Attendance & Participation
- Be in class. Your attendance is required to succeed in this course. Attendance will be taken within the first fifteen minutes of class. These attendance records are definitive; you are responsible for signing attendance sheets and failing to do so will result in an absence even if you have materials/notes from the day in question. Each student will have five personal days during the semester that are exempt from penalty. Do not contact me to explain/justify your absences because I do not differentiate between excused and unexcused absences. Missing more than five classes will impact your final grade: each absence after the initial five will result in 20 points (2%) being deducted from your overall grade.
- Be attentive and engaged. I am a media scholar who cherishes most technological devices like children, and I am well-aware of how technological devices can function as educational and professional tools. However, technological devices often become distractions from our primary aim in the classroom: attentive learning and thinking. You can choose to use laptops or tablets to take notes in class but, to avoid distracting yourself and other students, they should not be used for any other purpose (email, Twitter, Facebook, completing work for other classes, etc.). Three caveats: 1) mobile phones are never allowed without explicit permission, 2) no electronic devices may be used during media screenings, and 3) if a student is found using electronic devices beyond what is outlined above, all students will be asked to refrain from using their devices for the rest of a lecture.
- Read. All readings should be completed by the date listed on the timeline.
- Watch. Screenings will be held in and out of class as noted in the timeline. If you are absent during an in-class screening, you must acquire and view the material on your own time (most are available through streaming or rental services such as Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes).
- Submit. Written assignments will include format guidelines and should be submitted on Blackboard before class begins (10:30am) on the day that they are due, and late submissions are lowered 10% (or 1 letter grade) per day. In-class assignments/quizzes cannot be completed late—no exceptions. I do not offer make-up exams or penalty waivers for late submissions unless a student provides me with legitimate documentation (submitted at least one week in advance) for an authorized university exception (e.g. athletic competition) or in the case of dire, health-related emergency (e.g. hospitalization).
- On Excuses. I am unable to ascertain the legitimacy of most justifications students provide for missing class or assignment/exam deadlines. To prevent penalties associated with absences or late submissions, assume: your computer will crash, get a virus, or explode; your USB key drive will be erased or eaten by the dog; your e-mail attachments will become inaccessible because Google discontinues G-Mail; you forget to upload your assignment to Blackboard; you did not know Information Technology Services provides assistance with Blackboard; you cannot provide a hardcopy assignment because every possible printer inkwell runs dry; your car will break down, the bus skips your stop, the train derails, or your eco-friendly car-pool group decides to drive their own cars to campus; any number of people meet their tragic, untimely death(s); and, finally, assume that you might be hung-over, sleep in, or otherwise miss class. Class will continue and deadlines will arrive regardless of any excuses you offer—real or imaginative. So, be prepared to arrive to campus early, finish and submit assignments early, or something of these sorts. This way, you can devote more time to punctual arrivals and avoid wasting your creativity on excuses for the inability to meet assignment deadlines—for whatever reason.