Course Policies:

 

Appointments:

á      You are welcome and encouraged to come and speak to me about the course material, difficulties with the course, tests and papers, plans for the future, or any other academic topic. In addition to my office hours, I am available by appointment. You can make an appointment by email (rtierney@uwaterloo.ca), or after class.

 

Late Penalties:

á      Late papers will be penalized at the rate of 2% per business day.

á      Late essays should be submitted to the English Department office. The essays must be put in the department drop-box (HH 2016E, beside HH 228). Essays will be stamped by department staff. If your essay is lost because you did not ensure that either I, the drop-box, or a department staff member received it, you will be held responsible for that loss.

á      Please keep a copy of your work. In the case of a lost essay, I will require another copy.

á      I do not accept emailed or other electronic submissions.

á      A doctorÕs note is required to avoid a late penalty. The note must document a serious illness during the period immediately before and on the due date of the essay.

á      You are permitted one extension of two business days on one essay, no questions asked. No other extensions will be given for any reason.

 

Participation:

á      I do not give marks for attendance.

á      A small component of your participation mark is for attentive and respectful listening, but you will not do well on participation if you do not speak in class.

á      I am always available to discuss strategies for effective participation, ways to overcome shyness, and topics you wish to raise in class but feel youÕd like to run by me first.

á      I post a discussion question for each class. Preparing a response to this question is an easy way to ensure a good participation mark. You can prepare with a short written answer (two or three sentences is more than enough) to be read aloud in class, with point-form notes, or by discussing the question with a classmate or with me in advance.

 

About email:

á      Questions that require lengthy or complex responses cannot always be taken up over email. I am always happy to read these emails, but I will respond to emails that require exceptionally long responses by asking you to come to my office hours or make an appointment to see me.

á      Email is not a substitute for in-person appointments, email participation is not a substitute for in-class participation, and I will not answer questions over email that have been canvassed in the lectures. If you miss a lecture, you are responsible for getting notes from a classmate.

á      I check my email very regularly, and can generally be counted on to respond relatively quickly. Do not, however, expect instant responses. 24 hours is the minimum amount of time you need to wait before sending the same query again.

á      I never give out marks on email. I want you to see the context for your mark at the same time that you see the mark itself.

 

Academic Offences:

 

The Faculty of Arts requires that I draw your attention to the following:

á      Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.

á      Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about ÒrulesÓ for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline.

á      Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4.

á      Appeals: A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline if a ground for an appeal can be established. Read Policy 72 - Student Appeals.

á      Other sources of information for students: Academic Integrity website (Arts) Academic Integrity Office (UWaterloo)