Statement Concerning Academic Excellence

In order to foster a challenging intellectual experience in this course, I have joined a number of other Rollins faculty members in a commitment to the following principles:

1. Believing that my high expectations are an indication of my respect for you

and for your capacity to work at a level of excellence you may not have

thought possible, I will follow the grading standards outlined in the college catalog:

Grade A is reserved for work that is exceptional in quality and shows keen insight, understanding, and initiative.

Grade B is given for work that is consistently superior [that is, not merely respectable or “average” ] and shows interest, effort, or originality.

Grade C is a respectable grade. It reflects consistent daily preparation and satisfactory completion of all work required.

Grade D- is the lowest passing grade. It is below the average necessary to meet graduation requirements and ordinarily is not accepted for transfer by other institutions.

Grade F is failing.

2. Recognizing that the work done in class is only a small part of your acquisition

of an education—and that pursuing a college education should be thought of as the equivalent of a fulltime job—I will design the assignments for this course so that you may plan to spend at least two hours outside of class for every hour in class;

3. I will faithfully enforce the attendance policy stated in this syllabus, which

makes clear that absences and lateness will affect course grades. When a student misses more than ten percent of classes, I begin to wonder whether credit can be given for the course without some substantial makeup work.

4. Recognizing that college graduates must be able to communicate clearly and

effectively, I will reduce the grade of papers marred by an accumulation of the following errors by as much as a full grade level (A- = B-):

* Sentence fragments

* Run-on sentences; comma splices

* Lack of agreement: subject/verb; noun/pronoun

* Lack of possessive apostrophe

* Dangling or misplaced modifiers

* Shifting verb tenses

* Unparallel constructions

* No comma after introductory element

* Use of I as objective case pronoun

* Confusion between it’s and its, to and too, and among

their, there, and they’re

* Misuse of colons and semicolons

5. In fairness to all students in the class and with the knowledge that, in the world

beyond college, workers are expected to meet deadlines even in the absence of ideal circumstances. I will faithfully enforce the policy concerning late work stated in this syllabus. All tests will be graded blind, that is, without your name in my mind as I assign points for the quality of the answers or the assignment of the grades.

6. For all the other course work throughout the term, I will treat your work

seriously and will respond to it as fully as possible. I urge you to come and talk to me about my comments and evaluations, if anything is unclear.

7. Knowing that ultimately your education is what you make it, I will encourage

you to come to class prepared; I will encourage you to initiate

conversations, ask questions, and comment on the readings and other assignments; I will encourage you to engage your classmates in lively intellectual exchanges. If you are too overwhelming, I will encourage you to listen; if you are shy, I will see if you are getting the material and encourage you at times to work your ideas into the forum.

8. Because I want to be a part of your intellectual growth and because I enjoy the

play of ideas, I will be available to you during my office hours and at other scheduled times, and I encourage you to use those times, not just for discussions of grades and assignments, but also of the ideas generated by the class.

The Rollins Honor Code

Membership in the student body of Rollins College carries with it an obligation, and requires a commitment, to act with honor in all things. Because academic integrity is fundamental to the pursuit of knowledge and truth and is the heart of the academic life of Rollins College, it is the responsibility of all members of the College community to practice it and to report apparent violations.

Kindly make the following pledge as a part of enrollment in this course:

The development of the virtues of Honor and Integrity are integral to a Rollins College education and to membership in the Rollins College community. Therefore, I, a student of Rollins College, pledge to show my commitment to these virtues by abstaining from any lying, cheating, or plagiarism in my academic endeavors and by behaving responsibly, respectfully and honorably in my social life and in my relationships with others.

This pledge is reinforced every time a student submits work for academic credit as his/her own. Kindly add to all papers, quizzes, tests, lab reports, etc., the following handwritten abbreviated pledge followed by your signature:

“On my honor, I have not given, nor received, nor witnessed any unauthorized assistance on this work.”

Material submitted electronically should contain the pledge; submission implies signing the pledge and should be followed up by a hard copy which contains the signature.

Students with disabilities: Rollins College is committed to equal access and does not discriminate unlawfully against persons with disabilities in its policies, procedures, programs or employment processes. The College recognizes its obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to provide an environment that does not discriminate against persons with disabilities.

If you are a person with a disability and anticipate needing any type of academic accommodation in order to participate in any class of mine, please make appropriate arrangements with Lisa Marsh, CRC, Disability Services Coordinator, located in the Thomas P. Johnson Student Resource Center, (407) 646-2354, e-mail .

_______________________

Steve Phelan

Professor of English

Rollins College