Attendance is taken at the beginning of every class period. Students are permitted three absences; for every unexcused absence after the third, a student’s course grade is penalized a third of a letter grade (e.g., from B+ to B). Excused absences are granted only for documented illnesses or college-sponsored extracurricular activities (or, in special circumstances, at the instructor’s discretion). A student who, at the end of the term, has more than three absences can receive no higher than a C for the class participation component of his or her course grade. In addition, a student with ten or more absences cannot earn a passing grade for the course, regardless of how many of those absences are excusable. (A student with regularly scheduled extracurricular activity that conflicts with this class would be wise to consider either dropping the course or rescheduling the activity.)
A student who arrives no more than ten minutes late to class is marked as tardy, two such instances being the equivalent of one absence; a student who arrives more than ten minutes late is counted as absent. Students with viable reasons for arriving late are encouraged to speak with the instructor at the end of class as the late arrival may be excused at the instructor’s discretion. Students who have persistent difficulty arriving on time may find their class participation grades negatively affected.
A student who comes to class unprepared or unable to pay attention may be dismissed from class and counted absent. Class time is to be used for class-related discussion and activities only.
Late work is not accepted. Assignment due date extensions must be requested in advance and will be granted only in truly exceptional circumstances, possibly with a substantial grade penalty attached. Technology hiccups do occur (e.g., corrupt files, unresponsive printers, loss of network connectivity) and are not valid excuses for late work.
Should inclement weather or some other event prevent the instructor from meeting with the class, students should expect notification via campus email. (Note: Cancellation notices will not be sent to non-MHC accounts.) In addition, a sign announcing the cancellation will be posted outside the classroom door if possible.
Students are welcome to bring any electronic devices with them to class provided they are used solely for class-related purposes during class time. Any device being used for some other purpose (e.g., email, texting, web surfing, games) may be confiscated and returned at the end of class.
Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. It covers not only obvious instances, such as submitting work done by another (e.g., an essay downloaded from a website or written by a friend), but also presenting someone else’s ideas or language without giving credit (including looking at another student’s exam or quiz for answers). Any instance of plagiarism will result in a grade of 0 for the assignment and the perpetrator’s being reported to the Honor Council. A second offense will result in a grade of F for the course and more serious repercussions at the college level, including possible expulsion.