Resources

The College has a number of resources to support your life and work in this course and beyond.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

The College of Charleston is committed to providing access and inclusion for all persons with disabilities. Students with disabilities who anticipate or experience disability-related barriers in the academic setting should notify their professor, and initiate contact with the Center for Disability Services (CDS) to move forward with the college’s established accommodation process (email: cds@cofc.edu; phone: 843-953-1431; location: Lightsey Center 104).

Students already connected with CDS for academic-related accommodations should share their Professor Notification Letter (PNL) with each professor as early in the semester as possible so that accommodations can be made promptly. The PNL informs faculty of potential course access and accommodations that might be necessary and reasonable. It is the student’s responsibility to follow this process each semester.

OAKS AND WORDPRESS 

OAKS, including the Gradebook, discussion forums, and dropbox, will be used for this course throughout the semester. The course syllabus and assignments are included on a CofC-supported WordPress site linked prominently on our OAKS landing page.

Inclement Weather, Pandemic or Substantial Interruption of Instruction (3.8)

If in-person classes are suspended, faculty will announce to their students a detailed plan for a change in modality to ensure the continuity of learning. All students must have access to a computer equipped with a web camera, microphone, and Internet access. Resources are available to provide students with these essential tools. 

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI): 

Statement 1: No Use of Generative AI

Statement 2: Generative AI as a Study Guide

In this course, we will discuss the role of generative AI tools that can produce text, images, or other content based on user prompts as study aids, such as summarization, content organization, peer tutor, or brainstorming partner. Emphasizing academic integrity, you are allowed to use them to enhance understanding and retention of course material.

You may use AI tools as supplementary study guides to clarify concepts and aid in preparation for assignments. However, AI-generated content may not be submitted as original work. Using AI tools ethically means understanding their limitations and ensuring that your work remains the product of your own effort. You are responsible for verifying the accuracy of any AI-generated content and ensuring it complements your learning.

While generative AI can assist in learning, it should not replace the effortful engagement required for mastery of course material. If you use generative AI tools as study aids, you must acknowledge their use in your assignments, indicating how they contributed to your understanding. Submissions containing AI-generated content will be considered a violation of academic integrity and the Honor Code.

This courses’s emphasis on conversation is meant, in part, to help us realize the kinds of things we can’t outsource to AI–namely, our thinking, our authentic engagement with others, and our accountability for the work we produce, we we will be required to represent and defend in conversation.

This policy supports our commitment to academic integrity and fosters genuine learning through critical thinking and personal engagement with course material. If you have any questions about the course expectations involving the use of generative AI as a study tool, please reach out to me for clarification. My policy is flexible, and intended to support both authentic conversation and engagement, but I also respect that you are responsible for your own learning. If there is a use of AI that you would like to explore that you feel might run counter to the guidelines above, let’s have a conversation about it.

The Center for Student Learning 

The CSL offers academic support services for most College classes in a centralized location in the Addlestone Library. Services include drop-in and by-appointment tutoring, supplemental instruction, and academic coaching offered at no additional charge for CofC students. Peer educators—recommended by faculty and trained by CSL staff—comprise the bulk of the staff, and as one of the largest student employers on campus, the CSL can offer on-campus employment to 130+ qualified students each year. All students are encouraged to visit, call, or email the CSL at the start of each semester to discuss which academic support services align with their current course schedule.

Attendance Verification

Only students officially registered (graded or auditing) for this course may attend class.  During the week following the drop/add deadline, the professor will verify student enrollments in this course.  Any student appearing on the class roll but determined not to have attended the class even once will be removed, except for cases where a student is absent because of quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19.

Identity-Based Student Organizations and Programs:

Many students find community, support and connection by participating in student organizations and programming focused on one or more facets of their identity.  The College has a variety of student organizations that support identities including race, ethnicity, faith/religion, gender identity, sexual orientation and more. Please refer to the listings on Cougar Connect for multicultural, faith based, and/or special interest to find more information about these student organizations. Additionally, watch for regular theme-based programming each month and opportunities to participate in planning these events. If you have questions or would like more information to assist you in connecting with these different resources on campus, please contact the Division of Student Affairs (studentaffairs@charleston.edu).

MENTAL & PHYSICAL WELLBEING

We take each student’s mental and physical wellbeing seriously. If you find yourself experiencing physical illnesses, please reach out to student health services (843.953.5520).

If you need support for mental health concerns (anxiety, depression, sleep difficulties, relationship, or family concerns) please consider scheduling an appointment with a licensed mental health provider at the Counseling Center located on the 3^rd floor of Robert Scott Small Building, or request an appointment online. If you are having a mental health emergency, no appointment is needed; simply walk in. After-hours support is also available by calling their main line (843.953.5640) and choosing option #3 to connect with an on-call counselor.

If you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed, lonely, homesick, or having trouble adjusting to college life, consider peer support from Students 4 Support (certified volunteers) through texting “4support” to 839863, or meet with them in person at 26 Coming St. Learn more about Students 4 Support on CofC’s Hub. These services are there for you to help you cope with difficulties you may be experiencing and to maintain optimal physical and mental health.

FOOD & HOUSING RESOURCES

Many CofC students report experiencing food and housing insecurity. If you are facing challenges in securing food (such as not being able to afford groceries or get sufficient food to eat every day) and/or housing (such as lacking a safe and stable place to live), please contact the Office of the Dean of Students for support (SALT – Student Affairs Leadership Team). Also, you can go to Student Food and Housing Insecurity resource page to learn about food and housing assistance that is available to you. Here you will find a form to request Food and Temporary Housing assistance. In addition, there are several resources on and off campus to help. You can visit the Cougar Pantry at 26 Coming Street, a student-run food pantry that provides dry-goods and hygiene products at no charge to any student in need. Stop by or contact the Cougar Pantry at cougarpantry@cofc.edu.

PROHIBITION OF DISCRIMINATION

CofC is committed to providing an environment free of all forms of prohibited discrimination, including sex-based harassment and violence (i.e. sexual assault, domestic and dating violence, and gender or sex-based bullying and stalking). If you have experienced discrimination or harassment, help and support are available. CofC employees, other than designated confidential resources, are expected to report information they receive about prohibited discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence. This means that if you tell me about a situation involving sexual harassment, sexual violence, discrimination, or harassment, I am expected to share the information with the Equal Opportunities Program (EOP) office. You may speak to someone confidentially by contacting the Office of Victim Services at 843-953-2273, Counseling Center at 843-953-5640, or Student Health Services at 843-953-5520. You can also report any sexual misconduct or discrimination, or learn more about your options and resources, by contacting the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs at 843-953-5754.

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS

The College of Charleston community is enriched by students of many faiths that have various religious observances, practices, and beliefs. We value student rights and freedoms, including the right of each student to adhere to individual systems of religion. The College prohibits discrimination against any student because of such student’s religious belief or any absence thereof.

The College acknowledges that religious practices differ from tradition to tradition, and that the demands of religious observances in some traditions may cause conflicts with student schedules. In affirming this diversity, like many other colleges and universities, the College supports the concept of “reasonable accommodation for religious observance” regarding class attendance, and the scheduling of examinations and other academic work requirements, unless the accommodation would create an undue hardship on the College. Faculty are required, as part of their responsibility to students and the College, to ascribe to this policy and to ensure its fair and full implementation.

The accommodation request imposes responsibilities and obligations on both the individual requesting the accommodation and the College. Faculty members are expected to reasonably accommodate individual religious practices. Examples of reasonable accommodations for student absences might include: rescheduling of an exam or giving a make-up exam for the student in question; altering the time of a student’s presentation; allowing extra-credit assignments to substitute for missed class work or arranging for an increased flexibility in assignment dates. Regardless of any accommodation that may be granted, students are responsible for satisfying all academic objectives, requirements and prerequisites as defined by the instructor and by the College.

2025 – 2026 Religious Holidays^*

^* The previously included Jewish holiday of Hanukkah and the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha fall outside the regular academic year and are therefore not listed here. All Jewish holidays begin at sunset on the evening before the date given.  Orthodox Christian holidays begin at sunset on the evening before the date given.