Late Work

Students are responsible for all work assigned in this class, whether or not they are present. Assignments must be completed on time. Late work will be penalized one letter grade unless you have a good excuse, and no assignments will be accepted more than one week late.

Students may rewrite their essays. Rewrites are due one week after the instructor hands graded assignments back to the class, whether or not you attend class that day.

Make-ups for missed examinations and quizzes are given at the discretion of the instructor. The absence must be excused under the same conditions as absence from class. In general, make-ups must be taken within one week of the original date of the exam.

Attendance

Attendance is required. Excessive absence (more than 2 absences for weekly classes) can affect the participation grade.

Tardiness disrupts the class and is also discouraged. Any student arriving after the instructor has finished calling the roll may be considered tardy, and two incidents of unexcused tardiness count as one unexcused absence. Students who arrive late should check with the instructor at the end of class to make sure they are not marked absent.

Students are expected to remain in class until they are dismissed, unless they have received prior permission from the instructor to leave early. Early departure from class will be treated the same as tardiness--two such occurrences will constitute an unexcused absence.

Excuses for tardiness and absence will be accepted at the discretion of the instructor. Written documentation may be required, especially for lengthy or repeated problems. Students should bring excuses to the instructor's attention as soon as possible--before the event if it is foreseeable, immediately after if not. Excuses for tardiness should be discussed with the instructor immediately after the class for which the student is tardy; excuses for absence should be discussed the first day the student returns to class. With rare exceptions, excuses will not be accepted after these dates.

Participation

All students are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the assigned material. This implies that students should read the material before class. Perfect comprehension is not expected at the beginning of class, but students should be familiar with the topic and the major points, and they should have identified areas they do not understand well enough to ask focused, intelligent questions about them. The instructor reserves the right to give unannounced quizzes or other assignments to check students' preparation.

There are three principal ways students can participate:

1. by asking and answering questions in class,
2. by contributing to team projects
3. by discussing courses material with the instructor during office hours.

Students are expected to observe normal courtesy in class. They are expected to pay attention to the instructor, to take detailed notes, to refrain from personal conversation, and to avoid any other behavior that disturbs others. A student who does not observe these courtesies may be asked to leave the room.

Academic Honesty

Students should be aware that a university is a community of scholars committed to the discovery and dissemination of knowledge and truth. Without freedom to investigate all materials, scrupulous honesty in reporting findings, and proper acknowledgment of credit, such a community can not survive. Students are expected to adhere to the highest traditions of scholarship. Infractions of these traditions, such as plagiarism (cheating), are not tolerated. Misrepresenting someone else's words or ideas as one's own constitutes plagiarism. In cases where plagiarism occurs, the instructor has the right to penalize the student(s) as he or she thinks appropriate. One guideline holds that the first offence results in failure of the assignment, the second offence in failure of the course.