SYLLABUS
The syllabus and the schedule are subject to some revision across the semester. I will likely add some short readings and modify some of the assignments along the way. You are responsible for these changes as I announce them, whether by email or at the beginning of class.
COMMUNICATION
I will use email to distribute announcements, reading questions, paper suggestions, and more. You are responsible for checking your Wooster email account daily. (Note that you can have your Wooster email forwarded to another email account if that is more convenient.)
ATTENDANCE
The content of this class is not simply the textbooks, readings, and films. It is what takes place in the classroom. Attendance is mandatory. Please be in your seat and ready to begin at the start of class. There will be a significant grade penalty for missing classes and for arriving late. Please do not let yourself be a distraction to the class.
If you do miss a class, be sure to find out what you have missed and pick up any readings or handouts that were distributed. As a general rule, I will leave my extra copies in a box outside my office.
DISCUSSION
Much of this class will consist of discussion. Come prepared with something to say. Bring the day's reading (though you can leave the textbook at home, unless you have a question or comment about it).
To get something out of discussion, you must be willing to take risks&emdash;to speak when you aren't sure what you want to say, or worse, when you fear you might be wrong. I will encourage you&emdash;and we all will encourage each other&emdash;in this endeavor. That does not mean that we won't point out errors of fact, or that we will not disagree. Rather, it means that we will hold our discussions in an atmosphere of openness and respect. Anyone unable to meet this standard will be asked to leave.
If you know a lot about the topic of the day, please share your insight, but leave room for others to join the conversation. If you are coming to the topic for the first time, don't be afraid to venture your ideas or opinions. I will prod and encourage all of you to join in the conversation.
PAPERS AND DEADLINES
Paper assignments will be handed out approximately one week before papers are due.
The due dates and times of papers are indicated on the schedule below. Late papers will be accepted by permission of the instructor and penalized. Less than 24 hours late: 1/2 grade penalty; one full grade penalty for every day late.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE HAVING PROBLEMS
If you have any questions about the class, or if you find yourself falling behind, contact me immediately.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND PLAGIARISM
A full statement of the Code of Academic Integrity is printed in the Scot's Key. You are responsible for reading and understanding it. It is available online at the following web page: http://www.wooster.edu/deanofstd/policies/coai.html.
If, in any of your assignments, you use or imitate the words or the ideas of another without attribution, you are committing plagiarism, the academic equivalent of high treason. If you borrow the words of others, you must place them in quotation marks and properly cite the work. Failure to properly cite and quote is plagiarism.
Any student caught plagiarizing, cheating, or violating the Code of Academic Integrity in any way will fail this course immediately and be referred to the Dean of the Faculty.