Course Policies
A university course is a very
special learning experience. To justify the assembly of students and professor
at a specified place and time week after week, something must happen there that
cannot happen in any other way -- not by reading textbooks, not by reading the
notes of others, not by conversing informally with the professor or with other
students. What happens is that minds work together: the attention of many is
focused on the words of one -- usually, but not always, the professor. It is
not the same as viewing a lecture on television or even attending one in a
large auditorium. I consider it my responsibility as a teacher to read your
reactions to what I and others say. If I do not sense comprehension, I will
restate, rephrase, re-exemplify. Your responsibility as students is to act on the information between the time
it enters your eyes and ears and is stored in your mind. If something is not
clear to you, please say so. Force me to make it clear. If enough of you do
this, the time we spend together this term will indeed be special.
Throughout the semester,
please keep this firmly in mind: Teaching is not just a job to me; it is a
vocation (a calling). As a college professor, I am also required to do research
and writing, and administrative and committee work, but nothing in my
professional life is more important than helping you learn. If you have any
problems of any kind related to this course, please talk to me. You may do so
after class, you may come during my office hours, you may make an appointment,
or you may call me either in my office or at home. I promise to do my very best
to help you in every way that I can to get the most from this course.
Please also keep this in
mind: If, during the term, you have to miss any classes, remember that you will
learn less. A course grade is a measure of knowledge gained through full participation in the course
experience, and you cannot earn a given grade unless you participate to the
degree that grade demands. Even a doctor's appointment or personal crises that
keep you from class will necessarily affect how much you learn. In such cases,
I will do everything that I can to help you compensate for lost time, but you
have to face reality. Just as you cannot physically be in two places at one
time, neither can your mind. You have to be here to experience the stimulus and
growth necessary to earn university credit. (Please don't make any decisions
about dropping the course without first getting my advice.)
And finally, please keep this
in mind: Only one person may speak at a time in this class. If you have
something to say, please raise your hand, and I will give you the floor. If you
need to consult with another student privately, please politely leave the room
to do so. I find it impossible to stay focused on what I am teaching if other
conversations are going on, even brief and quiet ones. I and your fellow
students will greatly appreciate your cooperation on this matter!
In order to assure the
intellectual integrity of the course and fairness to all, I will follow these
policies:
A. Grading: The final letter
grade will be assigned on the basis of a percentage of the total points available.
(See the course outline for this total and for the breakdown.) 93-100=A,
90-92.99=A-, 87-89.99=B+,83-86.99=B, 80-82.99=B-, 77-79.99=C+, 73-76.99=C,
70-72.99=C-, 67-69.99=D+, 63-66.99=D, 60-62.99=D-, 0-59.99=F.
B. No extra credit.
C. You cannot be sure of
credit for any test or assignment unless you take the test or hand in the
assignment on time. However, you may arrange a make-up with me within one week
of the due date. I will accept such make-ups, but I will not grade them, and I
do not commit myself to grade them. I will file them and decide at the end of
the semester, on the basis of other work you have done, whether to grade them
or not and whether to count them as more than zero. If I do decide to grade
them, I will do so without prejudice; i.e., you will not be penalized because
of lateness. Late tests and assignments, even if I do eventually grade them, will never be returned. (Quizzes are an
integral part of the class experience, and therefore cannot be made up, no
matter what the reason for absence.)
D. You are required to know
about all matters treated in every class, whether you are there or not. This
includes the lecture, class discussion, handouts, announcements about changes
in the course outline, and announcements about changes in test dates or test
matter.
E. A
reminder about the university policy on withdrawal from classes (please see p.
52 of the 2002-2004 Catalog for details): If you formally withdraw before the
end of the 6th day of the semester, no record of the course will appear on your
transcript. If you formally withdraw
before the end of the eighth week of the semester (or similar fraction of a
nonsemester course), the grade of W will be assigned. Withdrawal after that date is not normally permitted. However, you may withdraw after that date if
you submit a formal petition (that I and the department chair must both approve
and sign) in which you provide evidence of illness or other severe
hardship. If you stop attending and do
not submit and have the formal petition approved, then the grade of WF will be
assigned, unless your performance up to the date you stopped attending was F,
in which case F will be assigned. The
grade of WF will carry no grade points but will be computed in the grade point
average.
F. Please see pp. 14 and 15
of the 2002-2004 Catalog for a complete description of ODU’s Honor System. The following honor pledge applies to all
work that you do in this course:
"I pledge to support the Honor System of Old Dominion University. I
will refrain from any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as
cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a member of the academic community,
it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violators of the Honor System.
I will report to an Honor Council hearing if summoned." (It is your
responsibility to know what plagiarism is and to avoid even the appearance of
it.)