ENGLISH 302-B41
Advanced Composition Spring 2019
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MW 9:00-10:15 AM
CRN 21340
Rm. 201 Research Hall
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Prof. Joyce Johnston
jjohnsto@gmu.edu
703.993.1176
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Office Hours Wednesdays 10:30-noon
Room 206 Robinson Hall B
Skype: joyce.johnston48
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This section of English 302 uses Blackboard and PBWiki as course software. Access Blackboard at http://mymasonportal.gmu.edu.
After logging in using your MasonLive user ID and password, click
on the Courses tab at the upper right of the screen. Then click
on the course name to access the Blackboard course folder. Both the
Course Schedule and the Course Policies can also be accessed on the
professor's website, available at http://mason.gmu.edu/~jjohnsto
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COURSE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
CLICKABLE MENU
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WHAT IS ENGLISH 302B?
GMU'S DEFINITION
In the university catalog, the focus of English 302 is listed as a required part of the Mason Core Integration Requirement in Written Communication. It is described as follows: "Intensive
practice in writing and analyzing expository forms such as essay,
article, proposal, and technical or scientific reports with emphasis on
research related to student’s major field." English
302 will help prepare you understand how knowledge is created and
transmitted in your field or discipline; understand key methods and
conventions of scholarly research in your field or discipline;
articulate and refine your own question for scholarly inquiry; situate
your investigation in an ongoing context or conversation in your field;
and design a final project that adds new perspectives to the
conversation. Advanced composition will help you engage in scholarly
inquiry as you work on narrowing a research question and engaging with
your discipline or field of study.
Throughout the semester, you will
also learn to recognize the way(s) that knowledge is constructed in business-related disciplines, adapt your writing to common
purposes and audience needs, conduct and synthesize research, use
computer technologies as part of your research and writing process, and
produce writing that employs the organizational techniques and genres
typical in each discipline.
Building on the strong basis in textual analysis gained from your 200-level English courses, this
section will emphasize types of writing that will serve the more
than 3,550 undergraduate students in the School of Business pursuing
majors in such fields as ACCOUNTING, INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, MANAGEMENT and FINANCE. Students
should endeavor to develop a flexible, literate writing style
appropriate to a mature mind both in and out of these areas. Development of an individual, yet field-appropriate vocabulary and tone are primary, as is development of audience awareness. Familiarity with research techniques and sources--whether cyber, human or paper--is also essential.
Since English 302 is an upper-division course, please familiarize yourself with the English Department's description of and requirements for the course to be sure that you meet the criteria.
FEATURES UNIQUE TO OUR COURSE
The section is organized around the concept of branding within a business environment.
The semester's work follows an arc starting with your brand as an
individual, then looks at the brand created by your major within
academia, next investigates the image represented by membership in one
or more professional associations, culminating in a final research
project
matching your desired personal brand with the one already created by
your optimal future employer. Finally, you have the opportunity to improve your profession's brand by improving its code of ethics.
The course also uses a business-sector tool--the SWOT analysis--to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities in each of the steps in that progression.
REQUIREMENTS TO ENTER ENGLISH 302
All students who enter English 302 must meed the following requirements:
- complete 45 credit hours (may include transfer hours approved by the GMU Registrar's Office)
- complete English 100 or 101 (may substitute English 111 from a Virginia community college)
- complete 3 credits of English 200-level literature
- meet with your advisor to determine which type of English 302 to register for
Students majoring in Computer Science or Engineeering must take English 302N. All students in the School of Business are very strongly recommended to take English 302B.
WAIVING ENGLISH 302
Full instructions for submitting a portfolio and taking an essay exam to attempt to waive English 302 may be found on the Waiver of English 302 page. Any student who does not waive the course MUST take it in order to graduate, since it is one of the Foundation Requirements in Written Communication.
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COURSE OBJECTIVES
MASON CORE OBJECTIVES
George Mason University's Mason Core is designed
to complement work in a student's chosen area of study. These
classes serve as a means of discovery for students, providing a
foundation for learning, connecting to potential new areas of interest
and building tools for success in whatever field a student pursues.
Learning outcomes are guided by the qualities every student should
develop as they move toward graduating with a George Mason
degree. Through a combination of courses, the Mason Core program
helps students become:
Critical and Creative Scholars
Students who have a love of and
capacity for learning. Their understanding of fundamental
principles in a variety of disciplines and their mastery of quantative
and communication tools enables them to think creatively and
productively. They are inquisitive, open-minded, capable, informed, and
able to integrate diverse bodies of knowledge and perspectives.
Self-Reflective Learners
Students who develop the capacity to think well. They can
identify and articulate individual beliefs, strengths and weaknesses,
critically reflect on these beliefs and integrate this understanding
into their daily living.
Students
who are tolerant and understanding. They can conceptualize and
communicate about problems of local, national and global significance,
using research and evaluative perspectives to contribute to the common
good.
Thinkers and Problem-Solvers
Students who are able to discover and understand natural, physical
and social phenomena; who can articulate their application to real
world challenges; and who approach problem-soving from various vantage
points. They can demonstrative capabiity for inquiry, reason and
imagination and see connnections in historical, literary and artistic
fields.
OBJECTIVES FOR STUDENTS AS SCHOLARS
This
course participates in the Students as Scholars (SaS) program, a
university-wide initiative that encourages undergraduate students to
engage in scholarly research. Across campus, students now have
increased opportunities to work with faculty on original scholarship,
research, and creative activities, through their individual departments
and the OSCAR office (http://oscar.gmu.edu).
At
the end of the course, the Office of Institutional Assessment and the
Composition Program will collect random samples of students’ final
research projects to assess the effectiveness of the Students as
Scholars Program. This assessment has no bearing on your grade in the course.
STUDENTS AS SCHOLARS LEARNING OUTCOMES are:
* CORE: Articulate and refine a question, problem, or challenge.
* ETHICAL: Identify relevant ethical issues and follow ethical principles.
* DISCOVERY: Distinguish between personal beliefs and evidence.
* METHOD: Gather and evaluate evidence appropriate to the inquiry.
* METHOD: Appropriately analyze scholarly evidence.
* CONTEXT: Explain how knowledge is situated and shared in relevant scholarly contexts
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT OBJECTIVES FOR ENGLISH 302
DISCIPLINE
BASED GOALS: Students who successfully complete ENGH 302 will be able
to adapt their reading and writing to meet the expectations of their
academic discipline and future workplace. They will be able to
demonstrate the ability to:
- apply critical reading strategies that are appropriate to advanced reading in their academic discipline and in their possible future workplaces
- recognize how knowledge is constructed in their academic discipline and
possible future workplaces, attending to issues such as kinds of claims
or questions posed by advanced or professional writers
- understand evidence considered sufficient to support arguments
- analyze the rhetorical situations—audience,
purpose, and context—of texts produced in their academic disciplines
and in possible future workplaces produce writing—including arguments
or proposals—that is appropriate for a range of rhetorical situations
within their academic disciplines and possible future workplaces, with
particular attention to textual features such as common genres
- use appropriate organizational strategies, as well as style, tone, and diction
- demonstrate mastery of document design and expected citation formats related to their academic discipline
ADVANCED WRITING GOALS: Students who successfully complete ENGH 302 will demonstrate that they have continued to develop their research and writing strategies to an advanced level; they will be able to:
- use writing as a tool for exploration and reflection in addressing advanced problems, as well as for exposition and persuasion
- successfully employ strategies for writing as a recursive process of
inventing, investigating, shaping, drafting, revising, and editing to
meet a range of advanced academic and professional
expectations—including, when given appropriate time for drafting and
editing, the ability to produce documents in Standard Edited American
English that are generally free from error
- collaborate with others as they write,
through peer review, group projects, and/or consulting with outside
experts (writing center tutors, librarians, subject-matter experts,
workplace informants, etc.)
- identify, evaluate, and use research sources (print
and electronic), to include advanced online library searching of
databases pertinent to their disciplines and the critical use of web
sites
- employ a range of appropriate technologies to support their researching, reading, and thinking, with particular attention to the ways that advanced students and professional locate, analyze, organize and share information
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COURSE MATERIALS
TEXTS
All
course readings will be done online, using uploaded articles, links
provided in the syllabus, and material e-mailed to the class by the
instructor. Please note that online readings are no less required than
paper texts are in other classes.
A
research handbook is highly advisable, as students will be expected to
use their appropriate professional format flawlessly by the end of the
semester. For the School of Business, the format is APA, so the
handbook is the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Assocation
(6th edition.) This is available at the GMU Bookstore, or any
commercial bookseller, including Amazon. Be sure to acquire the
current (6th) edition, as previous versions have significantly
different formatting.
Diana Hacker's A Writer's Reference
(7th ed.) is an optional but extremely valuable resource for questions of
grammar, usage and research documentation. It contains a section
on APA formatting, so could be substituted for a research handbook. There is also an alternate version titled A Writer's Reference with Resources for Multilingual Writers and ESL (7th ed.) A good general guide is Writing with Sources: A Guide for Students (3rd
edition) by Gordon Harvey. The paperback version can be purchased
from the GMU Bookstore for about $10.00. If ordering elsewhere,
the ISBN number is 97816246665547
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS
HARDWARE: Since this class is a distance learning section, it is BYOD (bring your own device.) Students must use their own personal electronic devices to class every day to participate in class activities. Smart phones are generally NOT adequate to this purpose due
to the difficulty of extended writing on such small screen sizes. You
will need access to a Windows or Macintosh computer with ast least 2GB
of RAM and access to a fast and reliavlew broadband internet connection
(e.G., cable or DSL). Also, allow for the amount of hard disk
space you will need to store the work you do in the course.
SOFTWARE: The course will be conducted using Blackboard's course folder, available at https://courses.gmu.edu.
Therefore, you will need a browser and operating system that are
lilsted compatible or certified with the Blackboard version now
available. Log in using your Masonlive user name and password, then
click on our course folder. At the top of the course menu on the
left, you will see a link to a video titled Orientation to Our Blackboard Home Page, which explains how to navigate in our course. Online courses typically use Acrobat Reader, Flash, Java, QuickTime, and/or Real Media Player.
Your computer should be capable of running current versions of these
appllcations. Also, make sure that your computer is rotected from
viruses by downloading the latest version fo Symantec Endpoint
Protection/Anti-Virus software for free here.
Check email regularly, preferably daily.
Any student not regularly using his or her GMU email account must set
that account to forward to the student's preferred email address.
Failure to do so will mean that the student will not receive any class
notices, warnings of missing assignments or individual contact from the
instructor, all of which are sent to the class list maintained by the
Registrar's Office. In return, please email the instructor at jjohnsto@gmu.edu with any questions or concerns.
Hardware or software needs may be available for purchase at the Patriot Tech Store, the
university's computer store that offers educational discounts and
special deals. If you are using an employer-provided computer or
corporate office for class work, please verify with your systems
adminnistrators that will be able to install the necessary applications
and that system or corporate firewalls do not block access to any sites
or media types.
If using a PC, use either Chrome or Mozilla
Firefox as your browser. Blackboard, our course Learning Management
System, does not play well with Explorer. If using a Mac, use Safari
and Mac OS10.5 or higher. If necessary, you can set up a Mac or a
computer running Linux with Boot Camp or virtualization software so
Windows will also run on it. .
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COURSE POLICIES
UNIVERSITY POLICY ON CLASS MEMBERSHIP
Students are responsible for verifying their enrollment in
this class. Deadlines are included in the Course Schedule for this class as
well as the GMU Schedule of Classes.
For Spring 2019, the Last Day to Add classes is Tuesday, Jan. 29. The last day to drop is Friday, Feb. 22.
Web
Withdrawal (formerly known as Selective Withdrawal) lasts from Monday,
Feb. 25 to Friday, Mar. 29, but incurs a 100% tuition penalty. After that, withdrawal requires the approval of the Dean and is only allowed for nonacademic reasons. The
web withdrawal option may be used no more than three times in a
student's undergraduate career at George Mason and must be completed
within the dates above. See the GMU Office of Undergraduate Affairs for withdrawal procedures.
ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS POLICY
In accordance with English Department policy, each student will submit a minimum of 3500 words in
the course of the semeter, which will serve as the basis for the course
grade. Any student with a documented disability which could impact the
completion of this requirement must notify the instructor at the
beginning of the semester, using a Faculty Contact Sheet.
Students needing documentation must contact the Office of Disability Services,
located in SUB 1, Room 4205, phone number (703) 993-2474. Documentation is required to obtain
course adaptations to ensure that students recieve appropriate support
and assistance for success in the class.
CLASS POLICY ON SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS
All assignments must be submitted to Blackboard with the exception
of the Disciplinary Resources Wiki, which is completed entirely within
PBWorks. The instructions file for each assignment contains the link to
submit it when finished.
It
is the student's responsibiity to retain a copy of work submitted in
case of submission problems, plus all graded files until the final
course grade appears on their transcripts at the end of the semester.
If
extraordinary circumstances prevent a student from submitting to
Blackboard on time, it is his/her responsibility to email the
assignment to the instructor before the due date to avoid late
penalties.
IMPORTANT: The Research Paper has a non-negotiable due date due to the necessity of submitting final grades in time for graduation. It cannot be submitted late.
CLASS POLICY ON EXTRA CREDIT
Extra credit is not awarded in this class.
CLASS POLICY ON LATE WORK
All assignments should be submitted to Blackboard on time.
- Late work will
be penalized one letter grade for the first 24 hours after the due date.
- Late work will be penalized 50% of the original grade if submitted more than 24 hours after the due date until the end of the first week. The late
penalty cannot be removed from work resubmitted or revised.
- No work will be accepted more than a week after the due date
indicated on the Course Schedule.
Late work may be delayed in being graded and returned; delay
is usually one week but may be more. Please keep this in mind, especially near
the end of the semester.
Students should retain all graded files until the final
course grade appears on their transcripts at the end of the semester.
IMPORTANT: Both the Research Paper and the visual presentation project on situational leadership
have non-negotiable due dates due to the necessity of submitting final grades
in time for graduation. They cannot be submitted late.
CLASS PARTICIPATION POLICY
Be aware
that writing is a time-intensive activity. The Registrar's Office suggests 2-3 hours per week per credit hour, but composition courses can easily take a little more time It is thus very difficult
to make up any significant amount of lost time. Anyone who must
unavoidably miss class activities is advised to notify the instructor
promptly to avoid falling behind. In an online class like this one,
course work and deadlines go on as scheduled, regardless of
weather-related closings, unless there is a network outage or
Blackboard crash.
If
a major religious holiday will interefere with the ability to
participate inclass activities or submit an assignment on the due date,
it is the student's oblilgation to provide the prpofessor with the
date(s) within the first two weeks of the semester. See the Mason
University Life Religious Holiday Calendar for dates.
Since group work
is conducted online, it is crucial that each person contribute
meaningfully to the group to which s/he is assigned, especially in a
business writing section, since the business world is so highly
collaborative. Therefore, participation in the class environment is an
important part of the semester grade, especially for the civility blog,
the wiki project and the peer reviews of research papers. It is not
possible to earn an "A" in this class without timely, meaningful group
contributions. When interacting with others in the class, as well as the instructor, remember the core rules of Netiquette. Be sure to carefully craft communications to show respect and avoid misinterpretation.
Active presence
in online conversations is essential. This implies brain awareness,
without other distractions, as well as the basic courtesies of formal
social gatherings. A student who is seriously unprepared for class or
group work--having no draft ready for group mates to critique, for
example, will lose class participation points for that activity. Any
serious breach of good online conduct may cause the loss of all
participation points.
CLASS POLICY ON FORMATTING ASSIGNMENTS FOR SUBMISSION
The instructions for each assignment include the correct title for the file(s) submitted.
Assignments MUST
be submitted in Word (.doc or .docx) format. The ONLY exception to this
is screen shots of quizzes, which may be submitted as JPEG or PDF
files. No other file types will be scored. If using a Mac
or a Word equivalent like Open Office or Libre Office, it is the
student'sresponsibility to ensure that his/her submissions can be read
in Word 2013.
CLASS POLICY ON FORMATTING EMAIL
Any
questions or correspondence should be directed to the instructor's GMU
email address: jjohnsto@gmu.edu. All GMU-related correspondence is
handled through that address and ONLY that address. When contacting the
instructor about a message sent to the class list, students should be
sure to reply to
the instructor's email address rather than to the entire list. This places communications within the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
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GRADING CRITERIA
UNIVERSITY GRADING REQUIREMENTS FOR ENGLISH 302
It is University policy that in all Mason Core
English classes (English 100, 101, 201 and 302), students must achieve a grade
of C (73) or higher to receive credit for the course. Students with averages of
C- (72.4) or lower will receive an NC (No Credit) for the course. Students can keep track of their grade in the course folder in Blackboard by clicking on My Grades in the Course Menu.
It is also university policy that all students in English 302 must successfully complete a major research assignment in order to earn credit for the course. In our case, this is the Research Paper.
It is also the policy of the College of
Humanities and Social Sciences, which houses the English Department, that once final grades have been recorded,
instructors should not accept any additional work from a student to change a
grade.
In addition, the
University requires that students submit a minimum of 3500 words
in course of the semester, upon which the course grade is based.
COURSE GRADING SCALE
Each assignment, as well as the final course grade, is
based upon a total of 100 points. Grading ranges are:
A+ = 98-100. A = 93-97. A- =
90-92. B+ = 88-89. B = 83-87. B- =
80-82. C+ = 78-79. C = 73-77. C- = 70-72. D+ =
68-69. D = 63-67. D- = 60-62. Any grade below D- receives no
credit for the assignment.
ESSAY GRADING CRITERIA
Essays are graded using the following general criteria:
- An
"A" level grade (90-100%) marks an essay that is a delight for
the reader. Even more than in a "B" essay, its author
anticipates and responds to possible reader questions, uses a wide range
of supporting evidence, engages the reader in a provocative conversation,
provides unexpected insights, and/or uses language with care and facility.
- A
"B" level grade (80-90%) highlights a strong example of college
writing and thinking. In addition to meeting the "C"
level requirements, such an essay goes further in some way(s): it
demonstrates some insight into the "gray areas" of the topic,
provides original or very thorough support that is tightly woven into the
overall argument, reads smoothly at both the sentence and paragraph
levels, and/or exhibits a personal "voice" or style. It
has few sentence-level errors.
- a
"C" level grade (70-79%) denotes average college-level writing
and achievement. The essay is a competent response to the
assignment: it meets, to some degree, all the assignment
requirements, and demonstrates that the author has put significant time
and effort into communicating his/her ideas to his/her targeted
audience. It has a thesis, presents some support, and moves
from point to point in an orderly fashion; sentence-level errors do not
significantly prevent comprehension. Essays that do not meet
these criteria will not earn a "C."
- "D"
and "F" level essays do not meet the basic expectations of the assignment.
CALCULATING THE SEMESTER GRADE
Assignments are
individually graded on a scale of 0-100, as described in the previous
section. They are then assigned percentage values (sometimes
known as weights) to calculate the final semester grade.
Calculations are handled by Blackboard' grade book function.
In ascending order, weights/percentage values for course assignments are:
ASSIGNMENT
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PERCENTAGE
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STUDENT LEARNING
OUTCOMES SUPPORTED
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Quiz on Course Policies
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5%
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1, 3, 6
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Class Civility Blog and Survey
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5%
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3, 6
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What is Your Academic Discipline? Worksheet
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5%
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5, 7
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Quiz on APA Format
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5%
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1, 5, 6
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Peer Review of Research Paper
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5%
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1, 2, 3, 4, 7
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Memo on Choosing a Professional Assocation
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10%
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3, 4, 6, 7
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Plagiarism Test
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10%
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1, 3, 5, 7
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Personal Branding Analysis
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10%
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2, 3
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Visual Presentation: Becoming an Effective Situational Leader
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10%
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5, 6
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Disciplinary Resources Wiki and Assessing Your Wiki Group's Functioning |
15%
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2, 3, 6
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Research Paper on Professional Branding
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20%
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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
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METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
EXTENDED WRITINGS
There are four MAJOR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS for this course, each in a different format. Each assignment has an instructions containing goals, skills
developed by the assignment, procedures to complete the assignment, and grading
criteria. There are also help files supplementing each assignment, designed to
provide support in locating materials and/or developing needed critical
analysis and research skills.
- The
Disciplinary Resources Wiki--prepares for research in a specific field
of study by constructing a simple database--a wiki--that identifies
some basic resources, scholars, organizations, questions, issues and
writing conventions
- Memo
on Choosing a Professional Association--compares three professional
associations that offer valuable opportunities for networking, hiring,
reading materials, conferences/training, outside contacs and benefits
to an aspiring professional
- Visual
Presentation on Becoming an Effective Situational Leader--synthesis
project combining skills from the three other majr assignments.
Analyzes attributes needed in students' business careers at the
management level.
- The
Research Paper--reviews current professional, scholarly and media
knowledge about a proposed corporate or government employer. Identifies
contact points between the corporate brand and the student's personal
brand and values. Successful submission of a complete paper by the due date is required to earn credit for this course. At
a minimum, a complete paper must contain an title page, abstract page,
body with internal citations for sources and a references page.
SHORT WRITINGS
Four SHORT WRITINGS will establish appropriate
online behavior norms, used for critical reading, writing and reflection on research
material:
- a
class blog in which students compare appropriate with potentially challenging
topics for online interaction, followed by a survey to establish a class
code of conduct for a business environment
- a
worksheet designed to introduce and reinforce the concept of an academic
discipline
- peer
review of classmates' research paper drafts
- a personal blog reflecting on writing progress and issues in each of the four major assignments, which also supports
the university's Students as Scholars/QEP objectives
QUIZZES
Three QUIZZES, taken online, will cover concerns in business
research and writing.
- The first will cover parallel structure used in
lists, resumes and bullet point formats like Prezi or PowerPoint.
- The second
will test proficiency with formatting research papers, internal
citations and references in APA style, as required by the School of
Business.
- The third will review
plagiairism and intellectual property. It is a prerequisite for acceptance of the research paper, which in turn is required in order to pass the class.
After the due dates for the quizzes, students will be
expected to use these elements accurately and appropriately, with grade
penalties if this goal is not achieved.
Otherwise, grammar will be taught in this class only occasionally, on an
as-needed basis. Please consult the instructor if a particular grammar question
arises.
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HONOR CODE; STUDENT SAFETY
HONOR CODE
George
Mason University has an Honor Code, which requires all members
of this community to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty and
integrity. Cheating, plagiarism, lying and stealing are all prohibited.
Instructors in the Composition Program support the George
Mason Honor Code, which requires them to report any suspected instances of
plagiarism to the Honor Council. All judgments about plagiarism are made after
careful review by the Honor Council, which may issue penalties ranging from
grade-deductions to course failure to expulsion from GMU.
THE COMPOSITION PROGRAM'S STATEMENT ON PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism
means using words, opinions, or factual information from another source
without giving that source credit. Writers give credit through the use
of accepted documentation styles, such as parenthetical citation,
footnotes, or endnotes; a simple listing of books, articles, and
websites is not sufficient.
This
class will include direct instruction in strategies for handling
sources as part of our curriculum. However, students in composition
classes must also take responsibility for understanding and practicing
the basic principles listed below.
AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
To
avoid plagiarism, meet the expectations of a US Academic Audience, give
their readers a chance to investigate the issue further, and make
credible arguments, writers must
•
put quotation marks around, and give an in-text citation for, any
sentences or distinctive phrases (even very short, 2- or 3-word
phrases) that writers copy directly from any outside source: a book,
textbook, article, website, newspaper, song, baseball card, interview,
encyclopedia, CD, YouTube video, movie, etc.
•
completely rewrite—not just switch out a few words—any information they
find in a separate source and wish to summarize or paraphrase for their
readers, and also give an in-text citation for that paraphrased
information
•
give an in-text citation for any facts, statistics, or opinions which
the writers learned from outside sources (or which they just happen to
know) and which are not considered “common knowledge” in the target
audience (this may require new research to locate a credible outside
source to cite)
•
give a new in-text citation for each element of information—that is, do
not rely on a single citation at the end of a paragraph, because that
is not usually sufficient to inform a reader clearly of how much of the
paragraph comes from an outside source.
Writers
must also include a Works Cited or References list at the end of their
essay, providing full bibliographic information for every source cited
in their essay.
While
different disciplines may have slightly different citation styles, and
different instructors may emphasize different levels of citation for
different assignments, writers should always begin with these
conservative practices unless they are expressly told otherwise. If
student writers ever have questions about a citation practice, they
should ask their instructor! Instructors in the Composition Program
support the Mason Honor Code, which requires them to report any
suspected instances of plagiarism to the Mason Honor Committee. All
judgments about plagiarism are made after careful review by the Honor
Committee, which may issue penalties ranging from grade-deductions to
course failure to expulsion from GMU
STUDENT SAFETY
George
Mason University is committed to providing equal opportunity and an
educational and work environment free from any discrimination on the
basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability,
veteran status, sexual orientation or age. GMU adheres to all
applicable state and federal equal opportunity/affirmative action
statutes and regulations.
George Mason University values diversity. Through the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Multicultural Education (ODIME), Mason seeks to create and sustain inclusive learning environments where all are welcome,valued and supported. It is
committed to providing equal opportunity and an educational and work
environment free from any discrimination on the basis of race, color,
religion, national origin, sex, disability, veteran status, sexual
orientation or age. GMU adheres to all applicable state and
federal equal opportunity/affirmative action statutes and regulations.
George
Mason University is also committed to a campus that is free of sexual
misconduct and incidents of interpersonal violence. If you
experience or witness such an incident, contact the Title IX Coordinator's Office at
(703) 993-8730 for available options and resources at the Office of
Diversity Services and Programs. This office works specifically
with African
Heritage, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific American, American Indian, and
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning populations.
The Student Support and Advocacy Center ,
available at (703) 993-3686, offers educational programming, one-on-one
consultations, and resources in the areas of interpersonal violence,
personal wellness, and alcohol and drug use. Students seeking additional counselling or advice should contact Counseling and Psychological Services at (703) 993-2380. In an emergency, call Crisis Link at (703) 527-4077 or go to Online Crisis Chat, sponsored by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You may also call the campus police at (703)-993-2810, especially if a problem arises at night when daytime offices are closed.
The University Catalog is
the central resource for university policies affecting all students,
faculty and staff conduct in university academic affairs. Other
policies are available at http://universitypolicy.gmu.edu/. All members of the university community are responsible for knowing and following established policies.
ACADEMIC RESOURCES
The University Writing Center:
The Writing Center is one of the best resources you will find on
campus. The center’s website offers a wealth of online resources for
student writers. You can schedule a 50‐minute
appointment with a trained tutor to help with any phase of the writing
process. You can obtain assistance with papers by visiting the online
writing center. Go online, call, or drop in to make an appointment
The University Library: In
addition to a wealth of printed resources, the library hosts around 150
electronic databases indexing hundreds of journals. GMU is also a
member of the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC), which
means you have hassle‐free
access to the library resources of eight area universities! Please take
some time to explore the library’s offerings; you may also instant
message the library with any questions. In our distance learning
environment, the library's Online Education Services are particularly helpful
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