General Policies

Class begins when I take roll. If you aren't in class then, you're absent. All written assignments must be on my desk before then or they will be considered late and will be subject to the specific penalties outlined below.

All written assignments must be submitted to me in class. Don't leave assignments in my office or in my mailbox unless I am there to take them from you, or I have given you permission to do so.

All out-of-class writing assignments -- including homework -- must be typed in 12-point type, double-spaced, with 1" margins, and must conform to MLA guidelines for style and documentation of sources. No hand-written submissions will be accepted, nor do I accept homework, drafts, or essay assignments via e-mail.

Unless you plan on feeding everyone, no food of any kind allowed in class.

Turn off your cell phones. If I hear a cell phone ring, or catch you using one in class, you will be asked to leave and counted absent.

Feel free to come to my office during office hours if you have any concerns about the class. If you can't make it during scheduled office hours, let me know and we'll make other arrangements. You can also send me e-mail whenever you want; I'll try to respond within 24 hours, but keep in mind that it's a bad idea to send urgent messages by e-mail.

Grades

Grades throughout the semester are based on the following formula:

• A = 3.50-4.00   Work far exceeds average requirements for the assignment. Assignment written in clear, interesting, grammatically correct prose, showing individuality and highly developed thinking and writing skills. An 'A' paper is written at a level of sophistication far beyond the level of most Freshman writers.
• B = 2.50-3.49   Work exceeds average requirements for the assignment. Assignment written in clear, grammatically correct prose, showing well developed thinking and writing skills. A 'B' paper is written at a level that stands above the average of most Freshman writers.
• C = 1.50-2.49   Work meets requirements of the assignments. Assignment written in understandable prose, with a minimum of grammatical errors, showing effort and progress in thinking and writing skills. A 'C' paper is one that is written at the level of most Freshman writers.
• D = 0.50-1.49   Work does not meet minimum requirements for the assignments. Lack of clear focus, consistent problems with sentence structure and/or numerous grammar and mechanics problems interfere with readability.
• E = 0.49 or below   Work is unacceptable. Failure to complete writing as assigned, level of effort and progress will not result in credit for the course.

Your final course grade will be derived from the following components (all dates tentative):

• 20%   Attendance, homework, quizzes, in-class work.
• 15%   Essay 1, 5pp. (due Feb. 19).
• 20%   Essay 2, 5pp. (due Mar. 21).
• 20%   Essay 3, 5pp. (due Apr. 11).
• 25%   Essay 4, 10pp. (due April 30).

To pass this course, you must complete all 4 major essay assignments with a grade of 'C' or higher. See the "Writing Program Guidelines" for complete details. Consideration will be given on your final grade to significant changes in the quality of your work (i.e., improvement or decline) over the course of the semester.

Homework assignments, e-mail reports, and listserv responses with be scored on an A/C/F basis. You cannot submit these assignments late nor can they be made up if missed.

No +/- grades will be given for the final course grade.

Finally, do not discard any drafts, notes, papers, or research materials you produce during the semester, until you receive a final grade.

Grade Appeals

A request for re-evaluation of any major assignment must be made in writing within two weeks of a paper's return to you. In a letter or memorandum, your request must set forth specifically and in detail all points of disagreement with the evaluation. For this purpose, references to the course grading criteria as well as the assignment's specifications and expectations are essential. Within one week, I will respond to the request for re-evaluation in writing. My decision is final, assuming that the grade has been based solely upon a good-faith judgment of your work. Appeal of the course grade must be made in writing within two weeks of its receipt.

Complaints or concerns we cannot resolve will be taken to the Writing Program Office. See the "Writing Program Guidelines" for complete details.

Absence & Late Work

Regular attendance is essential in all classes, and you are held accountable for every class meeting, whether absent or present, for whatever reason. Three (3) consecutive unexcused ansences will reduce your course grade by one letter grade, while missing six (6) times total--excused or otherwise--will deny you credit for the course. This policy is not negotiable under any circumstance. On the other hand, why you're gone is your business, not mine, and you are not obligated to explain your absence in any way. In any event, no absence can be designated "excused" until documentation has been provided and verified. See the "Writing Program Guidelines" or Student Rights and Responsibilities for the University's complete policy on absences.

Each class period will move quickly, so showing up late is very unhelpful to you and your classmates. If you aren't in class when I take roll, you're absent for attendance purposes, and any work due will be considered late.

Essay assignments will be marked down one half letter grade for being late, then another half grade for each calendar day they're late. Homework assignments cannot be turned in late for credit.

Scholastic Honesty

Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. Since this course provides you with direct instruction in finding, using, and documenting outside sources for your papers, plagiarism will never be considered an error, but will be considered a violation of academic policy. Part II of Student Rights and Responsibilities states that

. . . all academic work, written or otherwise, submitted by students to their instructors or other academic supervisors, is expected to be the result of their own thought, research, or self-expression. In cases where students feel unsure about a question of plagiarism involving their work, they are obliged to consult their instructors on the matter before submission.

When students submit work purporting to be their own, but which in any way borrows ideas, organization, wording or anything else from another source without appropriate acknowledgment of the fact, the students are guilty of plagiarism.

Plagiarism includes reproducing someone else's work, whether it be published article, chapter of a book, a paper from a friend or some file, or whatever. Plagiarism also includes the practice of employing or allowing another person to alter or revise the work which a student submits as his/her own, whoever that other person may be. Students may discuss assignments among themselves or with an instructor or tutor, but when the actual work is done, it must be done by the student, and the student alone.

When a student's assignment involves research in outside sources or information, the student must carefully acknowledge exactly what, where and how he/she has employed them. If the words of someone else are used, the student must put quotation marks around the passage in question and add an appropriate indication of its origin. Making simple changes while leaving the organization, content and phraseology intact is plagiaristic. However, nothing in these Rules shall apply to those ideas which are so generally and freely circulated as to be a part of the public domain. (Section 6.3.1)

The University defines specific penalties for plagiarism, which may include an E in the course (Section 6.4.1).