CONTACTING
THE INSTRUCTOR:
If you wish to reach us for some reason, please feel free to email
at any time. We will try to respond as quickly as we can but please
expect delays on the weekends. if you believe your question is one
that may be answered by others in the class or would be useful for
others to see, post it in the forum portion for others,
to consider.
HOW
WE RESPOND TO STUDENTS:
In general, when you send a direct question,either privately or
to the forum,you should expect to receive a response within
24 hours. We will not always respond to every message sent to the
forum by every student (any more than we would always comment on
every statement made by every student in a physical classroom).
When we
don't respond to your discussion postings , it doesn't mean we're
ignoring you or are displeased with your response --it simply
means that
we trust students to carry on class discussion without constant
instructor control. When a major assignment is due (an essay, for
example) you should expect to receive your critiqued and graded work
back within 48 hours of the assignment deadline unless you see a
message indicating otherwise.
ONLINE COMMUNICATION:
This course may be, for some of you, a very different experience
from other college classes. We will not see each other every day
for class discussions, lectures and other activities, but we will
nevertheless engage ourselves in these activities on a very regular
basis. It is possible that we will not get to know each other as
well as we would if we were sharing the same physical space day after
day, hearing each other's voices and seeing each other's facial expressions
-- but we will get to know each other very well in other ways by
reading each other's written questions, comments and essays.
FLEXIBILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY:
We will, in all likelihood, appreciate the relative freedom allowed
us by this course's schedule: we will do our coursework on a regular
basis, but when we have the time, not when it is time for our daily
class sessions. Bear in mind, however, that this course is not self-paced
-- it does follow a regular schedule -- and the absence of in-class
meetings places a good deal of responsibility on your shoulders:
you are the only person who can motivate yourself to get your work
done thoroughly and on time
CLASS PARTICIPATION:
Your active participation in all class activities is absolutely crucial
to your success, and to the success of your classmates. When you
have questions or are unsure about a course concept, you cannot "hide
in a corner" in the classroom and wait for a classmate to ask: you
are the only person you can count on to ask the right questions.
The successful student in this course will be dedicated, responsible,
and self-motivated.
MESSAGES:
Often, students send us private messages asking very good questions.
Some
of them are new, unasked questions, and some of them have already
been asked and answered in the forum. In order to avoid the dual
problems of students who lack information and an instructor going
bonkers from repeating herself, we'd like to propose two things:
First, every time you have a question whose answer might benefit
the entire
class, please post it in the forum instead of sending it to me privately.
(Of course, if you feel a need to be private about your question,
go ahead and send it to my mailbox.) Second, every time you log on,
read the headings of unread messages to see if there is something
you should be looking at.Even if it doesn't have a heading that makes
it look earth-shatteringly important, a message might tell you precisely
the thing you were wondering about.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
Students who have documented disabilities that require accommodations
in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact
the student services office as well as the instructor of the course
in order to ensure that together we create an optimal environment
for educational achievement.
FORMAT POLICY:
All work prepared for this class should be posted to the appropriate
place as instructed. Keep in mind that even though you are submitting
work electronically, you are still responsible for the correctness
of your writing (sentence structure, spelling, grammar, punctuation,
etc.) All "formal" writing assignments should follow the same format
you would use for a hard-copy academic essay (but you should single-space
for the sake of on-screen readability); be sure to include your name,
the date, the assignment, the course name, and a title on each assignment.
Remember that you must create your own title -- don't use the title
of a piece of literature you're analyzing or critiquing, which has
already been taken -- and that your title should both intrigue your
reader and provide a meaningful indication of what your essay's main
point will be. Note: It is easiest to accomplish all of the formatting
requirements by writing your assignments in your favorite word processor,
and then cutting and pasting .
DEADLINE
POLICY:
In general, whether we're teaching an on-campus course or an online
course, we do not accept late work, and this course is no exception.
If anything, the importance of deadlines is heightened in an online
course, in which your classmates are often dependent on your timely
participation in order to complete their own work on time. Your course
outline informs you of the exact dates when your work is due; all
work is due by 11:59 p.m. on its due date -- in other words, before
it becomes the next day. ( Please keep in mind that, foremost all
assignments, you are not required to submit work ON a specific day,
but rather BY a specific day -- if you will be out of town and away
from a computer on Tuesday when an assignment is due, feel free to
turn it in on Monday, or Sunday . . . but not on Wednesday, if you
wish to receive credit. Should you ever find yourself in a position
where you turn in an assignment past its due date, rest assured that
we will critique it as thoroughly as if it had been submitted on time,
but it will not receive any points. If you are prone to last-minute
writing, you are advised to discipline yourself and break the habit
in order to avoid the panic and frustration that come along with
last-minute emergencies. My job is not to evaluate the quality of
your excuses; it is to assess the quality of your work.
ORIGINAL WORK POLICY:
All work submitted by students in this course is to be original.
This means, of course, that plagiarism (turning in someone else's
words or ideas as if they were your own) is unacceptable in all its
forms, and should it occur, it will be dealt with severely. Beyond
understanding the penalties for intentional plagiarism, however,
it is important that students realize that all work turned in for
this course must be the original work of the student, prepared specifically
for this class. Turning in an assignment that will also be used (or
has already been used) in another course is strictly forbidden unless
advance permission is received from all instructors involved. Additionally,
it is imperative that, before undertaking to include research materials
in an essay, students clearly understand the difference between "unintentional
plagiarism" and careful, legitimate research with appropriate citation.
If you are unclear about what plagiarism is, be sure to ask me.
"CLASSROOM" BEHAVIOR
POLICY: The college classroom, both "live" and electronic,
must be a working and learning environment in which adults treat
each other with respect. Students who demonstrate a disregard for
working, learning, adult behavior, appropriate use of language,
or respect for others' ideas may be asked to leave the class.
ADVICE ON READING:
This is a course involving the critical and analytical study of texts.
As such, you are assigned a significant amount of reading, which
you must complete with care and thought if you hope to get the most
out of this course. You would do well to set aside at least 35 hours
per week, plus or minus, for the work required in this class. Careful
reading of difficult text can be accomplished at about 20-40 pages
per dedicated hour, depending on your reading speed and often a text
should be read twice for full understanding; do the math and plan
accordingly. Note: One of the skills you will develop in this course
is effective and efficient reading; it's a good idea to read the
weekly agenda, assignments and discussion questions carefully before
completing the week's reading,. Often printing accompanying lectures,
assignments and discussion questions is very helpful.
ADVICE
ON REVISION: Revision
is an integral part of the writing process. Papers simply don't pop
out of the printer (or zip through cyberspace, as the case may be)
perfect on their first drafts. We believe that drafting, getting
feedback, and revising in response to that feedback are necessary
steps in
the process of good writing. Therefore, we require students to submit
drafts and revisions of all essays for this class; further, we strongly
encourage students to consult with me, and with each other, while
preparing all writings for this class. We are happy to read drafts
and make comments that will help you improve your writing.
WORKLOAD -- A WARNING:
Although the workload in this class is comparable to an on-campus
class, it will take you more time to complete than it would in the
on-campus class. This is because it simply takes longer to have discussions
online (reading and writing) than in a classroom (speaking and listening).
If you signed up for this class thinking it would be "easier" than
an on-campus course, you were mistaken. If you signed up for this
class hoping that you could squeeze it into your busy schedule better
than an on-campus course . . . well, that may be true, but chances
are, if you're too busy for a "regular" class, you won't have enough
time to devote to this class either.
ADVICE ON APPROACHING
THE CLASS: Engaging in this class shouldn't feel like a chore
that you resent having to perform. If it does, you should probably
do some serious thinking about why you're enrolled. This isn't
the kind of class -- if such a class exists -- that you can pass
by memorizing a bunch of stuff on Thursday and spitting it out
onto a Scantron form on Friday. In this class, you are expected
to spend your time actively engaged in thinking about, and wrestling
with, complex themes and ideas. We'll do a lot of difficult brain
work in this class. You will be expected to read a lot, think a
lot, and write a lot. If you approach this class by wondering how
little work you can do and still get by, or if you approach this
class by thinking only about what grade you're getting instead
of what you're learning, then you will not succeed. If, however,
you approach this class with dedication and a positive attitude,
we guarantee that you will be rewarded with the satisfaction that
comes from the genuine acquisition of knowledge and skill.
STUDENT RIGHTS
AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
In
this course, students have the right to an instructor who
will:
* help students to learn
* be organized, and share that organization with students
* establish realistic goals
* pay attention to students' needs
* be aware of different learning styles
* attend and participate consistently
* maintain open lines of communication
* be a good resource for students
* share knowledge
* consistently offer constructive criticism
* maintain an open mind
* treat the course and all its participants with dignity and respect
In
this course, the students are responsible for:
* learning
* attending class consistently
* coming to class prepared to work
* completing all assigned readings on time
* submitting all assignments on time
* participating in all activities of the course
* seeking assistance when it's needed * maintaining open minds
* giving the course and all its work their best effort
* taking control of their own attitude, time, and performance
* participating in effective and useful groups
* treating the course and all its participants with dignity and respect