Syllabus

Grading:

Attendance and Participation: 25%

  • Attendance, respectful discussion, and active participation is required in all class sessions.  Absences will only be excused in case of medical emergency or university-sponsored activities.  If you are not on-task during workshop days or if you engage in behavior which is disruptive to your classmates’ work, you will be counted absent and/or asked to leave.
  • Most of our class time will be spent sitting in front of computers—it is expected that you use your classroom computer only for good and never for evil! Facebook, shoe shopping, fantasy sports and other non-class activities will get you a warning the first time and an absence the second time.

  • Students may miss two days of class without excuse. Students who miss class for any reason are required to turn in any assignments due on the date of the missed class session.

  • More than six absences without documentation will result in a failing grade for the course.

  • If a student misses more than a week of classes due to medical emergency, documentation must be provided through the Office of Undergraduate Education in accordance with the University’s Medical Excuse Policy http://www.albany.edu/health_center/medicalexcuse.shtml

  • Students are expected to treat one another and the instructor with respect during class, via email and on the course site. Students who disrupt the learning of others or violate the Student Conduct Code may be asked to leave class and/or lose points for class activities.

Post and discussion questions: 5%

  • Posts should be about 500-800 words long (longer is ok too) and must be posted by noon the day before the assigned class meeting.  Posts must be in complete sentences and you will be graded on correct punctuation and grammar.
  • Posts must include three discussion questions about the assigned readings and have a title, category and tags as well as links to the assigned readings.
  • I may or may not comment on your posts; my comment or lack thereof does not reflect on your grade.

Comments: 10%

  • Except for the week you are assigned to post, you must comment and/or reply twice on that week’s discussion posts.  Comments must be substantive (ie, not just “I agree”) and must be in complete sentences with correct punctuation and grammar.  Comments can answer the discussion questions, ask further clarification questions about the readings or topics, or elaborate on the author’s observations.

Homework: 30%

  • Nearly every Tuesday we will have a short assignment due on Blackboard, in Google Docs, or as a file to be shared with Dr. Kane via Dropbox.  Details for each will be linked on the course schedule.

Walking Tour: 15%

  • Details will be linked from their own page

Final Project: 15%

  • Details will be linked from their own page

Course Policies:

Assignments

  • All writing assignments are due online at the beginning of class on the date indicated on the syllabus. Late assignments will lose one grade increment per day late (ie, an A- will be a B+ after one day late and a B after two days late). Paper or emailed assignments will not be accepted.
  • Grades and feedback on assignments and exams will not be discussed over email. If you want more feedback than the grading rubric, or you would like to discuss your grades, you must make an in person appointment with Dr. Kane.

Email and Technology

  • Lost files, lost passwords or computer troubles are not an excuse for late work, especially in this class! Have a backup plan! We’ll discuss options the first week of class.
  • Unless specific permission is given for disability accommodation purposes, class sessions may not be recorded under any circumstances. Recording audio, video or by other means may result in dismissal from the course or a zero for class activities at the instructor’s discretion.
  • Phones and other noise making devices should be silenced at the beginning of class. Don’t disrupt the learning of others. Noise or distraction from your electronic devices may result in loss of the day’s class activity points.
  • Students are required by University policy to check their albany.edu email once every 24 hours. Students are responsible for receiving any updates about the course via email.
  • Please allow at least 48 hours for a response from Dr. Kane. There are many of you and one of me.
  • Email any time but do not expect a response outside of the 9AM-5PM business day. Especially the night before an assignment due date.

Accommodations

  • All reasonable accommodations will be provided for students with documented physical, sensory, systemic, cognitive, learning and psychiatric disabilities in accordance with the University’s Statement of Reasonable Accommodation Policy http://www.albany.edu/disability/docs/RAP.pdf
  • If you believe you have a disability requiring accommodation in this class, please notify the Director of the Disability Resource Center (Campus Center 137 / 442-5490 / cmalloch@albany.edu). That office will provide Dr. Kane with documentation of your disability, and will recommend appropriate accommodations.

Academic Honesty

  • All students are required to complete the Academic Honesty quiz with a score of 100% through Blackboard by Tuesday January 26 to pass the course.
  • Students who violate the University’s academic honesty policies http://www.albany.edu/undergraduate_bulletin/regulations.html may fail the assignment or course and will be reported to the Office of Undergraduate Education or Office of Community Standards for a Violation of Academic Integrity.
  • It is assumed that your intellectual labor is your own. If there is any evidence of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, the minimum penalty will be an automatic failing grade for that piece of work. Plagiarism is taking (which includes purchasing) the words and ideas of another and passing them off as one’s own work. If another person’s work is quoted directly in a formal paper, this must be indicated with quotation marks and a citation.