Required Language
See also: Grading Percentages
Accommodations for Documented Disabilities
Brandeis seeks to welcome and include all students. If you have a letter of accommodation, or if there is any circumstance I should be aware of that may affect your learning this semester, please see me after class or come to my office hours. I want to support you.
Academic Honesty
You are expected to be honest in all of your academic work. The University policy on academic honesty is distributed annually in section 5 of the Rights and Responsibilities handbook. Instances of alleged dishonesty will be forwarded to the Department of Student Rights and Community Standards. Potential sanctions include failure on the essay, failure in the course and suspension from the University. If you have any questions about my expectations, please ask.
Artificial Intelligence
In this class, we will use writing as a way to sharpen both our critical thinking and analysis skills as well as to develop communication skills that allow us to clearly communicate our ideas. While it is appropriate to use artificial intelligence (AI) for tasks like checking spelling or grammar and brainstorming ideas, you may not use AI to generate full sentences, paragraphs, or papers. For example, you may not use AI to generate pre-drafts and drafts/revisions, reflections, in-class exercises, peer letters, or communications with your instructor. This is because claiming the work of others as your own, whether created by another human or by AI, is regarded as plagiarism and therefore will be subject to the penalties outlined in the “Academic Integrity” section of the syllabus. If you have any questions about appropriate or inappropriate use of AI, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Comparative Genre Analysis (CGA)
Scholars from different disciplines make different choices when writing. These choices aren’t random, but reflect what people value in their writing. For example, the nature of evidence depends on the type of information that makes up a discipline. In science, evidence may be the results of an empirical study; in history, evidence might include primary sources such as historical newspapers and archival documents, in English, evidence may come from a single poem or novel. Understanding that different disciplines produce different genres of writing will help you better understand what you read. It will also help you have more awareness of your own writing in the future.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
In this course, we will work together to ensure that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives will be well served. The diversity and identities which students bring will be viewed as a resource, strength, and benefit. To this end, we will engage with materials and activities that respect and honor each student’s unique experiences and perspectives. If anyone says something in class that makes you feel uncomfortable, angry, threatened, and/or excluded, please talk to me about it (anonymously, if you prefer). Furthermore, if you feel like your performance in this class is being impacted by your experiences outside of class, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I want to be a resource for you.
First-Year Experience, Critical Conversations, and Experiential Learning
UWS is the centerpiece of the First-Year Experience, which introduces students to the intellectual life of the university. As part of the UWS, students attend at least one Critical Conversation between faculty from different departments. The goals of the Critical Conversations are to build cohort identity and introduce students to scholarly discourse—including some of the ways in which our faculty engages with the world and each other. This course will also include an experiential learning activity to expand the boundaries of the conventional classroom.
Four-Credit Course
Success in this 4 credit hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections, preparation for exams, etc.).
Weather
The Provost's statement on Inclement Weather and Syllabi: As ever, we ask that each instructor include in their syllabi their policy for days when campus is closed or when there is a delayed start or an early closing because of inclement weather or other emergencies (see Inclement Weather Policy). We recognize that every class is different and, as a result, inclement weather policies may vary from course to course depending on the material being covered, the pedagogy of the instructor, and the needs of students. Whatever your expectations/policies, it is important to communicate them to your students via your syllabi.
Writing Center
For the writing assignments in this class, I encourage you to make use of the Brandeis University Writing Center, which offers free writing support to all Brandeis community members in the form of in-person and Zoom face-to-face and e-tutoring document-drop appointments as well as workshops. Writers of all levels in all subjects — working on anything from their first college essays to lab reports, senior theses, dissertations, and job and fellowship materials — are welcome. The Writing Center’s team of expert consultants is on hand to help you with your writing project at any stage, from brainstorming, to outlining, to revision.Every semester, the University Writing Center also holds a series of UWS workshops on each of the three major assignments. All UWS students are welcome to register for Writing Center workshops online.
Zero Cost Program
To promote equity and successful outcomes for all students, the Brandeis Writing Program has implemented a zero cost program. All required materials will be available online.
Zotero Training
Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share research. All students are required to attend one of the library's Zotero Training Sessions during the semester. Here is the Fall 2023 Schedule
2020-2021 COVID-Related Language
In-person courses:
Participation: In this in-person course, the majority of instruction before Thanksgiving break will take place on campus in a physical classroom. However, in light of current circumstances it is understood that some students may at times be unable to physically attend. In such situations, you are expected to attend classes virtually via Zoom using this link: [insert link]
In-person and hybrid courses:
Laptops: In order to facilitate communication and connection with students who may not be physically present in class, you are strongly encouraged to bring your laptop and earbuds/headphones along to class. This will allow us to communicate with remote students via Zoom, if necessary. However, please bear in mind that active participation in class is expected; do not use laptops in a way that will distract yourself or your peers from the course material.
Student Safety and In-Person Class Etiquette: In accordance with Brandeis policy, and to maintain their health and the health of those around them, instructors and students alike will comply with current health and safety policies in this class. All in-class participants are required to wear face masks at all times during our classes and will maintain six-foot social distancing. All faculty and students must clean their work areas before and after each class session, using the sanitizing wipes and other supplies provided by the University.
All courses:
Zoom etiquette: Zoom class meetings should be treated with the same respect as in-person class meetings. To keep our online classes productive, please observe the following:
- Videos: [Instructor fills in their preference – should the video be on or off?]. Example: If your bandwidth supports it, please keep your video on during the class meeting and use gallery view during class discussions so you can see your classmates. This is an important means of having a sense of ourselves as a group—working together and interacting in a virtual space when we cannot assemble in a classroom.
- Audio: Keep your audio muted during class. During discussions, please indicate that you would like to speak by using the “hand raise” function or a message in the chat. The instructor will manage the mute and unmute functions.
- Accessibility: Any students with accessibility concerns related to video calls should inform the instructor as soon as possible at the start of the semester so these concerns can be addressed in a timely manner.
- Recording: Class discussions are meant to be an open space to work through ideas. Discussions can only be open, thoughtful, and respectful if we respect our mutual right to privacy and confidentiality. Posting recorded classes on social media is prohibited.
- When you participate in classes or conferences online via Zoom, you will be expected to behave professionally and to communicate to me and your peers in the same courteous manner that you would use in class. Discourteous and abusive behaviors – trolling, spamming, flaming, displaying inappropriate content, disruptive behavior, etc. – will not be tolerated.
- Privacy: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) protects all student data and extends as well to the classroom experience. In accordance with federal guidelines regarding your privacy as well as the privacy of your classmates, only you are allowed to attend and to participate in this class.
Teaching Continuity: Current events have reminded us all that campus closures, long-term absences, and other disruptions are possible at any time. As your instructor I will communicate with you about any changes to our course schedule and assignments via email and via our course LATTE page’s “Announcements” section, located near the top of the page. I also expect you to communicate with me about any unforeseen circumstances that might affect your performance in the class. If you have any questions about how unforeseen events might be impacting our course, please let me know in person, via email, or via our LATTE page forum.