English 315.02, Spring 2004, Policies

Science Fiction
English 315.02
Spring 2004

Policies

Academic Honesty

Students are expected to be honest in their academic work. The University has defined academic dishonesty as any of the following: plagiarism, collusion, cheating, giving or receiving answers on an exam, using previously prepared material during exams and quizzes, and submitting work completed for a previous course. If you plagiarize or commit any form of academic dishonesty and are caught, you may face severe penalties, including but not limited to, a failing grade for the assignment, a failing grade in the course, disciplinary probation, suspension, or expulsion from the University. In addition, you are ethically responsible to report any incidents of academic dishonesty of which you are aware. Further details on academic honesty can be found in the Academic Honesty brochure available from the Arts and Sciences Office.

Attendance

You are allowed three (3) unexcused absences during the term. Any additional absences may result in your semester grade being lowered by 1/2 a letter grade per additional absence. Five (5) unexcused absences will likely result in an A/F grade for the course.
Excused absences include:

Religious holidays
Participation in SLU sponsored activities (a note from sponsor/coach prior to the absence is required)
Illness (a doctor's note is required).
Civil responsibilities (documentation is required)
Unavoidable absences deemed reasonable by the instructor (documentation is required)

Please note that extended or excessive excused absences may necessitate withdraw from the course. If circumstances, whatever their nature, make it difficult for you to attend class, please come talk to me. You do not need to give me details—for instance, you can just tell me it's due to personal or family issues, but we will need to discuss how we can make arrangements so that you can pass the course or withdraw. In such cases, I will require documentation from your academic advisor, counseling services, or other appropriate entity verifying your situation.

Missing class, excused or not, does not exempt you from turning in work when it is due. When you return to class after an absence, excused or not, I expect you to be prepared for class and ready to turn in any work that is due on that day. If your absence is excused, I will need appropriate documentation upon your return. Missing class for religious holidays, participation in SLU sponsored activities, and civic responsibilities will only be considered excused if you notify me before the planned absence.

Tardiness

Students who are late three (3) times will accumulate an absence. That is, three (3) tardies equal one (1) absence. Students who are fifteen (15) minutes late to class are considered absent. Students should be aware that it is their responsibility to consult with the instructor about missed work and class. If students have a serious situation that prevents them from meeting deadlines or being in class on time, students should seek conference with the instructor of the course to discuss options/solutions to the problem. If students arrive late but before the 15-minute cut-off, students are responsible for checking with the instructor, after class, to ensure they are not counted absent.

Course Content Disclaimer

In this course, students may be required to read text or view materials that they may consider offensive. The ideas expressed in any given text do not necessarily reflect the views of the instructor, the English Department, or Saint Louis University. Course materials are selected for their historical and/or cultural relevance, or as an example of stylistic and/or rhetorical strategies and techniques. They are meant to be examined in the context of intellectual inquiry of the sort encountered at the university level.

Classroom Behavior

Because a productive learning environment is essential to all members of the class, polite and considerate behavior will be the norm in this class. From the simple courtesies of not interrupting a speaker, to the more complex demands of showing respect for ideas and beliefs different from one's own, students should demonstrate patience, cooperation, maturity, and mutual respect as they listen to presentations and/or engage in discussions. The instructor does not believe it should be necessary to elaborate further on the full range of possible concerns in this area. Students are expected to conduct themselves in a mature, responsible, and respectful manner. In addition, when investigating and evaluating material that contains perspectives that are different from a student's own values, they must conduct themselves and respond to others respectively. The instructor reserves the right to dismiss disruptive students from the class.

The University enforces the right of all students to articulate their beliefs. However, all student expression should remain within the following norms: 1) students must not use racist, sexist, or any other pejorative slang when they articulate a particular point of view; 2) students must be capable of speaking in an intelligent and informed manner concerning whatever point of view they wish to articulate; 3) students, after having voiced their viewpoint, must give serious consideration to whatever opposing viewpoints may be articulated in response; and 4) students should not engage in any speech or action that is directly or indirectly hostile towards instructors or other students.

Grading

Midterm grades, I want to stress, are nothing more than an indication of your work to date and are not necessarily a reliable indicator of how you will do at the end of the term.

SLU uses the following grades: A, B+, B, C+, C, D, F. Your final grade will be determined as follows:

Essays	30%
Exams & Quizzes	30%
Letters	10%
Journals	10%
Miscellaneous Work	5%
Participation	15%

Incompletes

The grade of Incomplete is reserved for students who, because of documented medical, personal, or otherwise serious reasons, are unable to complete the coursework for the semester. Students should not assume that because they have not completed all of the work in the class that they will be granted an Incomplete; students seeking the grade must approach the Instructor and request the Incomplete so that the appropriate paperwork may be completed. Students who request an Incomplete should not assume that they will automatically be granted it; Incompletes are issued at the Instructor's discretion. Once the grade of "I" has been reported to the Registrar, the student has one year in which to complete the requirements for clearing it from their record; if the student fails to do so, the grade is automatically converted by the Registrar to an "F". In the case of graduating seniors, this conversion will take place 30 calendar days after the commencement date. This is an automatic conversion process and will be run by the Registrar's office on the last day of the term one year after the term in question or, in the case of graduating seniors, 30 calendar days after the commencement date.

Late Work

All work is considered late if it is not submitted on time. Work is considered one day late if it is turned in between the time work is collected and 11:00 AM the next day. (For instance, if an assignment due on a Tuesday is turned any time after it was collected and before 11:00 AM Wednesday, it is considered one day late. If that same assignment is turned in between 11:00 AM Wednesday and 11:00 AM Thursday, it is two days late.) If you must turn in work late and are unable to get approval from me beforehand, turn the work in as soon as possible. Late work to be submitted as hard copy in class should be handed to me directly or placed in my English Department mailbox rather than emailed. Work more than a week late will not be accepted without prior permission. Late work will be penalized 5%/day and work more than one week late will likely earn no credit.
I will, upon proper documentation, consider waving late penalties on a case-by-case basis. If you will not be able to turn in work on time due to a planned absence, you must get the work to me before the due date unless you specifically get approval from me beforehand to turn it in late.

Students with Special Needs - Disability Services

Any student who feels that he/she may need academic accommodations in order to meet the requirements of this course—as outlined in the syllabus, due to presence of a disability, should contact the Office of Disabilities Services. Please telephone the office at 314-977-2930, or visit Room 131 in the Academic Resources Center, 3840 Lindell Blvd. Confidentiality will be observed in all inquiries.

The statement above is recommended by Dr. Atlas Laster, Jr., Disabilities Coordinator for the University, and may be customized, edited or individualized as deemed appropriate to fit your specific purposes.

Last Modified: 10 April 2004

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