Intro to Fiction

The syllabus is a binding document, designed to make clear and overt the policies you will be expected to follow in this course. It is YOUR responsibility to know the policies and adhere to them.

Late Work

The work in this class can be divided into three categories: discussion, papers, and exams. Each of these has a specific policy for late work.

Discussion. Late discussion posts do not just affect you (the individual student) and me (the teacher). They affect your entire discussion group. If your post is not completed in a timely manner, they are unable to complete their replies in a timely fashion, and everything goes kerflooey. Because of this, penalties for late posts are going to be pretty stiff.
- Any post not posted by the deadline will have one point deducted.
- For every subsequent 24 hours that the post is late, one more point will be deducted. So, if a post is due on Tuesday, and is posted on Thursday, two points will be deducted.
Now, you may be thinking, "hey, there's something like # posts due; one or two late/missed posts won't kill me." And this is true. However, I can tell you from experience that this kind of thinking can lead to trouble. It's very easy to lose track of how many late posts you have, and "one or two" can turn to "ten or twenty" very fast, and ten or twenty late posts will hurt your grade a lot. Also, please note that it is better to do the post late and get even one point than not to do it at all.

Papers. Here you get one "freebie": for papers only, you may turn in ONE paper 48 hours late with no penalty. You don't have to tell me why - I don't want to know why. One paper, 48 hours late, no questions asked, no points deducted.
However: if the paper is not turned in within those 48 hours, it will not be accepted, and you will receive a "0" for the assignment. And, once you have used this option, no late papers will be accepted, and any paper not turned in by the deadline will received a "0."

Exams. Exams must be turned in by the deadlines. Period. No exceptions. If you do not turn the exam in on time, you will receive a "0."

Now, this is where the policy gets harsh: there is no such thing as a "excused" late assignment. Penalties apply regardless of the reason for work being late. I realize that unforeseen circumstances can and do arise. However, an on-line course is in many ways a house of cards: a beautiful thing to behold when it works, but one fallen ace from chaos. I will do my part by posting assignments in a timely fashion - you will always have at least two days in which discussion posts can be made, at least two weeks in which papers can be written, and at least four days in which exams can be written. In turn, I expect you to plan your time so as to ensure that you will be able to complete assignments by the deadlines.

Paper and Exam Preparation

Unlike discussion posts, which will be posted to our WebBoard, papers and exams will be submitted via email as attached files. If you don't know what that means, you may want to call me or come see me in my office.

As I mentioned in the Required Materials section, I need to be able to read these files. The word processor I use is Microsoft Word. This is a fairly standard word processor. However, in recent years, Windows has come with a processor called Microsoft Works. Because Microsoft is evil, these two programs are not compatible in their default format. That means that if you save a paper in MS Works without changing the format, I will not be able to read it. Imagine me faced with ten papers I cannot open. Imagine me having to write to ten students and individually address the issue with each one. Imagine me getting very, very cranky. Imagine me grading your papers while I am very, very cranky.

I think we can all agree that this is something to be avoided.

I will accept papers in the following formats:

If you use Microsoft Word, you can simply save the file in the default format.
If you use Microsoft Works (or any other word processor), you must save your file in "Rich Text Format." To do this, when saving your file, look for "Save As Type." Click on the down arrow and select "Rich Text Format."

Any paper not submitted in one of these format by the deadline will not be accepted, and late work policies will apply. If you are not 100% sure of your format, I strongly recommend that you send me a "test" file during the first week of classes. It's also not a bad idea to submit your work a little early and check your email before the deadline.

Style requirements (margins, spacing, etc) will be posted with individual assignments.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is any use of another's words, content, or ideas without acknowledgment. Don’t do it. Plagiarism will result in a grade of "0" for the assignment. You may also wish to refer to Parkland's policies on plagiarism for potential repercussions.

Please note that copying material from a web page, even a reference site, without proper attribution, is plagiarism. And before you consider doing that, take a good, long look at this web page. I've been on the internet for a long time. If you can find it on the web, I can find it on the web.

Withdrawal

At midterm, the faculty member is required to report any student the faculty member believes has ceased attending the course; all such students will be withdrawn. After midterm, the faculty member cannot withdraw any student; withdrawal from the course must be done by the student prior to 5pm on the last day to withdraw as published in the Parkland College Schedule. Students who cease attending after midterm and do not withdraw themselves will receive an F for the course.

AOD Compliance Notice

If you have a disability for which you may need an academic accommodation (including special testing, auxiliary aids, non-traditional instructional formats), please inform the instructor as soon as possible and/or contact one of the following for assistance: Evelyn Brown, Room X148, Ext 2587; Other Disabilities: Norm Lambert, Room A250, Ext. 2620.

On-Line Policies and Etiquette

On-line issues can be divided into two categories: policies and etiquette, with one question that sort of strides the two.

The class WebBoard is for course material only. I will create a "General Issues" conference where you may ask your classmates for feedback on paper ideas or ask me questions about assignments, etc, but nothing that is not directly related to the class should be posted on the WebBoard. Also, please do not add class members to your email joke lists without permission.

To receive full credit for a discussion post, you must post it in the correct place. WebBoard discussion will be divided by (a) assigned discussion group and (b) week. These divisions are called "Conferences." More complete directions can be found here. Any post not in the appropriate Conference will have one point deducted.

Separate posts must be made for each discussion prompt and each reply to a classmate. Do not reply to all three prompts or all three posts in one message.

The same campus-wide policies which apply to class discussion apply to on-line discussions. Racial, ethnic, sexual, or sexual orientation slurs of any kind will not be tolerated, nor will threats of any kind. What you say is your business; how you say it becomes mine. If you have any doubts about the appropriateness of your language, run it by me first. Posts containing overt slurs will be deleted, and no points will be received.

The goal of class discussions is to examine the work from multiple points of view. Therefore, disagreement is not only expected but desirable. At the same time, please try to state your disagreement in a respectful tone. There is a world of difference between "I see things differently" and "that's the dumbest idea I ever heard." The first is good; the second is bad. At the same time, please keep in mind that disagreement with your ideas and interpretations is not a personal attack against you. If we all proceed from the assumption that the other person is not actively trying to offend, we'll avoid a great deal of conflict.

Finally, some tips for facilitating friendly and useful discussion:

In the first week, I will ask you to introduce yourself to your group. Please indicate how you wish to be addressed in on-line posts.
Conversely, please honor how your group members wish to be addressed.
When responding to a discussion prompt, please indicate which prompt you are responding to, and which story you are discussing.
When responding to another post, it always helps to include a brief quotation that indicates what point you are replying to.
Spelling and grammar are often played "fast and loose" on-line. However, please remember that the purpose of writing is to communicate: I cannot appreciate your brilliance if I cannot understand it. Although I do not expect these posts to be as polished as paper writing, a minimum of mechanical errors is expected.
On that note, please use standard spelling and capitalization. Remember that not everyone is familiar with net acronyms.

If this is your first time through the site, let's move on to the Course Work and Grade Distribution.