Eighteenth-Century Fiction

Ground Rules

Attendance. If you must miss a class, inform me ahead of time by phone or email. You should also check the Syllabus, especially the Schedule, for any changes that may have been announced in class.

Maximum Permissible Absences. You can miss a maximum of twelve class sessions and pass the course. If you miss thirteen sessions, you will receive a "W" or an "F." This limit includes both excused and inexcused absences.

Lateness. Unexcused tardiness will lower your grade.

Absent Professor. Standard college etiquette requires students to wait ten minutes from the start of class for a professor who is not there. If I'm not there in eleven minutes, assume I've been delayed and feel free to leave.

Cell phones and other potentially distracting devices should be turned off before you enter the classroom.

Class cancellation. If you believe the class might need to be canceled because of inclement weather, try the following: call the College's cancellation phone line (617-3777), check the syllabus for an announcement, call me at home or my office, or send me an e-mail.

Late Assignments. A late assignment can be submitted for credit, but it will be docked. The later it is, the less credit it will receive. The latest I will accept a paper is two weeks from its original due date; thereafter, it will stay in the gradebook as a zero. Missed quizzes can be replaced with essays on the work covered. Late papers will receive grades but no comments.

Redoing Assignments. Under certain circumstances, if you do poorly on an assignment, you may have an opportunity to do it over. Please ask me first, however.

Cliff Notes and Spark Notes. Cliff Notes and Spark Notes. You really don't need crutches or training wheels like these, nor do you stand to benefit by their use. And never cite one in a paper. Wikipedia, while sometimes solid, is nonetheless not a carefully prepared and edited work and should not be used in academic research.

Plagiarism. Plagiarism is any attempt to pass off the work of another as your own. Demonstrable cases of plagiarism will generally result in failure of the course. If you have questions about the nature of plagiarism, please see your E-Book (see below) or ask me. Ignorance will not be considered an excuse against a plagiarism charge.

Accommodating Disabilities. The College will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. If you have a disability that may have some impact on your work in this course, please contact the Director of Advising at 103 Goebel Hall (617-3450).