Policies

Course Policies

WELLBEING:

Your success and wellbeing matter to me. I recognize that college can be challenging, and life circumstances—whether academic, personal, financial, or health-related—can sometimes interfere with your ability to participate fully in class or complete assignments on time.

If you’re struggling with course material, experiencing personal difficulties, or facing unexpected challenges, please reach out to me as early as possible. I’m here to work with you to find solutions, whether that means connecting you with campus resources or adjusting deadlines when appropriate.

I’m committed to creating an inclusive classroom where all students can learn and grow. If there’s anything I can do to better support your learning or if you have suggestions for improving our class environment, please don’t hesitate to share that with me during office hours or via email.

How you can contribute to a supportive and inclusive class environment: 

• Honor diverse perspectives. Recognize that different viewpoints and experiences enrich our learning. Approach disagreement as an opportunity for growth rather than a threat.
• Focus on ideas, not individuals. When challenging a point, address the argument or concept rather than making personal attacks or assumptions about the speaker’s character or motivations.
• Practice active listening. Demonstrate that you’ve engaged with others’ contributions by building on their points, asking thoughtful follow-up questions, or acknowledging their perspective before presenting your own view.
• Maintain respectful communication. Avoid interrupting, side conversations, or dismissive body language. Be mindful that non-verbal cues communicate as much as your words.
• Ground your contributions in evidence. Support your statements with specific examples, course materials, or logical reasoning. Help others understand the basis for your perspective.
• Balance participation thoughtfully. If you tend to speak frequently, create space for quieter voices. If you’re more reserved, challenge yourself to contribute when you have valuable insights to share.
• Address problematic comments directly. If you notice language or ideas that seem harmful or exclusionary, speak up respectfully. Don’t assume someone else will address it.
• Embrace intellectual humility. Come to discussions ready to learn and potentially revise your thinking. Create a generous environment where others feel safe to do the same.

ATTENDANCE:

Being present in this class is crucial. 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 near-daily informal in-class writing activities, and our class discussions and lectures will contain crucial information to help you succeed.  Class participation and engagement are a significant part of your grade.

After three absences–whether unexcused or excused–I may your grade by a single increment (from a B to a B-, for example) for each additional absence. Excessive absence both lowers your grade automatically and in almost every case results in poor performance in other areas of the class. I will commit to starting class on time and I expect you to do the same.  In short: arrive on time, and be ready to discuss that day’s assigned reading or participate in our scheduled class activities.

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM:

In this course, we do not always have to be tied to our screens. I expect you to purchase physical copies of our course text. We will often write long-hand reflective engagements. There will be times when our readings will be on the screen, but please close non-essential browser windows and programs that might distraact you from the task at hand.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADES: 

Your grade in this course will reflect your performance in five broad categories as described below.  You can earn a maximum of 1000 points in this course.  Please see the “Assignments” tab for more detailed descriptions of the various assignments.

• Presence—300 points / 30%: measured in equal parts by your engagement across 
  • Reflective Engagements (REs)–200 points / 20%: 20+ warm-up writing activities that you will be required to formally submit in class.
  •  Ten “Continuing the Conversation” (CC) posts–100 points / 10%: these are end-of-week reflections that will unfold in the OAKS discussion forum. Each week will present a new prompt (there will be more than 10 opportunities)
• Close-Reading Application Assignment–100 points / 10%
• Summary & Response Assignment –15 points / 15%
• Final Project–450 points / 45%: Your final project is an extended research project on a literary or cultural text of your choosing. This project includes a number of preparatory assignments and stages as well as a concluding “Final Conversation” during finals week. A key concern of the final project is the act of research: locating, selecting, analyzing, summarizing, and responding to varied sources that can contribute to your understanding of and ultimate analytical argument about your subject.

• A-Range: 970-1000 = A+, 940-969 = A, 900-939 = A-
• B-Range: 870-899 = B+, 830-869 = B, 800-829 = B-
• C-Range: 770-799 = C+, 730-769 = C, 700-729 = C-
• D-Range: 670-699 = D+, 630-669 = D, 600-629 = D-
• <600 = F

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

Dual Submission Policy: The same paper may not be submitted for a grade in more than one class. This is particularly important to consider as you are choosing your own text for your final research project.

Academic Integrity Statement (3.12):

As members of the College of Charleston community, we affirm, embrace and hold ourselves accountable to the core values of integrity, academic excellence, liberal arts education, respect for the individual student, student centeredness, innovation, and public mission. Academic integrity is the academic community’s commitment to honesty, fairness, respect, responsibility, courage, trustworthiness, and ethical conduct which serves as a guiding principle for all faculty, staff, and students in the human pursuit of truth and knowledge. Our academic work reflects not only what we have learned but also how we have engaged with the material.

The College of Charleston expects that every student and community member has a responsibility to uphold the standards of the Honor Code, as outlined in the Student Handbook. In pursuit of academic learning, you are expected to reference the work of other scholars, and complete your own academic work, while utilizing appropriate resources for assistance as outlined by each course instructor. This collaborative spirit enhances our learning environment and fosters a culture of trust. Any concerns regarding academic honesty will be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students and addressed through the conduct process. Your commitment to these practices and expectations is essential in cultivating a vibrant campus culture that balances trust with the pursuit of knowledge, ultimately contributing to a strong foundation of academic excellence at the College of Charleston. If you have any questions about these expectations, please reach out to your instructor for clarification.