Be honest.

Be sure you know the difference between citing a text, quoting a text, and stealing from a text (whether published, on the internet, or from another student). All assignments in this class are individual. You may work with other students; however, the work you submit should be yours and yours only. Similar work submitted by several students is considered plagiarism. Students also may not submit work from another class, including from another Introduction to Sociology course. 

Student academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to:

• Dishonest use of course materials, such as student papers, examinations, reports and material posted on the Internet.
• Knowingly posting course materials of any kind on Internet sites such as Course Hero and Chegg without the consent of the instructor.
• Knowingly assisting others in the dishonest use of course materials such as student papers, examinations and reports.
• Knowingly providing course materials such as papers, lab data, reports and/or electronic files to be used by another student as that student’s own work.
• Plagiarizing, i.e., using language or ideas from materials without acknowledgement and/or copying work from other sources and submitting it as one’s own.
  • Examples of plagiarism include:
    • Copying a phrase, a sentence, or a longer passage from a source (including an internet source) and submitting it as one’s own.
    • Summarizing or paraphrasing someone else’s ideas without acknowledging the source.
    • Submitting group assignments individually as one’s own independent work.
    • Providing exactly copied work as another student.
    • Submitting work from one course in another course.
    • Copying or taking pictures of course materials such as videos, exams, quizzes or assignments and posting the copied items and/or pictures on the internet or sharing these copied items and/or pictures with other students who have not yet completed the assignments.
    • Taking pictures or copying course materials that are considered confidential by the instructor such as exams or quizzes. 

Plagiarism is grounds for failure and can become part of your academic record, affecting your chances for success in your career. 

My plagiarism policy is as follows: 

• First incident: F for the plagiarized assignment and report to the Dean of Students.
• Second incident: F for the course and report to the Dean of Students.
• A particularly egregious first incident can result in an F for the course and reporting to the Dean of Students.
• Students who fail the course due to plagiarism and then drop the class may be forcibly re-enrolled in the class to have the F recorded on their transcripts. 
• Plagiarism on extra-credit assignments will result in negative points equivalent to zero points on regular-credit assignments.

The Dean of Students maintains a database of students charged with academic misconduct to track instances of student misconduct in multiple classes. Students who commit academic misconduct in this class will be recorded in this database.

Respect one another.

Diverse ideas and beliefs will come up during the course, and you may find yourself disagreeing with fellow students or the instructor. That’s normal and expected, and the discussion of our different analyses makes for a lively classroom and more sharply honed opinions for everyone. While passionate intellectual debate is welcome, personal attacks or insults are not. Please refrain from making faces while someone speaks, using an angry or sarcastic tone in addressing their ideas, or snickering.

It is the your responsibility to be familiar with and follow the college’s Code of Student Conduct. This includes all rules regarding mask-wearing and social distancing.

Submit your work on time.

Given that we are completing this class during the greatest public health crisis of the last 100 years, I understand that it may be difficult for even the most punctual person to meet every deadline.  To accommodate the occasional disruptions, you will receive three “late” passes for the semester. Each pass covers a one-day penalty for a late submission. (You cannot use these passes for the final essay, which is due at the end of the semester.) To use a pass, you only need to email me to inform me you are using a pass before the assignment is due. No explanation is necessary. If you anticipate needing more than three “late” passes, please reach out to me so we can discuss this.

Outside of the late passes, my policy is to dock late assignments by five percent (half of one letter grade) for each day they are late, and to not accept work more than one week past the original due date. I also will not give out alternate assignments for students who miss assignments during the semester.

If you foresee difficulties meeting a deadline, be sure to contact me before the deadline. I am available by email, text, phone, and Zoom. If you cannot contact me before the deadline, then please contact me as soon as possible.

Assignments uploaded into Blackboard that are corrupted, are blank, or I otherwise cannot read, will receive no credit. I may penalize one letter grade any assignments that are submitted in a format other than Microsoft Word or PDF, as I can provide written feedback in Blackboard only in Word and PDF documents. 

Some topics may be difficult.

Our class may discuss topics that are difficult for some people to address. I cannot anticipate what those topics are, or who might be affected, but I can be sensitive and work with students who let me know of their needs. If there is a topic you are unable to discuss or need to be warned about, please notify me so we can make appropriate arrangements for your work. However, we cannot prevent all students from being exposed to topics or ideas that they find objectionable or offensive.

You may not record without permission.

Per the code of student conduct, taking photographs, videos, or audio recordings in class is prohibited. Livestreaming the class is also prohibited. Students who would like to make audio or video recordings of class must first obtain my permission. I will make available recordings of our online sessions, if we have any. Such recordings may not be shared outside the class setting.

Students with disabilities are welcome.

The College of DuPage is committed to the equitable access of educational opportunities for students with disabilities in accordance with The Americans with Disabilities Act as Amended and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Any student who feels they may need an accommodation on the basis of an illness, injury, medical condition, or disability should contact the Center for Access and Accommodations to determine eligibility for accommodations and to obtain an official Letter of Accommodation. The Center for Access and Accommodations can be reached via email at access@cod.edu. Students may also initiate a request for services by going to www.cod.edu/access and clicking on the green box labeled “complete form to request accommodations.” If you are already registered with the Center for Access and Accommodations, please email me your Letter of Accommodation as soon as possible. Please DO NOT send any private health documentation or doctors’ notes to me.

What if I have to leave the class?

The final day for a student to withdraw from any course will be equal to 75% of the time for the respective academic session. You can find this information on the Registration Calendar (http://www.cod.edu/registration/pdf/reg_calendar.pdf), through myACCESS (https://myaccess.cod.edu), or in person at the Registration office, Student Services Center (SSC), Room 2221.  

For this class, the last day to withdraw is April 17, 2022. After that date, students may file a Petition for Late Withdrawal through the Registration Office (https://www.cod.edu/registration/forms/late-withdrawl-appeal.aspx) Petitions for Late Withdrawal will be granted for extenuating circumstances only, including student illness, death in the immediate family, family emergencies, call to active duty, or other appropriate extenuating circumstances. The student will be required to provide appropriate documentation for all requests for Late Withdrawal. Prior to withdrawing from this class, students are encouraged to speak with the instructor.

After the deadline, students will be required to appeal for late withdrawal and provide appropriate documentation to the Student Registration Services Office for all requests. Students who are granted approval to withdraw by petition will not be eligible for refunds of tuition or fees and will receive a ‘W’ grade on their transcript. Appeals must be submitted prior to the designated final exam period for 16-week classes and before the last class meeting for all other session classes.

What about covid?

If you need to social distance in the classroom because of a medical/health condition, please make your request through the Center for Access and Accommodations by going to https://cod.edu/access and clicking on the green box entitled Request Accommodations. You may also use this same web page if you need to request any other kind of COVID accommodation. This includes absences related to illness and exposure.

You are required to wear your mask in the classroom or while you are on campus. Masks are available at Campus Central and in the Student Services Center.  If you would like to make an accommodation request regarding COVID on the basis of a medical/health condition, please make your request through the Center for Access and Accommodations by going to https://cod.edu/access and clicking on the green box entitled Request Accommodations.

HEERF (Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds) monies are being prioritized for students who need financial support to cover tuition, fees, books, and supplies. If a student registers and completes the HEERF application form and selects the tuition support, we can hold them in their courses, preventing them from being dropped.  Students must be registered. There is a link to the form on the main COD web page, which links to the application: https://cod.edu/coronavirus/heerf.aspx.

What if I have questions or concerns?

If you have questions or concerns about your classes, your first contact should be with your professor. If your professor is not available, your next contact should be to the appropriate representative in the division office. For this class, that contact is Anabel Cruz (cruza251@cod.edu and 630-942-2011) in the Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Library division.