User:Aaronshaw/Course policies

The policies below govern the courses that I (Aaron) offer at Northwestern. I'll try to keep them updated and sufficiently flexible to fit the different kinds of courses I teach. In general, you should [mailto:aaronshaw@northwestern.edu contact me] with questions (especially if you're a student in one of my classes!).

Attendance
Attendance in the synchronous class meetings is expected of all participants. If you need to miss class for any reason, please try to contact me ahead of time (email is best). Multiple unexplained absences will likely result in a lower grade or (in extreme circumstances) a failing grade. In the event of an absence, you are responsible for obtaining class notes, handouts, assignments, etc. You are also still responsible for turning in any assignments on time unless you make prior arrangements with the teaching team.

In-class device usage
Please refrain from uses of devices that do not directly contribute to your engagement with the course material. If this becomes a problem, I may ask you to leave class, temporarily surrender devices, and/or meet to develop a plan to mitigate in-class device usage that could adversely impact your learning or others'.

Peers’ Work and In-Class Discussions
Throughout a course, you may receive, read, collaborate, and/or comment on classmates’ work. These assignments are for class use only. You may not share them with anybody outside of class without explicit written permission from the document’s author and pertaining to the specific piece of work in question.

It is essential to the success of class that all participants feel comfortable discussing questions, thoughts, ideas, fears, reservations, apprehensions and confusion about works-in-progress, concepts, independent research, and more. Therefore, you should not share verbatim comments with those not in class nor should you share using other methods -- e.g., social media -- any comments linked to people’s identities unless you get clear and explicit permission from them to do so first. If you want to share general impressions or specifics of in-class discussions with those not in class, please do so without disclosing personal identities or details.

Accommodations
I am totally happy to provide accommodations for religious observance, physical needs, or other circumstances as needed. Any Northwestern student requesting accommodations related to a disability or other condition is required to register with AccessibleNU (847-467-5530) and provide professors with an accommodation notification from AccessibleNU, preferably within the first two weeks of class. All information will remain confidential. For more information, visit AccessibleNU.

Equity, Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct
All participants in my classes are bound by the Northwestern University policies related to equity, discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, and more. Please review the policies and speak to me if you have any questions or concerns. You can also submit incident reports directly via the Northwestern Office of Equity.

Academic Integrity
All Northwestern affiliates are responsible for reading and abiding by the Northwestern University Principles Regarding Academic Integrity. Personally, I expect students to exceed the minimal standards elaborated in those principles and to strive for admirable, extraordinary conduct in every aspect of your academic career. Feel free to ask me for clarification about this or related matters.

Deadlines
Emergencies happen. Unanticipated obstacles arise. If you cannot make a deadline, please contact me to figure out a schedule that will work. The more proactive and responsible you are, the more receptive I am likely be.

A word about extensions and incomplete grades: I strongly discourage them. In principle, I have no problem with extensions or incomplete grades. In practice, they tend to be a pain for everybody involved. If you absolutely must submit any assignment late, please assume that I may require up to 1 month (4 weeks) to grade it. Please take this into account if you will need me to to submit a grade in order to receive your fellowship/diploma/visa/etc. by a particular date.

Grade changes
If you want to request a review/change of grade for any assignment in the course, you must do so in writing via email. You should address your request to the teaching team (i.e., both the instructor(s) of record as well as any teaching assistant(s)) and include any details pertinent to the request. Such requests incur no risk to your grade in the sense that they will never result in a lower grade than the one you were originally assigned. The teaching team will review your request and will provide a written reply via email within two weeks (or as soon as possible).

Email protocol
I receive a lot of email and I sometimes fail to keep up. If, for some reason, I do not respond to a message related to this course within 48 hours, please do not take it personally and feel free to re-send the message with a polite reminder. This will help me and I will not resent you for it.