Policies

Email. I plan to respond to emails only twice a day (once in the morning and once in the afternoon), Monday-Saturday.  I may respond at other times, but it is your responsibility to avoid placing yourself in urgent situations that necessitate quick responses by keeping abreast of course requirements.

Documentation of Research. In essay assignments, you must document all sources from which you draw quoted passages or significant ideas by inserting footnotes, which must be prepared in the Chicago Manual of Style format.  For examples of Chicago Style citations, see http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc.

Assignment Submissions. Any assigned work submitted after the start of class on the due date will incur a penalty of 10 percent after the start of class on the due date, with an additional 10 percent subtracted per subsequent day (including weekends and holidays).

Extensions. In the event of extreme circumstances that prevent your submitting assigned work on time, you may request an extension.  If granted, a new due date will be assigned.  Extension requests must be made no less than 48 hours (2 days) before the start of class on the due date.  After that, I require written documentation that clearly demonstrates your inability to complete the assignment on time.

Attendance. If you anticipate being unable to be in class consistently, you should withdraw from the course.  I will take account of absences and may deduct 1/3 of a letter grade from your final average if you accumulate more than three unexcused absences.  Excused absences require notice via email or phone prior to the start of class (pending my approval) or appropriate written documentation thereafter (again, pending my approval).  If you are ill, I will always excuse your absence, but it is your responsibility to see that I am informed in a timely way.

Student Conduct. Unacceptable conduct includes but is not limited to: disruptive talking or noisemaking, arriving late or leaving early without appropriate notice, intimidating or threatening anyone in the classroom, sleeping, bringing any activated personal electronic devices to the classroom, doing other assignments during class, texting, and “surfing” the Web.

Academic Integrity. Using someone else’s ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness, is a serious offense known as plagiarism.  ”Ideas or phrasing” includes written or spoken material ranging from whole papers and paragraphs to sentences and phrases.  “Someone else” can mean a professional source, such as a published writer or critic in a book, magazine, encyclopedia, or journal; an electronic resource such as material we discover on the Web; another student at CSU or elsewhere; and a paper-writing “service” (online or otherwise) which offers to sell written papers for a fee.  Source: Capitol Community College’s guide to plagiarism (based on the MLA style): http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/plagiarism.shtml.  I will assign a grade of “0″ on any plagiarized work and reserve the right to notify the University according to University procedures.

Writing Assistance. The Department of History offers a History Tutoring Center where you may seek assistance in preparing written work.  The Center is located in RT 1913, and may reached at (216) 687-3921.

Student Disabilities. If you have a disability, it is your responsibility to contact the Office of Disability Services at (216) 687-2015.  The Office is located in MC 147.  Accommodations need to be requested in advance and will not be granted retroactively.