Class Policies and General Information
Laptop And Cell Phones Etc. Policy
Constant abuse of electronic devices during class have led to the following policy, which applies to all electronic devices, in all my classes:
Do not use laptops or any other type of electronic device (including cell phones, Smartphones, Dumbassphones Crackberries, iPhones, MP3 players (do they even make those anymore?) etc.) during lectures without my specific permission.
Students who do not abide by this policy will forfeit their Attitude and Participation Points, be shamed into submission or wind up donating their phones to my stylish and artistically important collection.
Attendance
By taking this class you are agreeing to attend, on time. If you are unwilling to make this agreement, do not take this class.
As with a "real" job, you must attend class regularly. All students are allowed one unexcused absence; after this absence, each unexcused absence lowers your overall grade 3% (4% T/Th classes and during the Summer). Absences are only excused for either medical reasons or official university activities; for an excused absence, you must provide appropriate, dated documentation upon returning to class (a doctor's note) or, if an official UI activity, before missing the class. If you miss a class, you are responsible for knowing before the next class what you missed and what work is due the day you return. Please ask another student (one of your group members) what you have missed or meet with your instructor during office hours.
I take roll at the beginning of each class. If you are not present when I take roll, you are marked absent. If you wish to have your absence changed to a "tardy", it is your responsibility to ask me to do so after class, or, if you forget to do that, email me; simply come up to me after class and ask me to change the absence to a tardy -- no big deal, unless you forget to do so. Excessive tardies will lower your grade.
I realize that this attendance policy is often unpopular, but it is my intention to reward students who attend regularly and to encourage those who do not attend regularly to do so. I have yet to hear a fair argument as to why students who do not attend class should be rewarded with grades similar to those who do attend.
Conferencing Help and Office Hours
You are expected to seek my help on any material you do not understand or any assignments on which you would like additional feedback. I am paid to be in my office and help you, and you are the ones paying me, so don't hesitate to seek me out. However, please do not simply "drop in" to my office during times not set aside for office hours or conferencing; I use that time for prep and grading. If my weekly office hours do not work for you, we can always schedule an appointment.
Assignment Guidelines
Type all drafts that will be read by others, including drafts you bring to conferences and peer review. Double-space reports and single space letters and memos.
All written assignments are due by 5:00 (4:00 during the Summer) and may be turned in, on time, either in class or at my English office mailbox, Brink 200. (Often I leave a large, cardboard box below the mailboxes. Look for it.) Do not pin or slide assignments on or under my office door!
You may extend the deadline on ONE assignment this semester by up to one week. All other late assignments are penalized 10% for each day late for up to three weekdays. After three days all late assignments will receive a grade of no higher than a C-.
Hand in all formal assignments in a . Assignments turned in without relevant drafts, homework and/or grade-sheets will be marked N/C.
TWO DRAFT POLICY: every assignment you want me to read and/or grade must be accompanied by at least one rough or peer review draft (printed drafts of your paper that you have clearly revised); I am not at all interested in reading, helping with or grading any piece of writing its author has not carefully revised in hard-copy form at least a couple times.
Revisions for higher grades are not allowed on assignments unless otherwise specifically assigned. Revise your work before turning it in for a grade.
N/C or "No Credit" Grades
Incomplete work will be marked "N/C" for "No Credit" and should be resubmitted by the student once complete. Revised N/C assignments will receive a grade no higher than 80/100 or "B -".
If a student continues to turn in incomplete work, this work will be grade "F" and cannot be resubmitted. Repeated N/C papers will generally significantly lower a student's over-all grade.
Papers get lost; you are responsible for keeping an extra copy on hand.
Lectures, Tests and Homework
In an effort to cut back on both departmental and student costs, I've eliminated the textbook for this course and will also post information on this web-page rather than using handouts. Consequently, all of the "theoretical" and "how to" information for this course will be covered in class or made available on-line. Lecture notes are all available on-line and you are expected to take notes in class.
I may also assign small homework assignments as a means of breaking up the larger assignments into smaller part and/or allowing me to give you feedback mid-assignment. Homework is normally due with its associated assignment unless otherwise directed; assignments turned in without their associated homework are normally marked "N/C".
Attitude and Participation:
Although a lecture-heavy course, note that a full 10% of the grade is based on attitude and participation. Students are expected to not only show up for class but to show up prepared and willing to actively, respectfully engage in the course, with the professor, and with one another. This is a course in ideas and language; show up ready to think, voice your thoughts, and engage with the thoughts of others. If you are a deeply shy person who is sincerely terrified of speaking in front of groups, I suggest you try the following: first, take some time to visit your profs during their office hours, so that they still associate you with someone engaged in learning, and second, force yourself to speak up in one of your classes at least once a week, because that's really the only way you'll defeat that phobia.
Using the Web-Site
This site operates as the de facto textbook for my 313 classes. Please help me maintain this site for your benefit by emailing me as soon as you locate errors, including broken links. Please do not tell me in class about problems with the site (or I will most likely forget by the time I'm back in front of the computer), but rather email me the link to the problematic page so that I may fix it easily. Also note that I can only maintain this site from my on-campus office, so I may not address your problem immediately. Even if you cannot access relevant information concerning an assignment, you are still responsible for completing that assignment; therefore, especially if the problem affects your ability to complete an assignment, the sooner you contact me the better.