Policies
Attendance
I expect you to attend class, which is why you are being graded on it. Failure to attend more than two classes will result in a 0 on this portion of your grade. Additionally, being late is considered half of an absence.
Note: Religious holidays, family emergencies, and doctor/health issues are grounds for excused absences, however documentation and/or permission in advance is required. Additionally, University-approved trips will also be excused provided the appropriate documentation.
Note 2: If you have a serious health situation that will require you to be absent for a long portion of this class, please contact me or arrange for someone else to contact me on your behalf. If you have been absent for a month and email me on the last day of class to make up the work you missed, I am generally unable to accommodate you.
Late Work
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.
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.
Incomplete Work
Failure to complete more than one of the assignments listed on the assignments page will result in an automatic zero in this course (except for the attendance / participation component).
Paper Formatting
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.
Papers not meeting these requirements will be given a 0. If you do not know how to change things like fonts and margin, please contact me outside of class.
Additionally, papers submitted for this class may include a heading but the heading will not count toward the overall length of the document.
Note: Papers that do not open will be marked late by however many days it takes for me to discover the problem. Do not deliberately submit a broken file to get more time on an assignment; instead, take advantage of my extension policy.
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.
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