Course Policies

Outlined here are the course policies that will govern all interactions in this class. Please read and understand all of them. If you have questions about any specific policy, please get in touch with me either via email or at office hours.

Late Work Policy

In this class, late papers and assignments will be marked down 5 points every day they are late. So, for instance, a paper that would have earned a 90 would, if two days late, receive an 80. Late responses, however, will merely receive a 0, due to the fact that your lateness will affect your classmates’ ability to comment on your response.

Note: While I evaluate all crises on a case-by-case basis, I generally do not accept “my computer broke” or “I deleted my file” or similar issues as excuses for late work. If you are not using a backup solution such as Google Drive or Dropbox, you should be. At this point in the 21st century, you should have a plan in place to deal with computer issues.

If you would like an extension on any of the assignments in this class, I will be happy to grant one but only if you ask at least 24 hours before the due date for the assignment. No extensions will be granted after this period of time has expired.

Professionalism

I expect you to communicate with me in a professional manner at all times. I care very much about this course and expect you to do the same. On my end, I will also do my best to treat you with respect, dignity, and consideration. Emails should include salutations (such as “Good Morning,” “Hello,” or “Dear Dr. Pilsch”), sign-offs (such as “Sincerely” or “Yours faithfully”), and signature lines (your name). Use complete sentences. Do not use all caps. Avoid text speak by spelling out all words and eschewing abbreviations. Make sure to proofread your emails. Avoid aggressive or whiny language. A one-line email is typically a sign that you are not explaining yourself enough or are being impolite; one-line emails are only appropriate if we have been exchanging many emails about one specific topic and have reached the end of our correspondence about that topic. Above all, remember that politeness is the best way to get what you want from anyone.

Paper Formatting Policy

Any written work that takes the form of a paper must be formatted with 1” margins and set in Times or Times New Roman font face at a size of 12pt as a Word Document (.DOCX) or a PDF (.PDF), though Word is strongly preferred. Papers will be double or single-spaced as indicated in the assignment, but a double-spaced paper will not have additional blank lines between paragraphs (beyond the natural one line skipped because of the double spacing). Any attempts to change the margins, font face, font size, line spacing, or paragraph spacing will result in the paper receiving a grade of 0.

Additionally, papers submitted for this class may include a heading but the heading will not count toward the overall length of the document.

Academic Integrity

Under the ASU Student Academic Integrity Policy (https://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity) “each student must act with honesty and integrity, and must respect the rights of others in carrying out all academic assignments.” This policy also defines academic dishonesty and sets a process for faculty members and colleges to sanction dishonesty. Violations of this policy fall into five broad areas that include, but are not limited to:

• Cheating on an academic evaluation or assignment
• Plagiarizing
• Academic deceit, such as fabricating data or information
• Aiding Academic Integrity Policy violations and inappropriately collaborating
• Falsifying academic records

I welcome any questions you may have concerning academic integrity and will do my best to help you understand the standards of academic scholarship. I also sanction any incidents of academic dishonesty in my courses using University and SLS guidelines.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is stealing. Whenever you borrow a phrase, sentence, paragraph—even an idea stated in your own words—from any outside source (news writing, magazine, TV show, book) without giving credit to that source, you have plagiarized. Plagiarism is cheating yourself and someone else. The consequences are severe including failure for the assignment, probable failure for the course, disciplinary referral to the Dean and possible expulsion from the University. Academic integrity is expected of every individual: https://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity