Course Principles and Policies

Trying to Learn While the World is a Mess

<aside> ⏳ I recognize that we are all living through a world where crises are happening every day. All have far reaching and very personal implications. This class is designed to be collaborative, where learning happens because of the perspectives, experiences, and knowledge that we all bring.

Compassion and flexibility will help us all get through this course together. I’ll check-in with you all periodically, and am open to hearing how you are doing and what might help you get through the course in a way that feels satisfactory to you and supports your well-being. If you tell me you’re struggling, I won’t judge you or think any less of you. I hope you extend me and your fellow classmates the same consideration.

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Academic Integrity

What does academic integrity mean in this course? Our class focuses on collaborative learning and skill building—not simply on the memorization and recall of facts. In this style of class, academic integrity means that when you reference or rely on someone else’s work in an aspect of the performance of a task—no matter how big or small—you will give full credit in the proper form as discussed in class. It is always better to imperfectly credit external influences and work than to not credit at all.

“Citation is how we acknowledge our debt to those who came before; those who helped us find our way when the way was obscured because we deviated from the paths we were told to follow.” ~Sara Ahmed, 2017

If there is no attempt to credit ideas and work, the assignment will receive no credit and we will have a conversation about how to ensure respectful attribution and citation going forward. Additional instances of missing attribution and citation will be handled according to the college's Code of Conduct policies.

Generative AI and use of algorithmic tools in learning history

Policy set 1/31/24. Full details available here. Please reach out to DrS with questions or concerns.

Engaging with challenging ideas

We will encounter challenging topics and materials in this class: things that are heavy, difficult, and may conflict with what we have learned before or may currently think. I ask you to pause in these moments of friction and consider what elements may be jarring, and ground your responses in the materials.

Another aspect of academic integrity is the respectful exchange of ideas. Discussion is encouraged in this course, with the firm expectation that all aspects of the class will be conducted with consideration for differing ideas, perspectives, and traditions. When in doubt, please reach out to me for guidance and clarification before posting or responding to a classmate.

DEADLINES AND LATE WORK:

I’ve spaced out assignments to be due regularly to keep everyone moving along together. I’m trying to balance structure and repetition with flexibility and grace—I’m aware that this is a “one size fits (hopefully) most” approach and I’m open to making adjustments as needed. I’ll check in with the class periodically on work load, progress, and pacing.

Because we are living in unsettled times in many ways, I’ve created 2 policies to help support us in these circumstances:

You may submit work up to 24 hours after the due date with no questions asked for full credit consideration. There will be a rare few hard due dates for time-sensitive assignments and those will be clearly communicated.
You may ask for an extension beyond the automatic 24 hours for (almost) any assignment. There will be a rare few hard due dates for time-sensitive assignments and those will be clearly communicated. Otherwise, you can fill out the extension request form in detail and proceed.

It can be easy to fall behind and have things snowball, so try to use the buffer when needed vs. counting on it for every assignment!