The Covid Elephant
We’re still not really back to “normal” in terms of teaching and learning. So we’re going to have a few policies that will keep us all as safe and comfortable as possible. These are not negotiable. If you have problems with them, drop this class.
- Masking will be 100% universal and strictly enforced. You must be wearing a mask at ALL TIMES during any in-person class. Repeated failure to comply with this policy will result in your being removed from the class.
- If you are feeling unwell, please stay home. I would rather you miss a little class and have to catch up than you infect the rest of us.
- I reserve the right to move our class online at any time for any reason that I find compelling. I will give you as much warning as I can about a move to online.
Covid aside, my basic policies all exist so that you can give yourself a chance to learn. There are a few things I expect from you in order to facilitate learning.
- Keep up with your classwork. This means a few things:
- Show up to every class period, on time, if it is the reasonable and right thing to do. If you need to be absent, I’d appreciate a heads-up. If you know in advance, contact me so we can make sure you don’t fall behind. If you have to miss class unexpectedly, contact me as soon as possible after you return so we can get you caught up.
- Turn in all your work, on time. The skills in this class build on each other, so falling behind on your assignments will only hurt you. If you’re struggling to get your work done, come talk to me sooner rather than later.
- Bring the materials you need in order to participate in class: a computer, paper and a writing instrument, and access to the readings assigned for the day.
- Treat yourself, your classmates, and your professor with respect. If it’s not constructive, keep it to yourself. Harassment of any of your classmates or your professor will not be tolerated. We’ll be doing a lot of collaborative work in this class, and I expect you to handle any conflicts with professionalism. I also expect you to pull your weight in the collaboration.
- Use the technology for class-related purposes. I’m more than happy for you to use your computer/phone/tablet during class, since we’re doing technology stuff. But you won’t get much out of class if your attention isn’t on the class.
- Do your own work. This means a few things:
- Don’t copy from other people without credit—e.g., your classmates, books in the library, a random website, Wikipedia, to name a few.
- If you do use other people’s words or ideas, make sure you do it properly: either within quotation marks (with a citation) or properly paraphrased.
- In this class, we’ll talk about how you can appropriately use images/video/audio on the web, but a general rule of thumb is, if you’re not sure whether you have the rights to use material, find something else. For this class, at least, better safe than sorry.
University-wide policies
See the George Mason University catalog for general policies, as well as the university statement on diversity. You are expected to know and follow George Mason’s policies on academic integrity and the honor code. Please ask me if you have any questions about how these policies apply to this course. Please note the dates for dropping and adding this course from the academic calendar.
Getting help and accommodations
If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Services at 703-993-2474 or http://ods.gmu.edu. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office. That said, if you need help about anything, or you have special circumstances that I need to know about to help you succeed in this class, please come talk to me. Special circumstances could be a disability, or childcare issues, or an aging parent who needs help, or any number of other things. I can’t help you unless you tell me that you need help.
Life
We’re all humans. This class is not your only responsibility. I know that. If there are things in your life that are making it hard for you to do your work, please let me know. If you need to bring your kids to class, or you need to sit in the front every session, or if you need help with time management or workload management, come talk to me.
Enrollment in this class
Students are responsible for verifying their enrollment in this class.
Schedule adjustments should be made by the deadlines published in the Schedule of Classes.
After the last day to drop a class, withdrawing from this class requires the approval of the dean and is only allowed for nonacademic reasons. Undergraduate students may choose to exercise a selective withdrawal. See the Schedule of Classes for selective withdrawal procedures.
