Writing & Rhetoric 2: Policies and Procedures

Policies and Procedures

Attendance Policy:

This is an online course, so there is no attendance policy. However, all deadlines are solid. Because so much of our work will be collaborative, you must get your work up on time. See policies below for specifics.

If you know ahead of time that you will are going to be unable to post your work, you should arrange to post it early. Work late because of forseeable absences will earn no credit.

Turning in work:

All work is due at 8:30am on its due date. You should post work in the appropriate place (usually the OASIS forums or on the wiki). If you cannot, for some reason, access OASIS or the wiki, you may email the assignment to me, but do not make a habit of doing so.

If you email me, you should not assume that I have received an assignment until you receive a confirmation email from me. If I do not receive the email before the assignment is due, late-work penalties will apply. In other words, if you turn in assignments by email, you do so at your own risk.

If you do not have regular access to a computer, this course will not work for you. It's online after all.

Late work and makeup assignments:

Daily assignments will not be accepted late for credit. Please note that elements of your project must still be turned in for you to pass the class.

Peer Reviews should be given to classmates on the date due. Peer Reviews turned in after the due date are worth half credit. Peer Reviews turned in after the project due date are worth zero points.

You will be allowed one late stage of your project/paper without penalty. The late paper is due at the next turnin time. After that, every day the work is late will cause a drop of 1 letter grade (10%). If you turn in any other project stages late, the penalties begin accruing immediately.

Extensions:

For whatever reason, if you discover that you will not be able to meet the project deadline, you may ask for an extension. I do not guarantee that I will grant one, but I usually do. Below are two tips for extension seekers:

Ask for the extension either by email 48 hours before the project is due. If seek an extension with less time remaining, you probably won't get it.
Keep up with the “stepping stone” assignments. If I see that you've been working on the project all along, I'm much more lenient.

Extra Credit:

Because this is a compacted semester (only 8 weeks), there will be no opportunities for extra credit.

Academic Integrity:

All students are expected to honor their commitment to the Code of Conduct. If you haven't read it, you can download a copy here:
http://www2.colum.edu/student-affairs/PDFs/The_Student_Code_of_Conduct.pdf

The Student Handbook states: “Academic Honesty is a cherished principle in the life of the College community. Students are expected to adhere to this principle by understanding the nature of plagiarism, and by not plagiarizing materials, by refraining from the use of unauthorized aids on tests and examinations, by turning in assignments which are products of their own efforts and research, and by refusing to give or receive information on tests and examinations. Persons who violate these principles of simple honesty risk embarrassment, course failure, or disciplinary action."

In this course, there are several ways students might violate college rules regarding academic integrity:

Multiple submissions—all the work you do for this course should be original work unless I specifically say otherwise. You should not turn in anything written or used in another course.
Improper citation—use of someone else's work, ideas, data, or statements without adequately noting where the work comes from.
Plagiarism—deceptive use of someone else's work, ideas, data, or statements in order to pass such work off as one's own.

Students suspected of violating these policies will meet with the instructor to discuss the matter. If the student has indeed violated the policy, the instructor will impose an appropriate penalty up to and including failure for the course. Students who plagiarize work will receive an F for the course.

I take academic integrity very seriously, and am deeply insulted by it. Do not plagiarize work for this class.

Harassment:

In order to succeed in class, every student has to be willing to be open, honest, and involved. At the same time, we must have respect for one another's ideas, beliefs and statements. Therefore, each student is expected to participate in a reasonable, respectful manner in class--we can disagree and discuss, but we need to do so in a way that is not offensive or uncomfortable. Failure to do this, or disruptive behavior in class, will not be tolerated, and will result in disciplinary action.

Complaints:

Complaints about the class and/or grades should be addressed to the instructor, either before/after class, or during office hours (or another scheduled appointment).

Conway Center Statement

Students with disabilities are requested to present their Columbia accommodation letters to their instructor at the beginning of the semester so that accommodations can be arranged in a timely manner by the College, the department, or the faculty member as appropriate. Students with disabilities who do not have accommodation letters should visit the office of Services for Students with Disabilities in room 520 of the Congress building (312.344.8134/V or 312.360.0767/TTY). It is incumbent upon the students to know their responsibilities in this regard.

Disclaimer:

The instructor reserves the right to alter the syllabus at any time. Students will receive timely warning of any assignment changes, and notice of any policy changes.