Course Policies
Attendance
Absences equal to 20 percent of the class may result in reduction of your term grade by one full letter grade. For example, an A- would become a B-. Missing more than 20 percent will result in failure.
Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
Plagiarism is a serious offense, one whose sanctions range from a reduction in grades to expulsion from the university. According to DePaul’s academic integrity policy,
Plagiarism is a major form of academic dishonesty involving the presentation of the work of another as one’s own. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to the following:
– The direct copying of any source, such as written and verbal material, computer files, audio disks, video programs or musical scores, whether published or unpublished, in whole or part, without proper acknowledgment that it is someone else’s.
– Copying of any source in whole or part without proper acknowledgement.
– Submitting as one’s own work a report, examination paper, computer file, lab report or other assignment that has been prepared by someone else. This includes research papers purchased from any other person or agency.
– The paraphrasing of another’s work or ideas without proper acknowledgment.
You should familiarize yourself with these and other academic integrity resources at DePaul, including those that discuss your rights and responsibilities.
I strongly recommend that when in doubt, always provide citations and direct attribution when using anyone else’s work, from print or online sources, and when summarizing, paraphrasing, or quoting from someone else’s work.
Given the nature of our particular course and materials — possibly integrating text, image, sound, and video — we might visit remixing and mashup techniques. This will be a good opportunity to explore copyright guidelines and your fair use privileges in academic, creative, and professional contexts.
I am always available to discuss any plagiarism or other intellectual property concerns or questions you might have for this or for any other class.
Assignment Requirements
Keep copies of all work submitted for grading. In the case of loss or damage, you are responsible for having another copy. Backup all your work for this or any other course when you are using a computer. Computer failure is a tragedy but not an excuse for late assignments.
Required Work
We will do a lot of reading, writing, revising, editing, and proofreading in this course, and we will review and discuss your work at various stages in its production. You should plan ahead in order to stay abreast of the course calendar and to allow time for the most important parts of the writing & designing processes: rereading, revising, and rethinking.
The revision process that occurs between your first and final iterations usually requires attention to several elements, such as mechanics, tone, and arrangement, and grading criteria will include an evaluation of your initiative and follow-through in the revising process.
Each major assignment must be completed to receive a passing grade in the course. Deadlines are negotiable only in cases of a documented medical emergency; without prior arrangements, late work will be marked down one letter grade for every day it is late.
