I expect you to read a lot. We’ll read five assigned books and one book of your choice, plus additional reading as assigned. Please come to the first day of class having read Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford so we can discuss it, too. I will give you several ways to respond to your reading in writing.
You will do a lot of writing for this course. Various assignments will call on you to write in different ways for different audiences. Because no professional writer ever considers his or her first draft a finished product, we will work over everything you write until you can feel proud of it. The Writing Center is a tremendous resource. I recommend that you use it no matter how talented a writer you are.
This is a discussion course, and all of you are expected to participate in the conversation. That doesn’t mean you have to talk even if you have nothing to say. It means arriving prepared, listening carefully, and making contributions without dominating the conversation. If you are shy, we’ll work on making you more comfortable speaking up. If you love to talk, we’ll work on making you a skilled listener. Some days I will step back and let you all do the talking – and yes, it counts in the grade. Because many of your college courses, all academic work and, in fact, civic life all depend on effective conversation, it’s a skill we will practice daily. We’ll also spend time working on speaking in front of others in a more formal way. This is rarely something people enjoy, but being able to put your ideas across in a public venue is important when you need to be heard.
I expect you to participate fully, both in class and in preparing for class. Your attendance is important not just for you and your grade, but so that your classmates have a worthwhile experience. Likewise, being unprepared will hurt not just you, but the entire class. So, here are some simple ground rules for this course:Â Please let me know if you are sick and can’t attend class. (Being tired doesn’t count.) If any absence is due to participation in a college-sponsored activity, college policy requires the supervising faculty member to provide you with a letter specifying the dates, times, and details of necessary absences for such activities. Whatever the circumstances of your absence, you must make up missed work to my satisfaction.
This class is a community, and you must be responsible to this community and aware of how your choices affect the others. A respectful classroom is one in which people generally arrive on time, turn off their cell phones, put away their gadgets, pay attention to one another, and avoid offensive language or nonverbal signals of disrespect, mockery, or boredom. I don’t mind if you bring a beverage to class, but don’t multitask by eating during class. Please eat lunch before or after you come so that you can concentrate without distracting others.
I expect you to behave with integrity. This college has an academic honesty policy. If you knowingly violate it, you will fail this course and your offense will be reported to the Provost’s office and could ultimately result in expulsion. Yes, we take it seriously. However, most students make honest mistakes, especially when they’re first learning how to write using unfamiliar academic conventions. I will help you understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.
I expect you to keep in touch. If you have any questions or issues that are having an impact on your work in this class or in others I’m counting on you to let me know. Likewise, if you have a diagnosed learning disability or any health situation (physical or mental) that might affect your ability to complete assignments, it is your responsibility to let me know about it at the beginning of the semester. You will need a letter from Laurie Bickett in the Academic Advising office to support requests for reasonable accommodation of disabilities. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Art of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) work together to ensure “reasonable accommodation” and non-discrimination for students with disabilities in higher education. A student who has a physical, psychiatric/emotional, medical, learning, or attentional disability that may have an effect on the student’s ability to complete assigned course work should contact the Disability Services Coordinator in the Advising Center, who will review the concerns and decide with the student what accommodations are necessary. You will have to exercise personal responsibility to make sure your teachers are informed and may have to advocate for yourself a bit more than you’re used to, but Laurie and I can help you figure out the ropes.
I expect you to take care of yourself. You will be very busy this semester. Get enough sleep, get regular exercise, and make sure you eat good food. A healthy lifestyle will help your grades far more than stressing out, grabbing snacks instead of eating right, or doing homework or studying for an exam when you should be sleeping.
Finally, as a rule of thumb, the safest thing to do unless you are told otherwise is to address your teachers respectfully as “Professor [last name].” However, it’s perfectly okay to address me as “Barbara.”
What you can expect from me: I will do my best to provide feedback on your work as fairly and as quickly as possible. I will be available for questions via e-mail, and will try to respond quickly, usually within 24 hours. I will be available for face to face appointments if you need to speak with me, and you’re welcome to drop by my office at any time, though I may be unavailable; I have to go to a lot of meetings. When I don’t know the answers to your questions, I will try to find someone who does. I will keep your academic and personal information private, as I am required to do by law and because it’s the right thing to do. As your academic advisor, I will do my best to help you work through any problems you encounter as a new college student, whether academic or personal.
Barbara
