Course Policies

On this page you will find my general expectations for your conduct in this course as well as information about the University’s academic integrity policy. You can learn about other course policies by clicking on the links below. After reviewing the course policies and requirements, please read and indicate your acceptance of the class contract.

– Attendance

– Grading

– Office Hours

– Readings

– Submitting Assignments

– Technology in the Classroom

My Expectations

I ask that you bring your best self — your most open, inquisitive, respectful, honest, attentive, and prepared self–to each and every class.  I know that what I am asking is deceptively simple, but I also believe it’s genuinely necessary and worthy of our efforts even if we don’t always achieve it. And there will be times when despite our best efforts, we find that for any number of reasons, we really struggle to bring our best self. Below is a list of possible (but not all) situations in which it might be hard to be your best self along with how you should proceed:

  • If at any point time you and/or other members of your group have difficulties respectfully and effectively negotiating group dynamics, you should reach out to me immediately so that I can do my best to help you navigate the issue and have a productive and successful group experience. 
  • If ever you are unable to clearly and/or respectfully address some aspect of the class discussion (e.g. a particular comment or some part of a particular text) that you find difficult intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, or otherwise, please reach out to me via email or office hours.
  • If you find yourself falling behind for any reason, please contact me sooner rather than later.
  • If you find yourself bored, confused, or overwhelmed at any point in the semester, please contact me.
  • If you are a student with a documented disability seeking reasonable accommodations in this course, please contact Kathy Duggan, (617) 552-8093, at the Connors Family Learning Center regarding learning disabilities, or Paulette Durrett, (617) 552-3470, in the Disability Services Office regarding all other types of disabilities.

Academic Integrity

Please familiarize yourself with the BC policy on academic integrity, which you can find at: www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/stserv/academic/univcat/undergrad_catalog/policies_procedures.html#integrity

  • What Constitutes Plagiarism?
    • According to the University Statement on Academic Integrity, “Plagiarism is the deliberate act of taking the words, ideas, data, illustrations, or statements of another person or source, and presenting them as one’s own.  Each student is responsible for learning and using proper methods of paraphrasing and footnoting, quotation, and other forms of citation, to ensure that the original author, speaker, illustrator, or source of the material used is clearly acknowledged.”  
    • Using a term-paper “service” counts as plagiarism, as does “borrowing” from a friend’s paper or online source without attribution.  If you plagiarize, you will automatically fail the course, and the consequences may be worse than that. When in doubt, cite! And if at any time you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, or how to cite a source, please ask me and/or consult the Academic Development Center in O’Neill (2nd floor).  Please also review the university statement at www.bc.edu/integrity.
  • Acceptable Assistance
    • Working with a Connors Learning Center tutor does not count as plagiarism and is recommended–as long as you acknowledge each session, along with the tutor’s name, on your paper. It is best to book sessions a week in advance of when you think you will need them (2-0611).