Academic Integrity

Please familiarize yourself with BC’s policy on academic integrity.

Expectations for Ethical Engagement
1. Bring your best self.

I ask that we bring our best self–our most open, inquisitive, respectful, honest, patient, attentive, and prepared self–to each class. What I am asking is deceptively simple, and at times we, as a class or as individuals, will not accomplish this goal. Even so, we must strive for it.

2. Share.

Bringing our best self is hard. Many times we will struggle in this endeavor. And sometimes we will fail at it. As such, my second expectation for ethical engagement in this class is that we will share. This expectation too is deceptively simple, but if we bring our selves, and especially if we bring our best selves, we must share our selves. We must share our ideas, our questions, our experiences, our varying moods, our concerns; our commitments; our strengths and our limitations. Sharing though is a dynamic process. In order to share we must do the hard work of giving and the, at times, harder work of receiving. The act of giving and the act of receiving both require vulnerability, patience, and charity (charity here refers to the 1 Corinthians sense of the word).

3. Check in and continue.

Bringing our best self is hard. And sharing any version of our selves is hard. Many times, we will struggle at one or both of these endeavors. And sometimes, we will fail. When we struggle or fail the most important thing is that we check-in and continue. Check-in with ourselves, instructors, group members, or other relevant parties. Checking in helps us to stay accountable and keep going.

Tips for some (but not all) situations in which bringing and/or sharing our best self might be especially challenging:

  • If at any point in time you and/or other members of your group have difficulty respectfully and/or effectively negotiating group dynamics, you should reach out to the instructor immediately. Reaching out to the instructor is not a form of tattling or snitching or “throwing folks under the bus.” Reaching out to the instructor early on is a way of helping not just you but everyone in your group figure out how to navigate the issues and work towards 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 in any assignments (including the readings), please contact me ASAP. The sooner you reach out, the more likely our ability to navigate the issue smoothly.
  • 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.
Important

In addition to honoring the above expectations, remember that all members of the Boston College Community are beholden to the university’s standard of conduct and policies about academic integrity. Please familiarize or refamiliarize yourself with BC’s policy on academic integrity.

Academic Integrity FAQs
What Exactly is 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.

What Counts as 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).

For more information: To view the official BC academic integrity statement and/or learn more about how BC defines plagiarism or how the University enforces the academic integrity policy, click on or cut and paste the following URL: www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/stserv/academic/univcat/undergrad_catalog/policies_procedures.html#integrity

Disclaimer

On this page I have expressed my specific expectations for how we will comport ourselves as members of this particular learning community. These expectations are keeping with the university’s university’s official codes of conduct and academic integrity. Though you should find the expectations articulated below as complementary to those outlined by the university, please be aware that these expectations reflect the thoughts and words of the professor for this specific class, and they do not in any way exempt you from any aspect of the rules, policies, guidelines, and standards of conduct outlined by the university.