Course Information and Policies

Presence and Participation: Our work this semester will be predominately collaborative, privileging open discussion over lectures, and as a result, participation, attendance and punctuality are all necessary for our class to thrive. I'm more interested in hearing your varied (and even contradicting) interpretations of our readings than forcing you to see them through my eyes, so being able to freely and comfortably share your insights, opinions, disagreements, perspectives and questions will be an invaluable part of our shared understanding.

Missing more than four classes will likely have an adverse affect on your final grade. Absences are absences, regardless of the reason — the only exceptions to this rule are major medical issues (i.e. surgery, hospitalization) with supporting documentation or university-sanctioned absences (i.e. inclement weather or athlete travel) — and you don't need to provide a note. Having the courtesy to drop me a quick e-mail to let me know you'll be out, however, is always appreciated.

Online Resources / Technology: Canvas is quite frankly awful, so I'll run the class through this blog, sharing key documents (such as our syllabus, book list, schedules, essay guidelines, etc.) and announcements. It's imperative that you stay up-to-date and one way to facilitate this process is signing up for e-mail updates via the box at right.

Please show respect to both me and your peers by restricting your use of laptops or tablets to class-related purposes and be sure to mute any electronics prior to the start of our class. Students suspected of inappropriate use will be asked to leave. Moreover, if you're spending the majority of our classes focused on Twitter or Pinterest rather than our class discussions, that will be evident in your final grade.

Discussion Leader / Response Papers: One of your major assignments will require you to lead off a given day's class conversation by coming up with two questions on the day's readings that you'll then briefly break up into groups to discuss before coming back together to share your insights with the class. As a discussion leader you'll also be expected to be a vocal participant when we reconvene, sharing your own insights with us and helping to guide the conversation.

These questions should be substantive, highlighting insightful quotations and generally framing important ideas present in the day's readings. You should be leading us towards an argument, challenging us to agree or disagree, and therefore analyzing specific evidence (i.e. providing quotations) from the readings and dealing with details, rather than hovering generally over the surface of the text. In short, if you were teaching this content, what points would you most want your students to take notice of, and why are these important?

In conjunction with this role, you'll write up a short (3 full pages, minimum) response paper, in which you'll provide a thorough answer to one of your two questions. This essay will be due on the same day. Your response should offer a critical approach of the day's reading, focusing on the ideas expressed or techniques explored, and potentially making connections to other work we've encountered throughout the term. They're not a place for simple point-by-point recaps of the text, personal anecdotes ("this reminds me of a story my grandfather once told me..."), thumbs up/thumbs down book reviews ("I like this book a lot because..."), or filler not directly related to the text under discussion. A helpful hint: if you are having a hard time writing three pages in response to your question, is your question complex and incisive enough?

Respondent dates will be randomly assigned. Because of the number of students in this class, there will likely be several days when two respondents will be scheduled. Some modicum of merciful consideration is always shown to those who volunteer to present during the first week or so of responses. Students who are not prepared to go on the day of their scheduled response will be skipped and their grade for the assignment will be docked accordingly.


Quizzes: Over the course of the semester, you can expect a number of short, unannounced quizzes, which will serve as a measure of your reading comprehension and retention, and provide opportunities for bonus points. Missed quizzes cannot be made up, and will adversely affect your final grade.  It's worth noting that we’re far less likely to have a quizzes when our class discussions are lively and engaged, but we'll aim to have enough that one bad performance won't ruin your chances for a decent grade.

Communication: Please make use of my posted office hours, the time immediately before and after class, and/or e-mail to discuss your performance in the course, pose questions you might have, or just generally let me know what's on your mind. If you're having trouble it's better to ask for help sooner rather than later. Unofficially, you should meet with me at least once during the semester. I wholeheartedly suggest you take a look at Laura Portwood-Stacer's "How to Email Your Professor" for suggestions on how to conduct appropriate and professional correspondence.

Plagiarism: You have no doubt had UC’s Academic Honesty Policy and Student Code of Conduct drummed into your head repeatedly, however it might be advantageous to re-orient yourself with those policies now, as classes begin again this semester.

Plagiarism, defined as “the appropriation of information, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own to satisfy the requirements of a course,” can take many guises, including cheating on a quiz, cutting-and-pasting information found on the web, failing to properly cite sources or fabricating them entirely. Any student found guilty of plagiarism, in any form, will automatically fail this course and face official disciplinary action, putting your academic future on very shaky ground.

Poynter offers up a wonderful guide, "Is It Original? An Editor's Guide to Identifying Plagiarism" that might be a useful resource.

Title IX Statement (and resources): Under Title IX of the United States Education Amendments of 1972, UC has policies forbidding sex-based discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation. The university should take steps to investigate and properly discipline violators, with the end goal of creating an inclusive and welcoming campus for all members of our community. You can read more about these vital policies on UC's Title IX homepage.

More importantly, while I hope you'll never have to use these, I think it's very important to share useful resources for victims:

• RAINN is a long-running and well-respected organization that provides support to victims of rape, abuse, and incest. They offer 24/7 support via phone and anonymous online messaging.
• Closer to home, Students for Survivors is an excellent organization run by UC students that's seeking long-overdue amendments to the university's policies regarding these sensitive issues. Their Survivor Resource Guide is an especially-helpful tool for navigating the various resources, advocates, and support groups available locally to victims.

LGBTQ Safe Zone: You should consider our classroom and my office as LGBTQ Safe Zones: places where students dealing with sexual orientation or gender identity issues can find affirmative support, referrals, and information to help them. While I'm no expert in  lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues, I am committed to working toward providing a safe, confidential, and supportive network for students, faculty, and staff members of the LGBTQ community and to treating everyone with the dignity and respect entitled to as human beings. You can find more LGBTQ resources from UC's Women's Center here.

Special Needs Statement: If you have any special needs related to your participation and performance in this course, please speak to me as soon as possible. In consultation with Accessibility Resources, we can make reasonable provisions to ensure your ability to succeed in this class and meet its goals.


Policy on Children in Class (adapted from Dr. Meslissa Cheyney, Oregon State Univ.): It is important to make our university environment an inclusive one, and that includes making accommodation for parents. While UC does not have such a policy in place, I am happy to offer these basic guidelines and to adapt as necessary:

• Breastfeeding mothers should feel welcome to nurse or pump in class as needed.
• I understand that parents of older children might have conflicts due to illness or childcare disruptions, and if, due to an emergency situation you need to miss class or bring a child to class with you, I'm okay with that.
• All students should work together to create a welcoming environment for all forms of diversity, including diversity in parenting status.
• When children or babies come to class, I ask their parent to sit near the door so that they can step outside if necessary, should their little one become disruptive to the class environment.
• Parenting is a tough challenge that you are tackling on top of your coursework and possibly a job as well. I hope you'll feel free to discuss any issues affecting your performance and participation in the class related to your role as a parent.

I make these provisions as a parent myself, and will note that occasionally I might need to cancel class or end it early due to my commitments to my daughter, or that sometimes she might need to sit in on our class session (though these are very, very rare occurrences).

Counseling and Psychological Services: College is challenging for everyone, and even more so when you're struggling with personal issues or stresses. If your quality of life and/or academic performance are being affected by these problems, I strongly recommend you seek help from Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), who can offer confidential help, mental health resources, and other services to help you get through whatever you're dealing with.

If you're facing a more immediate crisis, please, please, please talk to friends, family, clergy, or anyone else you feel comfortable with. If you'd prefer to remain anonymous, then get in touch with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (via phone or online chat) or Crisis Text Line (via text message), where trained professionals can "help you move from a hot moment to a cool moment." As the latter resource reminds us, being in crisis "doesn’t just mean suicide: it’s any painful emotion for which you need support."


Academic Writing Center: The Learning Assistance Center and The Student Writing Center a revaluable and free resources available to all UC students. Writing Fellows are available to help students at all stages of the writing process from brainstorming to drafting, as well as with editing essays. I strongly encourage you to have a tutor review all the writing you do for this course. Please visit their website for hours of operation, writing resources and more information.


Tech Issues: Don't forget that UCit @ Langsam is open 24/7 during the academic year and there are a number of other labs at your disposal, whether your operating system has crashed or you just need access to a printer.


UC Emergency Procedures: The start of the semester is an excellent time for a quick reminder of UC's plans for handling out of the ordinary events like Bomb Threats and particularly (and most unfortunately) Active Shooters. Better to review these materials now than to be caught unawares in case of an emergency.


Register to Vote: If you aren't already registered to vote (whether here in Ohio or in your home state/district) or you need update your registration after a move, then you'd best get your ass over here immediately. Ohio’s deadline to register for the General Election is Monday, October 7th. Ohio absentee ballots must be received no later than November 2nd (request one here) and election day is Tuesday, November 5th. You can find your local polling place here.

Grades: Simply put, your final grade will reflect your level of critical engagement with our readings, your understanding of the authors and the effort you've put forth.  Major weight will be given to your response question and response paper, your final essay, and your overall participation (which includes class discussions and quiz grades).  A poor showing in any one of these areas need not doom your final grade — I'm more inclined to admire a student who shows consistent growth throughout the term than a superstar who phones in his final.  In the end, what counts is the respect and seriousness with which you approach our shared work, as well as the personal discoveries you make, not how well you regurgitate what I've said in class.

TL;DR version: don't be this student:

Paper Format: All hard-copy work handed in for this class must be in proper MLA format (including a full header, in-text citations and a works cited list), use double-spaced 12-point Times New Roman (or a similar serif font), and be numbered and stapled.  Online responses should have citations and a works cited list but don't need special spacing or the header. Late work will be penalized accordingly.