Course Policies
Enrollment: 150. Waitlisted students will be admitted through Duckweb as other students drop the class. See http://registrar.uoregon.edu/help/waitlisting for more information.
Short version:
- Respect other students
- Respect your instructors
- Don’t cheat
- Plan ahead.
Long version:
- Large Lecture Etiquette: It is helpful if you leave aisle seats open for those arriving after you. If you are late, enter quietly and respectfully. Don’t interrupt the learning of other students to catch yourself up, wait until after class. Don’t pack up early. If you know you need to leave early, sit toward the back aisle and pack up after you leave the classroom. Please sit in the front section of PAC 123 so I can see you and you can hear me.
- Discussion: There may be some discussions in this class where people express strong opinions that you strongly disagree with. I encourage you to express your disagreement in a respectful and professional way. Disrespect of others will not be tolerated and you will be asked to leave.
- Laptop policy:Instructors and students vary in how disruptive they find electronic devices in large lectures. In the past have not allowed them. I’m experimenting this term with allowing them on a trial basis. To avoid distracting other students behind and around you, use your laptop for notes only. Do not multitask because it visually distracts surrounding students. I haven’t seen any research on how audience-electronics affect the quality of lectures from the instructor, but I know that I like to feel like people are listening, and I think you will get a better lecture if you look attentive. See this teaching robot to the right? Ya, that’s not me. Be nice to me J. If you are distracted by the behavior of others in the course, come talk to me.
- Cheating: My definition of cheating is the act of deceiving the instructors or other students to give rewards to someone — you or someone else — who has not earned those rewards.
A few examples of cheating: Using a friends i-clicker to give them class-participation points when they are not present, copying answers on an exam or quiz from someone else, procuring a copy of the exam before you take it, changing your answers after an exam is graded and asking for it to be re-graded, presenting the written content of someone else as if it were your own instead of citing a published source (plagiarism). I will be creative and proactive about catching people cheating. If you cheat, I will enforce all university rules and you will fail my course. Did you know that people who cheat over-estimate the prevalence of other cheaters? They think most people cheat — which isn’t true. They are often in denial of the seriousness of cheating – cheating is actually a big deal. Why would I care so much about cheating? It’s more work for me to care! Well, my job is to make sure students learn this material. Everyone learns better when they know that they are accountable along with everyone else.
- Additional Support: There are many counseling resources available to youand I encourage you to seek out any support you need. Did you know about TLC at the UO? — great instructional resources for students.
- Posting lecture notes: The PowerPoint for the lectures will be posted online (Blackboard/Canvas). Hopefully that will occur before lecture, but may be delayed if I make last minute changes. I encourage you to print them and make notes. If you do the readings on time, attend lectures, take notes, ask questions when you are confused, and study effectively, I anticipate you will do very well in this course. Lecture slides may be posted at my discretion to aid in your learning of certain topics.
- Attendance & Extensions: If a student has an unforeseen exceptional personal or health-related issue that prevents them from being able complete an assignment or exam on-time, extensions can be offered when accompanied by reasonable documentation. Students with conflicting final exam schedules (see university policy) must alert me as soon as possible and definitely by the last day to add classes. Arrangements will be made for an alternative exam. You must notify me of planned university-related absences (such as those by student athletes) as soon as possible.
- Affirmation of Community Standards: “The University of Oregon community is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and the development of integrity. In order to thrive and excel, this community must preserve the freedom of thought and expression of all its members. The University of Oregon has a long and illustrious history in the area of academic freedom and freedom of speech. A culture of respect that honors the rights, safety, dignity and worth of every individual is essential to preserve such freedom. We affirm our respect for the rights and well-being of all members.”
- Accessible Education: The University of Oregon is working to create inclusive learning environments. If there are aspects of the in this course that result in barriers to your learning and participation, please let me know. You are also welcome to contact the Accessible Education Center (http://aec.uoregon.edu, formerly Disability Services) in 164 Oregon Hall at 346-1155 or uoaec@uoregon.edu
- The University Student Conduct Codedefines academic misconduct. “Students are prohibited from committing or attempting to commit any act that constitutes academic misconduct. By way of example, students should not give or receive (or attempt to give or receive) unauthorized help on assignments or examinations without express permission from the instructor. Students should properly acknowledge and document all sources of information (e.g. quotations, paraphrases, ideas) and use only the sources and resources authorized by the instructor. If there is any question about whether an act constitutes academic misconduct, it is the students’ obligation to clarify the question with the instructor before committing or attempting to commit the act. Additional information about a common form of academic misconduct, plagiarism, is available by here. http://libweb.uoregon.edu/guides/plagiarism/students/
A Note about The Nature of Discussions in this Class
In this class we may discuss issues, which may have, at times, an intense personal significance for some members of the class. There are no taboos for discussion topics in this course. We will exercise and respect freedom of speech. At the same time, we must take responsibility to ensure that we are respectful of everyone’s opinion and that we stay on topic. If you find you are troubled by material while taking this course, and need support or counseling, please be sure to pursue that external support by seeking out a supportive friend, counselor, and/or a social service.
Mandatory Reporting
UO employees, including faculty, staff, and GTFs, are mandatory reporters of child abuse when the employee has “reasonable cause to believe any child with whom the employee comes in contact has suffered abuse or that any person with whom the employee comes in contact has abused a child.” UO employees, including faculty, staff, and GTFs, also are mandatory reporters of prohibited discrimination when the employee obtains “credible evidence that any form of prohibited discrimination by or against students, faculty or staff is occurring.” “Prohibited discrimination” includes discrimination, and discriminatory harassment, including sexual harassment and sexual assault. This statement is to advise you that that your disclosure of information about child abuse or prohibited discrimination to a UO employee may trigger the UO employee’s duty to report that information to the designated authorities. Please refer to the following links for detailed information about mandatory reporting:
http://around.uoregon.edu/mandatoryreporting
The instructor and GTF may be required to let the Office of the Dean of Students or the Office of Affirmative Action & Equal Opportunity know about discrimination, harassment, or physical and sexual assault students disclose in our presence.