Overview

Students in my classes are responsible for reading and undertanding the following course policies.

Questions? Just ask: send me an email <Dr.G.H.Williams@gmail.com>, talk to me before or after class meets, or come by my office (HPAC 213).

Participation

The following criteria will be used in assessing contributions to class discussions.

Keep in mind that an excessive number of absences may lower your participation grade regardless of what your participation is like when you are present in class.

Accommodations for special needs

In keeping with University policy, any student with a disability who requests academic accommodations should contact Disability Services at 503-5199 to arrange a confidential appointment with the Disability Services Coordinator.  Students are encouraged to seek an appointment as early in the semester as possible, as accommodations are not provided retroactively.  Letters of accommodation must be signed and printed on letterhead from the Disability Services office.  It is the student’s responsibility to provide these letters to professors in a timely manner so that accommodations may be put in place.

Also, I encourage you to meet with me early in the semester to help me determine how best to accomodate your needs during the semester. All conversations will be confidential.

Required Student Conduct for this Class

Read the following carefully:

Attendance & Punctuality

Due to the participatory nature of this class, students are expected to attend regularly, to be on time and to remain until the class is over. Circumstances may occasionally arise which might cause you to miss class, but excessive absences, tardiness, and/or occasions of leaving class early will have a negative impact on your final course grade. I do not distinguish between “excused” and “unexcused” absences. Please do not bring doctor’s notes or other evidence of crisis. If you miss class, email me within 24 hours, check with a classmate for notes on what you missed, and return to class fully prepared. Excessive absences may result in failure of the course.

MWF Sections: four absences allowed without penalty

TTh Sections: three absences allowed without penalty

Standard Campus Policy for Student Behavior

A Member of the USC Upstate Community of Scholars…

…displays personal and academic integrity.

• You are honest, truthful, and trustworthy. You do not lie, cheat or steal. You do not present others’ work as your own or collaborate with others without acknowledgement or permission from the faculty member.

…accepts responsibility for actions.

• You do not blame others for academic consequences resulting from your own decisions and behavior. You follow established policies and procedures in the USC Upstate Catalog, the USC Upstate Student Handbook, and course syllabi.

…respects the rights and dignity of all persons.

• You are courteous and respect the rights and property of others. You do not harass, demean, ridicule, abuse, threaten, or discriminate against others.

…maintains a learning-focused attitude.

• You are engaged in the classroom and other learning environments, both on and off campus. You are on time, prepared and alert. You participate until the faculty member in charge dismisses the class.

…refrains from conduct that adversely affects others.

• Your conduct is appropriate for learning. You do not enter the class late or leave early without permission of the faculty member. You follow the instructions of the faculty member regarding talking or using cell phones, pagers, or other electronic devices in class. You do not use threatening, demeaning, or inflammatory language.

…follows the specific requirements of faculty members.

• You meet the behavioral and academic expectations of your instructors recognizing that these standards will often vary.

Basic academic etiquette is expected: attend class, arrive on time, come prepared, stay until the end of class, turn cell phones off during class, listen to classmates and respond with civility to others’ opinions

Plagiarism

Students who are found guilty of plagiarism will receive the appropriate grade determined by the professor, which may include an X for the course to signify academic dishonesty. Grades with an X are not subject to grade forgiveness.

From USC Upstate Student Handbook, The Academic Honor Code:

“Students are required to properly acknowledge sources as follows: students may not present as their own ideas, opinion, images, figures, languages or concepts of another, including those of other students. Students must acknowledge all sources such as magazines, journals, internet sites, records, tapes, films and interviews. The common specific uses of source material are:

Direct Quotation: Word-for-word copying of a source. A direct quotation must be accurate, must not misrepresent the source in any way and must be properly acknowledged.

Paraphrase: A recasting into one’s own words material from a source, generally condensing the source. A direct quotation with only a word or two changed, added or omitted should not be passed off as a paraphrase. A paraphrase restates the source but does not misrepresent it and must be properly acknowledged.

Use of ideas: The use of an idea from a source must be properly acknowledged, even when one’s application of that idea varies from the source.

Use of figures, tables, charts, statistics, images, photographs and other similar sources: These items must be fully acknowledged, and any changes must be clearly indicated. . .

. . .[A]ny kind of help (except that permitted by an instructor) in the preparation of a project . . . must be fully acknowledged. Papers and other materials [copied or] bought from ‘term paper writing services,’ if submitted as the work of anyone except the writing service, constitute a violation of the principles of this document.” (94)

Warning 

The consequences of plagiarism range from a grade change to expulsion.

Approved Writing Assistance 

You should consider visiting the University Writing Center (HPAC 136) for free, one-on-one assistance with your writing. Consulting a UWC tutor does not constitute plagiarism.

About your writing for this course

All written work must be submitted by the deadline by email

• Send your completed assignment as an attachment to Dr.G.H.Williams@gmail.com
• Save your file as something that will make sense to me. So if your last name is Johnson, and you're turning in the first essay in (for example) English 411, use a file name like english411-johnson-essay1.doc.
• Do not send me a file in *.wps format because I cannot open those.
• Late papers: If you turn in your paper by the deadline, I will read it, grade it, and provide written comments. If you turn it in up to a week late, I will read it and grade it with no penalty, but I will not provide written comments; you're free to meet with me in person to discuss the paper, if you like. If you turn it in more than a week late, I will not accept it.
• Technological problems are a fact of life. I will not grant you an extension based on problems you may be having with the devices or services you're using. Start early and save often. Always keep a backup copy saved somewhere.

All written work must use MLA format

The MLA guidelines are explained in the following resources

• Rules for Writers, by Diana Hacker (available through the campus bookstore, at the Writing Center, and at the campus library.)
• The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, by Joseph Gibaldi (available through the campus bookstore, at the Writing Center, and at the campus library.)
• "MLA Formatting and Style Guide," at the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL).

Note, these particular instructions, adapted from the Purdue OWL:

General Guidelines

• Double-space the text of your paper, and use a serif font like Times New Roman rather than a sans-serif font like Arial. The font size must be 12 pt.
• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks.
• Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
• Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin by pressing the "tab" key once.
• Create a header that includes your last name and numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
• Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, providing emphasis.

Formatting the First Page of Your Paper

• Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested.
• In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.
• Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation marks.
• Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality Play; Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"
• Double space between the title and the first line of the text.

Grading Criteria

Where applicable, and unless otherwise specified, the following items will be used in assessing your formal essays.

Guidelines for communicating… 

…with me:

My office is room 213 of the Humanities and Performing Arts Center (HPAC), and my office phone number is 864-503-5285. You can come knock on my office door at any time, and if I’m there and not busy, I’ll be happy to talk with you. You can call my office phone any time, and if I’m there, I will answer.

You can email me at Dr.G.H.Williams@gmail.com. I do my best to answer email within twenty-four hours. When emailing me, you should use your USC Upstate email address, write a subject line that includes the course number and section, and include your full name at the end of your message.

…with each other:

In order to make it easier to catch up on any missed work or to form study groups, you should exchange your USC Upstate email address with as many classmates as you feel is appropriate. You do not, of course, need to be overly stiff or formal, but you should be courteous and respectful in your correspondence with others, and you should expect the same from them. Report any abusive or harassing emails to the USC Upstate Information Technology office.

I encourage you to develop a professional demeanor for electronic communication because in addition to all the social benefits the Internet provides, it is increasingly the venue by which you will make your first impressions on many potential employers and professional contacts. 

Standard disclaimer

The syllabus and the course calendar are tentative. I reserve the right to make adjustments as necessary. Students will be notified of changes.