Attendance & Participation
Your attendance and participation are required in this course.
- Be in class. Each student will have four personal days during the semester to cover absences from class. When you miss class, you are responsible for acquiring information about what was discussed—such as notes from a classmate. Missing more than four classes will dramatically impact your final grade. For each absence after the initial four, your overall grade will be dropped a full letter grade. You do not need to offer an explanation for your absences because I do not differentiate between excused and unexcused absences outside of extreme circumstances; but, if a student has an ongoing situation that requires special consideration, please discuss this with me at the beginning of the semester. NOTE: Attendance records are definitive. You are responsible for signing attendance sheets (physically/digitally); failing to do so will result in an absence even if you have materials/notes from the day in question.
- Be on time. Latecomers distract me and other students. I will take role within the first 15 minutes of class and if you are more than 15 minutes late you will be marked tardy. Each tardy counts as one-half of an absence.
- Be prepared. This functions as a seminar by integrating lectures with class and group discussions. It is essential for students to complete the assigned material prior to class in order to fulfill their responsibilities as part of our learning community. Everyone is expected to participate in class discussions. Because discussion and participation are necessary for successful, communal learning, let the unprepared be warned: if I notice that the required readings are not being completed, I will give pop quizzes.
- 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, I prohibit their use for any other purposes (email, Twitter, Facebook, completing work for other classes, etc.). Two caveats: 1) I expect you to turn off all devices during media screenings, and 2) I expect you to refrain from using cellphones during class without permission.
Northeastern University Academic Integrity Policy
While the internet makes plagiarism seem easy—to locate information on Google, for example—it is just as easy for me to track down plagiarism. If you can Google it, I can Google it. So, DON’T PLAGIARIZE! Cite all of your sources, put all direct quotations in quotation marks, clearly note when you are paraphrasing work by other authors, don’t try to resubmit work you have written in another course, etc.
Cheating, collusion, dishonesty, and plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated. Taking part in any one of these forms of academic dishonesty can result in a zero for the assignment, course failure, and/or expulsion from the university. The university’s policy on academic integrity is available online.
From the Academic Integrity Policy:
A commitment to the principles of academic integrity is essential to the mission of Northeastern University. The promotion of independent and original scholarship ensures that students derive the most from their educational experience and their pursuit of knowledge. Academic dishonesty violates the most fundamental values of an intellectual community and undermines the achievements of the entire University. […]
The following is a broad overview, but not an all-encompassing definition, of what constitutes a violation of academic integrity:
The University defines cheating as using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise. When completing any academic assignment, a student shall rely on his or her own mastery of the subject. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Unauthorized use of aids such as but not limited to notes, text, the Internet, cell phones, etc. to complete any academic assignment.
- Copying from another student’s academic work.
- Unauthorized communication during an examination.
- Handing in the same paper for more than one course without explicit permission from the instructor(s).
- Intentionally viewing a test before it is administered.
- Storing notes in a portable electronic device for use during an examination.
The University defines fabrication as falsification, misrepresentation, or invention of any information, data, or citation in an academic exercise. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Inventing data, facts, or sources for an academic assignment.
- Altering the results of a lab experiment or survey.
- Citing a source in a bibliography that was not used.
- Stating an opinion as a scientifically proven fact.
The University defines plagiarism as using as one’s own the words, ideas, data, code, or other original academic material of another without providing proper citation or attribution. Plagiarism can apply to any assignment, either final or drafted copies, and it can occur either accidentally or deliberately. Claiming that one has “forgotten” to document ideas or material taken from another source does not exempt one from plagiarizing. The following sources require citation:
- Word-for-word quotations from a source, including another student’s work.
- Paraphrasing (using the ideas of others in your own words).
- Unusual or controversial facts not widely recognized.
- Audio, video, digital, or live exchanges of ideas, dialogue, or information.
- Students unclear as to whether or not a source requires citation should speak with their professor or consult the Writing Center in 412 Holmes Hall.
The University defines unauthorized collaboration as instances when students submit individual academic works that are substantially similar to one another. While several students may have the same source material, any analysis, interpretation, or reporting of data required by an assignment must be each individual’s independent work unless the instructor has explicitly granted permission for group work. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Submitting work that closely matches that of another student, even when the work is to be original to the student handing in the assignment.
- Sharing a take-home examination, case write-up, lab report, or any other assignment with a peer without express permission from the instructor.
The University defines participation in academically dishonest activities as any action taken by a student with the intention of gaining an unfair advantage over other students. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Misrepresenting oneself or one’s circumstances to an instructor.
- Stealing an examination.
- Purchasing a pre-written paper.
- Selling, loaning, or otherwise distributing materials intended for the purpose of cheating, plagiarism, or other academically dishonest acts.
- Destroying, altering, stealing, or forging another student’s work, library materials, laboratory materials, academic records, course syllabi, or examination/course grades.
- Intentionally missing an examination or assignment deadline to gain an unfair advantage.
- Forging information or signatures on official University documents.
The University defines facilitating academic dishonesty as intentionally or knowingly helping or contributing to the violation of any provision of this policy. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Doing academic work for another student.
- Making available previously used academic work for another individual who intends to resubmit the work for credit.
Obligation to Uphold Academic Integrity: All members of the Northeastern University community have a role in upholding the Academic Integrity Policy. […] All instructors are required to refer to Northeastern’s Academic Integrity Policy in their course syllabi.
Appeals: Students may appeal the disciplinary actions of an Academic Integrity violation on the three grounds identified in the Code of Student Conduct. The Appeals Process outlined in the Code of Student Conduct will be used for such appeals. Please refer to the Code of Student Conduct for a complete description and explanation of the Appeals Process.