Policies: American West

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Course Policies

Attendance No unexcused absences. If you need to miss class, email me BEFORE you miss the class. If you miss more than three classes, excused or unexcused, we will need to talk about your attendance, since this course is heavily dependent on being present, in person.

Attitude Have an opinion and be respectful of others. It's okay to not know the answer to something. A lot of times, it's preferable.

Participation in class discussion
Think of our discussions as lively conversations, and engage your classmates in that spirit. Our collective purpose is to explore, analyze, and reflect on the readings. Here are my expectations: (1) Come prepared for discussions by critically reading all the assigned materials, and always bring the books we read to class. (2) You must participate. The quality is more important than the quantity. (3) Show respect for your classmates’ ideas, even (or especially) when they’re different from your own. NOTE: Some of you will look forward to sharing your ideas, and others may find the very thought of talking in front of a group painful. If you’re shy, remember that it’s not fair to the rest of the group to make them carry the weight of the discussion. Nor is it fair to you—you won’t get much out of the class if you don’t put your ideas on the table for discussion. If you’re confident and articulate, share your thoughts, but also recognize that those who are silent need to be given the “space” to speak, and allow them to do so. Come prepared to express your ideas and have them challenged by others. You will make some mistakes--I will, we all will!--but discussion is meant for working at the frontier of our knowledge.

Classroom Etiquette Turn off cell phones just like in the airplane; they disturb your classmates and me. Please also refrain from text messaging. Repeated failure to turn off your electronic devices may result in dismissal from the classroom.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Reading literary and cultural texts carefully and critically.
• Producing a variety of creative and critical texts using appropriate technologies that contribute to literary and cultural discourses.
• Developing abilities in critical reading, writing, and thinking necessary for them to communicate successfully with other audiences both within and outside the University.
• Exploring the record of the human experience in language.
• Improving individual writing voice through editing and revision.
• Learning to give a dynamic presentation to class members.

University Policies

Academic Honesty Plagiarism is turning in work that is not your own (unless directed to do so for a particular assignment) and will result in failure of the course; I will also report the case to the Office of Student Conduct. See WSU’s Academic Integrity Statement at http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/plagiarism/main.html.

Disability Accommodations Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability and need accommodations to fully participate in this class, please either visit or call the Access Center (Washington Building 217; 509-335-3417) to schedule an appointment with an Access Advisor. All accommodations MUST be approved through the Access Center.

 

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