cheating.  Unless the instructor specifies that students can work together on an assignment, quiz and/or test, no collaboration during the completion of the assignment is permitted.   Other forms of cheating include possessing or using an unauthorized study aid (which could include accessing information via a cell phone or computer), copying from others’ exams, fabricating data, and giving unauthorized assistance.

Research conducted and/or papers written for other classes cannot be used in whole or in part for any assignment in this class without obtaining prior permission from the instructor.

Students can find the complete Honor Code and all related processes in the Student Handbook.