Course Policies
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COVID-19 Safety
My goal is for us to have a pleasant and safe semester, and this is only possible when we work together as a community. We will follow the most up-to-date university policies and health guidelines throughout the semester, including masking guidelines. Below is a review of the university policies as of August 25, 2021, followed by some additional guidance for our specific classroom. University Policies/Guidelines Masking:
Cleaning There are cleaning products in our classroom. Classrooms get a thorough cleaning overnight, but it is smart to still clean our workspaces between classes. (This isn’t just a COVID thing; college campuses are germy and other viruses like the flu are easily spread.) Rather than assume the previous class cleaned up after themselves, I am recommending that we all clean the surfaces where we will sit before we get started. Mutual Respect and Smooth Class Sessions If anyone is not following the university guidelines, my goals are to handle this as privately as possible, to check for understanding, and to find solutions so that person can attend class and everyone has a smooth experience. For example, if you forget a mask, I will give you a spare disposable one that I have on hand. However, we need to think about the best interest of our whole community in class, and disruptions to our sessions need to be kept to a minimum. If an individual student is not complying with university policies and we cannot arrive at a solution in a timely manner to get class started, I will have to ask that student to leave, and we can work with the Dean of Students to resolve the issue later in the day. More information about university policies and expectations can be found in the Return to Rowan guide for students: https://www.rowan.edu/returntorowan/planning-resources/student-guide.html. Attendance Policy in the Time of Covid-19
This class has regularly scheduled meeting times. Even if/when we are meeting remotely, your presence is still expected and necessary for your success in the course. A writing class is a community and often engages in collaborative work; you will get the most benefit from the class if you are participating in class sessions in real time.
Since this is a HyFlex course, attendance will look different than in a typical semester. I will focus on your attendance as only one aspect of your overall engagement. By engagement, I mean that you:
If you are unable to attend class as scheduled, you should
Per the university’s own attendance policy, absences for the following reasons should always be considered excused:
However, the unprecedented nature of life and school during a pandemic means that students might face additional obstacles to attendance, including childcare/family care responsibilities, technical/access issues, and employment considerations. If you must miss class for any of the above or other excusable reasons, please contact me as soon as possible. If you are not engaging in class, are falling behind in your work, and/or are not routinely joining our class meetings during their scheduled times, I will be reaching out to and your advisor through the Rowan Success Network (RSN) so that we can discuss together what is preventing you from fully engaging in the course and explore solutions, which might include counseling you to withdraw. As a rule of thumb, the Writing Arts Department views six absences as significant and concerning; greater than six--whether excused or unexcused--compromises the learning experience of the course. If extenuating circumstances force you to miss more than six classes, we really should discuss what is preventing you from joining class to figure out how we can accommodate you within reason. Absences should be used with discretion because you never know when you will suddenly have to miss class. University Policy: https://confluence.rowan.edu/display/POLICY/Attendance+Policy |
Attendance Policy During non-Pandemic Times
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Department of Writing Arts Attendance Policy
Because the success of writing courses results, in large part, from the establishment of learning communities in which all members participate, and because participation in such learning communities requires attendance at and involvement in class meetings, and because the particular classroom experiences in writing courses are unrepeatable, the Department of Writing Arts has established the following attendance policy for all courses. Maximum Number of Allowable Absences
You are expected to attend class every day. You cannot pass this class if you miss more than the maximum number of permissible absences, including excused and unexcused absences. The maximum number of permissible absences for a 15-week course is as follows: |
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Class Meets:
Once/week Twice/week Three times/week |
Maximum Number of Absences:
3 6 9 |
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If you exceed the maximum absence limit, even for reasons that are excused, you must withdraw from the course. Normally, you will receive a WF (Withdraw Failing) on your transcript, but the Dean of Students, in consultation with your instructor, may change this to a simple W.
Late work
Given the nature of this course, which is highly collaborative, you are expected by me and your group to show up, on time, having done the work. Without integrity, nothing works, and so we will work together to honor our word in the matter of our participation together, and remain in communication, especially in those moments when you discover that you cannot keep your word on time. Having said that, due to the structure of the course, where all material to be handed in for a grade happens at the end of the semester, it is possible, however unlikely, that someone can still complete and pass the course. |
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Intellectual Property and Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious breach of academic honesty. When you use material from other sources, you must acknowledge that work, whether it is verbatim material from a text, general outlines or rewritten forms. This applies to published work, online sources, or texts produced by other students. The following statement is from the Rowan University Academic Integrity Policy:
Note: The Department of Writing Arts does not allow students to turn in the same writing assignment for more than one class. Students must receive express permission of their instructor to submit writing or a substantial part of a written text previously submitted to another class. Not doing so is considered academic dishonesty and, following the policies laid out by Rowan, may result in an F for that assignment and possibly an F for the semester.
I expect that the work you turn in for this class will represent your own work, done solely for this course, and the appropriately attributed work of others. If you have any questions at all about citation, please ask me since the consequences for plagiarism are severe. If you plagiarize in this class, you will fail the course. Additionally, the Office of the Dean of Students will be informed of the reason for the failing grade. Formatting Procedures
You are responsible for following the conventions for each genre of writing within any forum, electronic or otherwise. In other words, while I will be providing guidance, it is ultimately your job to study and practice the forms writing takes within any given genre and forum you are assigned to write within. For instance, since you will be blogging throughout this course, it would be wise to examine several bloggers who read and write about what they read. Syllabus, schedule, and assignments may be modified at discretion of the instructor.
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Etiquette and Professionalism
Professionalism is required. Listen respectfully when others are speaking. Do not use any devices except those authorized by me (for instance, computers in a computer lab). Lack of professionalism may result in being marked absent and/or a lowered final grade. When you email me or the class, please be sure that your subject line is appropriately worded and that your message is to the point and appropriate for an academic readership. Please see Rowan's classroom behavior policy. Also see Rowan's policy regarding use of mobile devices. Department of Writing Arts Statement on Accommodation of Special Needs
Your academic success is important to me. If you have a documented disability that may have an impact upon your work in this class, please contact me. You must provide documentation of your disability to the Academic Success Center in order to receive official University services and accommodations. The Academic Success Center can be reached at 856-256-4234 or www.rowan.edu/studentaffairs/asc/. The Center is located on the 3rd floor of Savitz Hall. The staff is available to answer questions regarding accommodations or assist you in your pursuit of accommodations. We look forward to working with you to meet your learning goals. Writing Center
The Writing Center supports students in Writing Intensive courses with one-on-one or small group consultations. Students can get help with all steps of the writing process: inventions strategies, rough drafting, revising, and editing.
Writing Center. Call 856.256.4376 or email [email protected]. Limited walk-in appointments are available. To get the most out of your writing consultation:
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