(for course requirements and a breakdown of each assignment's worth in your semester grade, see here)

GENERAL POLICIES

1)  LATENESS. Get to class on time.  A late arrival of five or more minutes counts as "late"; and three "lates" constitute an absence.  A late arrival of 30 minutes or more will also count as an absence

2)  ATTENDANCE You are allowed two absences in the class before receiving a failing grade. Given the generosity of that number since we meet less than half as often as a face-to-face class, I will make no exceptions.

If you miss class, you must send your assignment to me by the start of class time.

3) Check your e-mail regularly.  We use e-mail to get announcements pertaining to the class out to everyone.  Accordingly, it is your responsibility to read any class related e-mail we distribute.

Email and Blackboard use:

Because of the large volume of spam we both receive, Professors Thomas and Umbach will respond only to e-mails from John Jay e-mail accounts. We will not reply to e-mails from non-John Jay accounts.

YOU MUST CHECK YOUR JOHN JAY E-MAIL AT LEAST ONCE EVERY 24 HOURS DURING THE WEEK AND ONCE EVERY 36 HOURS ON THE WEEKEND.

We will only accept homework submitted through blackboard (see below).

Grading Practices:

WE DO NOT ACCEPT LATE HOMEWORKS.

ESSAYS CAN BE SUBMITTED LATE, BUT WITH A PENALTY: -5% FOR THE FIRST 24 HOURS AND -20% FOR THE FIRST 48 HOURS. WE CAN NOT ACCEPT PAPERS MORE THAN 48 HOURS LATE. (essays are
clearly identified below)

All essays can be revised for a new grade with the three following conditions: (A) the essay must have been turned in on time (B) you must meet with one the writing mentors to go over our feedback on your essay and (C) you must submit the revision of the essay within 10 days of our having e-mailed out comments on your paper. Late revisions will not be accepted.

Official College Grading Policy

A, A-, B+ Excellent
B, B-, C+ Good
C, C-, D+ Satisfactory
D, D- Passing
F Failure/ Unsuccessful Completion of Course

Plagiarism:

Official college statement on plagiarism:

“Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s ideas, words, or artistic, scientific, or technical work as one’s own creation. Using the ideas or work of another is permissible only when the original author is identified. Paraphrasing and summarizing, as well as direct quotations, require citations to the original source.
Plagiarism may be intentional or unintentional. Lack of dishonest intent does not necessarily absolve a student of responsibility for plagiarism.
It is the student’s responsibility to recognize the difference between statements that are common knowledge (which do not require documentation) and restatements of the ideas of others. Paraphrase, summary, and direct quotation are acceptable forms of restatement, as long as the source is cited.
Students who are unsure how and when to provide documentation are advised to consult with their instructors. The Library has free guides designed to help students with problems of documentation.”

What we will do if we suspect you have committed plagiarism: We hate being in a position to judge students. So, all cases of suspected plagiarism will be turned immediately over to the College’s Disciplinary Committee for that body’s judgment. Students found guilty of plagiarism by that committee will certainly receive no higher than a D- for this course and will also be subject to additional disciplinary action by the College.

In-class Behavior:

• Students are expected to participate in class discussion and treat their peers with respect in such discussions. That includes no private conversations at any time.
• Use of cell-phones in class—including texting—will constitute an absence for that day (and, accordingly, may trigger associated penalties. See attendance policies)
• Leaving for more than 20 minutes in the middle of class will constitute an absence
• Eating and drinking are permitted in class unless doing so proves to be disturbing to your fellow students. Sharing food with your professors is encouraged.

Quizzes : 10% of your grade for the semester will reflect your scores on the four vocabulary quizzes that we will give during the semester (always conducted shortly after the start of class). Here’s how such quizzes will work. As you read, look up any words you don’t know and write down their definitions by hand in a notebook or the like you can bring to class. We will pick five or so words from the reading for you to define on the quiz, but you will be allowed to use your notes on that quiz—call it legalized cheating. So, if you take good notes and read the entire assignment carefully, it should be effortless for you to get a perfect quiz score. Again, however, your notes will have to be hand-written originals; typed or photocopied notes will not be permitted, nor will notes that appear in the margins of the reading.

And, obviously, if you skim the reading or don’t do it all, you won’t know what words might appear on the quiz and so doing well will be rather unlikely.

Notes, however, are not permitted for the map portion of the quizzes.

Papers Revising Policies

All essays can be revised for a new grade with the three following conditions: (A) the essay must have been turned in on time (B) you must meet with one the writing mentors to go over our feedback on your essay and (C) you must submit the revision of the essay within 10 days of our having e-mailed out comments on your paper. Late revisions will not be accepted.

Reschedules

We never want you to have to choose between doing well in this class and doing well in another course. So, if you give us a week’s notice, you may be able to receive an extension on a portion of an upcoming assignment. You will have to do some part of the assignment, however. Finally, you may receive only ONE such extension during the semester. In short, extensions are only granted for students who plan well ahead of time.

NO EXCEPTIONS

LATE PAPERS

Do not tell me how the computer erased your paper. It is your responsibility to set aside enough time to compensate for unforeseen events with printing (and there often are), and to make back-up copies of your work (NOTE: if you don't have a good strategy for backing up your work, please come to me and I will help you out)   If your paper is late, I will deduct from your essay's grade according to the following schedule:

THERE IS NO PRIVATE WRITING IN THIS CLASS. You can expect that portions of your essays will be used in class.  In general, the students of this class will act as coaches and editors for each other

Formal Criteria and Format Policies for Papers