COM 431: Rhetorical Criticism 
First Week of Class: Students who are enrolled in this course but do not attend all regularly scheduled class meetings during the first week of the quarter are subject to being dropped from the course. Students should contact me if they must be absent any day during the first week of the quarter. Students must not assume that not attending class will automatically result in their being dropped. Students themselves are responsible for officially dropping courses.
Make up Exams: Early exams or make-up exams rarely will be given, and only to students who have unavoidable conflicts (that can be documented) with the exam time. Students will receive a study guide approximately a week prior to the exams.
Late Assignments: For purposes of equity and fairness for all students, you will be given a reasonable amount of time to complete all assignments. An assignment is on time when it is delivered to the teacher at the beginning of the class session on the day it is due. Papers that are turned in later will receive a 10% grade reduction for each day they are late.
Attendance: Each class meeting is an opportunity to participate in lectures and discussions. By being present and on time, reading the assigned material, making study notes, and participating in discussions, you’ll increase your opportunities to learn the course material. Active participation is critical to learning; passive learning is quickly forgotten. As trite as it sounds, the more you devote to this course the more you will benefit from this course. I assume that when you enter the class, you are an intellectual and will act as such. This means that you will turn off your cell phone, abstain from browsing the internet, be awake, and avoid from chatting. We will spend a significant portion of our time discussing the course concepts, but you should address the entire group and not simply chat with a friend.
Special Needs: To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disabled Student Services, 448 Schmitz, 543-8924 (V), 543-8925 (TTY), or uwdss@u.washington.edu. Please present me with your letter from DSS indicating that you have a disability that requires academic accommodations so we can discuss the accommodations you might need for the class.
Grievance Policy: If you have any concerns about the course or me, please see me about these concerns as soon as possible. If you are not comfortable talking with me or you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, you may contact the Chair of the Department of Communication, Gerald Baldasty, at 543-2662.
Academic Integrity: The University’s definitions of academic and personal misconduct are outlined in the Student Conduct Code (available in your University of Washington Student Planner pages 97-103 and online at http://www.washington.edu/students/handbook/conduct.html). It is your responsibility to read and understand the University’s expectations in this regard. Until you have read the Code, do not assume that you know what this University defines as cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic misconduct.
Plagiarism is a significant violation of the Student Conduct Code and will be dealt with severely in this class. It is important for you to know that plagiarism is any representation of another person’s words or ideas in a manner that makes it seem as if they were your own, in either oral or written form. This means that you may not copy another person’s paper or speech. But it also means that you should not use another person’s unique phrases or organizational schemes without making it clear to your audience where those words or ideas originated. Your work should be entirely your own. If it becomes evident that you have collaborated with another student and/or plagiarized work, the matter will be turned over to the University’s Committee on Academic Conduct. For more on plagiarism, including a review of proper and improper paraphrasing practices, see http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm.
