Course Notes

Class Participation/Attendance:

You are expected to attend each class and participate in team work outside of class time. It is essential in a productive learning community for each member to participate fully in class discussion and activities.  I know this can be daunting and challenging for some.  I also recognize that participation in discussion can look different from person to person.  Participation does not mean you must always have an opinion on what is being discussed, nor does it mean you can hang back and just intently listen.  Leadership is an active engagement and a process, thus so is participation in this class.

A drop of one letter grade will be given for anyone who obtains 3 or more absences (excused or unexcused) in the course.  You are expected to contact Todd or Alex if you are going to be absent, so that you can make up missed work. Your grade will be penalized for absence and/or tardiness and/or leaving early unless you have made arrangements with the instructor.

If you miss part or all of a class you are responsible for informing yourself about class content and assignments, and for preparing them on time. This includes if you miss class because of school-sponsored athletic or other activities. While you will not be penalized for missing class when engaged in school-sponsored activities, you are still responsible for the material covered.

Late Work: I reserve the right to make a judgment on accepting and/or making-up assignments missed because of class absence. You are responsible for obtaining missed assignments. Late work will be penalized. I will not accept late work more than one week after the due date. No late work will be accepted during the last week of class. No substitute assignments will be given for missed in-class assignments.

Academic Integrity

The University is a community of learning, whose effectiveness requires an environment of mutual trust and integrity.  Academic integrity is violated by any dishonesty such as soliciting, receiving, or providing any unauthorized assistance in the completion of work submitted toward academic credit. While not all forms of academic dishonesty can be listed here, examples include copying from another student, copying from a book or class notes during a closed book exam, submitting materials authored by or revised by another person as the student’s own work, copying a passage or text directly from a published source without appropriately citing or recognizing that source, taking a test or doing an assignment or other academic work for another student, securing or supplying in advance a copy of an examination without the knowledge or consent of the instructor, and colluding with another student or students to engage in academic dishonesty.

Any clear violation of academic integrity will be met with appropriate sanctions.  Possible sanctions for violation of academic integrity may include, but are not limited to, assignment of a failing grade in a course, disciplinary probation, suspension, and dismissal from the University. Students should review the College of Arts and Sciences policy on Academic Honesty, which can be accessed on-line at http://www.slu.edu/colleges/AS/ under “Quicklinks for Students” or in hard copy form in the Arts and Sciences Policy Binder in each departmental or College office.

ADA Statement

Any student who feels that he/she may need academic accommodations in order to meet the requirements of this course — as outlined in the syllabus — due to presence of a disability, should contact the Student Success Center and the Office of Disability Services.

314-977-8885
Fax: 314-977-3486
Busch Student Center, Suite 331 (part of Student Success Center)

Course Format

We will meet once per week (Thursdays).  For the first half of the class (roughly 6:00-7:30) we will work in a seminar format, which is a mixture of lecture, discussion, and presentations by outside guests.  This will be followed by a 10-minute break.  The second half of the class (7:40-8:30) will be primarily used for teamwork or discussion on social change/service.

Courtesy Expectations

You will treat your classroom obligations as you would treat any serious professional engagement. These obligations include the following:

• Preparing thoroughly for each session in accordance with my requests;
• Bringing the relevant text to each class meeting for reference;
• Arriving promptly and remaining until the end of each class meeting;
• Participating fully and constructively in all classroom activities and discussions;
• Displaying appropriate courtesy to all involved in the class sessions. Courteous behavior specifically entails communicating in a manner that is respectful and sensitive to the cultural, religious, sexual, and other individual differences in the SLU community;
• Adhering to deadlines and timetables established by me;
• Refraining from use of cell phones and all other communication devices (not including Twitter);
• Refraining from leave taking behaviors until class is dismissed;
• In this class, if someone else is talking and you have a question or comment, raise your hand and do not interrupt.  However, raising hands is not always expected, especially during discussion.