Policies that Apply to All Courses

Reasonable Accommodation

If you have any type of disability that may hinder demonstrating your mastery of the course material, please contact me personally as soon as possible (formal documentation should be provided no later than the 3^rd lecture of the term). I will arrange mutually agreeable and appropriate accommodations.

Implicit and Explicit Commitments

Every university course involves a series of agreements made by the student, the professor, and the university – whether implicit or explicit. I prefer to make these commitments explicit, so there is no misunderstanding about them and so each of us is aware of any failure to keep them. I do this by providing you with a list in class – and asking you to formally commit to them (Student Commitments). I also make specific commitments to you as a student in my class (see Instructor Commitments).

I will also describe (in class) the process we will use whenever someone (you or me) fails to honor any particular commitment – essentially, staying in communication. Some of these commitments are discussed below.

Attendance

Learning in this course takes two major forms--cognitive and experiential. The latter requires participation and observation in common classroom experiences. Therefore, attendance is required. Why? Simply stated, it does not work to miss class (for me, for you, or for your classmates). We meet only a small number of times this semester. The first step in receiving full credit for participation is to come to all the classes. In addition, being late for class does not work – for you, for me, or for your classmates. Please be on time for all classes, and in your seat at the end of all breaks.

Staying in Communication

Staying in communication is something that I value highly. Since it is also valued in the business world, it is great training for all of us. In the course of the semester, you may find that one of your outside commitments (to work, family, health, play, etc.) supersedes your commitment to one of the course agreements (being in class, being on time, completing an assignment on time, etc.). When this happens, please communicate with me as soon as possible.

Please note – you’re not a bad student when you miss a commitment, and you’re not “wrong” to choose another commitment over one of the course commitments (or vice versa). All I ask is that you deal with such situations with integrity and power. This means communicating your intentions and behavior clearly and in advance. Often, people are not clear about such situations in their own minds, or not realistic about what is possible. Sometimes we dread telling someone that we will break (or have broken) a commitment. Yet putting off the communication only makes it harder to clear it up later. And until you straighten it out, you are out of integrity. When we are out of integrity we are “incomplete” and thus not dealing powerfully with life. When we complete issues (such as having a conversation about a missed commitment), we can get back in integrity and can once again operate at full power. And I want each of us operating at full power!

Consequently, my request to you is: communicate with your TA by e-mail as soon as you know you will not keep one of the course agreements. IN classes with no TA, the communication should come directly to me. Staying in communication is considered part of your class participation.

Making Requests

If you discover that you will miss one of the assignment deadlines due to extraordinary circumstances, you can make a request of me personally (not your TA) – for an extension or some other consideration. Call me to discuss it, then send me an e-mail and copy your TA. If I grant a request it means I will waive the original penalty associated with the missed commitment. Any request must be very specific – for example, propose a new date and time by which you will complete the assignment. Such requests must be made at least one week in advance of any deadline – the earlier the better. Please note that requests sometimes get the answer yes and sometimes the answer no.

E-Mail & Computer Skills Required

We will be using electronic mail frequently this semester. Please note:

• All out-of-class written assignments must be sent to me as MS Word attachments.
• All written assignments are due at midnight on the day they are due.

You are expected to know how to use e-mail and send MS Word documents as attachments. You are also expected to spend at least one (1) hour per week online, learning/using a variety of communication technologies.

For courses using learning teams (e.g., COMM 250), there are several things you and your team need to do as soon as possible.

• Every student must join the class listserv within 48 hours of the first class
• Every student must join their TA’s listserv within 48 hours of the first class
• Every team must send their TA an electronic version of their “Team Roster” within 48 hours of the formation of their team

Spelling/Vocabulary/Grammar

While it should go without saying, I’ll say it anyway: students must use correct spelling and punctuation in all written assignments. The use of appropriate grammar in oral and written communication is also very important. Please read (and then edit) your work carefully before you hand it in.

Promoting Intellectual Honesty

Academic standards demand intellectual honesty. Intellectual dishonesty is a fancy term for cheating. While it should go without saying, I’ll say it anyway: cheating and plagiarism in any form, regardless of any justification, will not be tolerated. Any student whom the instructor has sufficient evidence to believe has cheated or plagiarized in the course will receive an automatic "F" (failure) in the course, and referred for appropriate disciplinary action. There will be no exceptions.

Please note that the most common form of intellectual dishonesty is plagiarism. Often, students are unaware of, or uncertain about, the various forms of plagiarism. For this reason, I have highlighted the definition of plagiarism in the GMU honor Code below. One component of intellectual honesty involves crediting the ideas of others through citations in the text and full references at the end of your work. Each of your written assignments must have a set of (APA style) citations in the text, and an accompanying set of (APA style) references at the end, documenting the source of any ideas that are not your own.

Policies related to cheating/plagiarism (as well as excused absences, withdrawal, incompletes, final exams and common exams) can be found in your copy of the GMU Student Handbook and/or the current semester’s Schedule of Classes. As students and faculty at George Mason University, we are all responsible for adhering to university policies. You should be particularly familiar with the George Mason University Honor Code, which states:

To promote a stronger sense of mutual responsibility, respect, trust, and fairness among all members of George Mason University and with the desire for greater academic and personal achievement, we, the members of George Mason University, have set forth the following code of honor.

I. The Honor Committee

The Honor Committee is a group of students elected from the student body whose primary and indispensable duty is to instill the concept and spirit of the Honor Code within the student body. The secondary function of this group shall be to sit as a hearing committee on all alleged violations of the code.

II. Extent of the Honor Code

Duties of the Honor Committee:

The Honor Code of George Mason University shall deal specifically with

A. Cheating and attempted cheating
B. Plagiarism
C. Lying
D. Stealing

A. Cheating encompasses the following:

1. The willful giving or receiving of an unauthorized, unfair, dishonest, or unscrupulous advantage in academic work over other students.
2. The above may be accomplished by any means whatsoever, including, but not limited to, the following: fraud, duress, deception, theft, trick, talking, signs, gestures, copying from another student, and the unauthorized use of study aids, memoranda, books, data or other information.
3. Attempted Cheating.

B. Plagiarism encompasses the following:

1. Presenting as one's own the works, the work, or the opinions of someone else without proper acknowledgment.
2. Borrowing the sequence of ideas, the arrangement of material, or the pattern of thought of someone else without proper acknowledgment.

C. Lying encompasses the following:

The willful and knowledgeable telling of an untruth, as well as any form of deceit, attempted deceit, or fraud in an oral or written statement relating to academic work. This includes but is not limited to:

1. Lying to administration and faculty members.
2. Falsifying any University documents by mutilation, addition, or deletion.
3. Lying to Honor Committee Members and counsels during investigation and hearing. This may constitute a second charge, with the Committee members who acted as judges during that specific hearing acting as accusers.

D. Stealing encompasses the following:

Taking or appropriating without the permission to do so, and with the intent to keep or to make use of wrongfully, property belonging to any member of the George Mason University community or any property located on the University campus. This section is relevant only to academic work and related materials.