Other policies

Attendance

• Consistent, :on-time class attendance is expected.
• Please sign the attendance sheet as a record of your presence. Don’t forget to sign in if you are late!
• I understand that sometimes emergencies happen that may force you to miss class. Please email me to explain in these situations.
• If you miss class, get notes from a classmate and then contact me if you still have specific questions.
• If you cannot attend class due to illness, you may ask a friend to help you call in on video chat to hear the lecture.

:x on time

If you are coming from another class that is far away, and have trouble making our class on time for that reason, please discuss it with me.

Electronics Policy

• To encourage :focus on discussion, no electronic devices should be visible in class other than those needed to :accommodate a disability.
• To make notetaking easier, I’ll provide hardcopy lecture notes for each class.

:x focus

This courses aims to discuss big, complicated ideas, which requires a different sort of focus than many other courses. It is a sort of focus that is easily disrupted by electronic devices, which promise to have the answers you want just one web search away (even though they usually don’t). To reduce the temptation to search for the answers online rather than in your own mind, I do not allow electronic devices (phones, laptops, tablets, etc.) to be used during class for any reason except to accommodate for a disability.

If you have a reason that you must have your phone out during class (e.g. your family member is extremely sick and you are waiting for an emergency text) let me know in advance so I know why you have it out.

:x disability

It’s fine to use a device if you need one as an accommodation. If you have a disability and would like accommodation, let me know as soon as possible.

Food & Drink

• Drinks during class are fine, but please do not eat anything in the classroom.

Talking

• Please don’t talk to classmates during class (unless in a small group activity). Even if it is about a class topic, from the outside, it looks like you are disengaged from class and it can be distracting.
• If you have a question or comment, just raise your hand and ask. Don’t worry about asking a question. If you missed something, just ask me to repeat myself. It’s fine.

Feedback and Course Improvement

• I am constantly looking for ways to improve the class, and to do this, I need your help, such as posting class feedback and reporting on your workload. Feel free to email me additional feedback.
• I use anonymous student writing examples in class frequently, since students say they are very useful. I will assume that you are ok with me using your coursework anonymously in future classes. If not, just let me know.