Essay papers: You will write three essay papers that asks you to reflect on questions handed out at a later date. The essays will be graded on content, clarity, grammar, and style. I expect that you are able to write on a college level. What does this mean? I expect that you will proofread your work, have few (if any) spelling errors or grammatical errors, and that your papers are clear and well organized. If your writing or editing skills are lacking, I recommend that you go to the writing center.

All papers are due in class on the assigned deadline. There is a penalty for late papers. For each day the paper is late, you will lose half a grade. So if a paper is due on Monday, and you hand it in on Tuesday, an ‘A’ paper will become an ‘A-‘. Just to be clear, a ‘day late’ means 24 hr. period—not the next class period. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Academic Honesty: Academic responsibility and integrity is crucial. If you plagiarize, cheat copy, etc., you will fail the paper and/or possibly the class. Plagiarism is failure to provide proper citations and attribute ideas and quotes to the original source. If you are unclear about what constitutes plagiarism, go to http://www.ccsu.edu/AcademicIntegrity/UndergradAcadMisconductPolicy.htm

Attendance: I do not take attendance. I believe you are old enough to decide if you want to attend class or not. However, you should know that classroom interaction is a learning experience in itself. You cannot possibly learn the material fully by text alone. The materials you will be tested on are a combination of class notes and reading. Do not depend on other people to take notes for you. And do not feel that you need to give notes to people who do not attend class.

Participation: Participation is crucial for the development of this class. When individuals are active participants, the class is more exciting. This requires that you complete the assigned readings before class and are prepared to discuss the readings in class. Do not come to class if you are not prepared. I realize that many of you are shy and feel uncomfortable talking in class. There are other ways of participation: discussion in small groups, asking relevant questions, emailing me, coming to my office hours, etc. Let me know that you are engaged in the materials. You cannot receive participation points if you do not participate (and if you don’t attend class).

No Pagers or Cell Phones: All pagers and phones must be turned off for the duration of the class. While cell phone use in public may have become an American ritual, I find it to be rude and inappropriate as they are a huge distraction to the class.

Special Needs: If you require any special needs (academic, physical, or personal) please contact me during my office hours or after class. If an emergency or personal situation occurs let me know ASAP. I am supportive and understanding of most situations (I respect the right to privacy, so details are not a requirement). However, I am not sympathetic to laziness. If I am unaware of your situation, I will attribute it to laziness. Thus, do not wait till the last minute to inform me of a problem. I will only consider ‘working something out’ if you take responsibility for your studies. If you think this will invade a good portion of your schoolwork--I suggest you withdraw from the class or take an incomplete. DO NOT abuse this.

Class Conduct: I try to create classroom environment that is open, yet structured. What do I mean by this? Each of us needs to respect the others in the class. People should be able to speak their minds without ridicule, blame, or attack. But be warned, each individual should take responsibility for what they say. People who are not respectful will be asked to leave the classroom and their grade will be affected by their conduct. If you cannot follow these guidelines, I suggest you find another course to take.

Pet Peeve: Some of my pet peeves are when students arrive to class late or begin to pack up before class is over. So, show up on time and do not pack up before I dismiss you.

Classroom Visitors I do allow students to bring in classroom visitors. However, please ask for permission to do so. While I understand that students who have children often have some difficulties with childcare, I find this extremely disruptive. Therefore I ask you not to bring children to class.

Anything else? What kind of a classroom environment do you want? Speak up and let us know.