Classroom Policies

Classroom Policies: ENG 102
Attendance Policy:

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT POLICY for ENG 101 and 102: Students who miss more than the equivalent of 2 weeks’ of class meetings (more than 6 absences for sections that meet MWF, more than 4 absences for sections that meet TR) will receive an F for the course. Although it is a good idea to inform your instructor of the reason for any absence, instructors will not consider certain absences “excused.” The only exception will be for students’ extended medical leave, which will need to be appropriately documented through the Office of Academic Affairs. (Individual instructors may add further details to their own class attendance policies.)

Much of the work for this course occurs during class time. You should plan on attending every meeting. I understand, however, that occasionally illness or some other personal problem may interfere with attendance.

If some problem arises that will result in extended absence, you must contact me to explain the circumstances. I will ask for a doctor's excuse if I have not been advised by the Student Development Office that you will be unable to attend class. In the event of such excused absence, make an appointment with me as soon as you are able and will discuss an appropriate course of action, which may include withdrawing from the class if you have exceeded the English Department's allowed number of absences.

Cell Phone Use:
Please leave your cell phone at home or set it to "silent" or "vibrate" when you are in class. Under no circumstances should you be text-messaging or using your cell phone for some form of entertainment during class time.

Grading Policies:

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT POLICY for ENG 101 and 102: Students who do not complete ALL of the major essay assignments will receive an F for the course.
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT POLICY for ENG 101 and 102: Students who do not thoroughly and substantially revise each major essay assignment at least once will receive an F for the course. Students must complete their first revision for each major essay and submit it to the instructor no later than one week after receiving the instructor’s comments on the first draft. Students who wish to meet more than the most minimal standards for passing ENG 101 and ENG 102 should expect to revise each major essay assignment multiple times.

Your midterm and final grades will be based on your portfolio of work and your class participation. Your portfolio will contain both formal and informal writing. In-class writing activities, assigned out-of-class writing, and shared drafts during scheduled workshop class sessions will be considered evidence of participation. You should include an essay that introduces and explains the contents of your portfolio. During the class period when your portfolio is due, expect to exchange it with a peer so that you may both give and receive peer evaluation.

In general, the standards for acceptable work will include:

clear focus and organization;
full development of general statements
with relevant evidence
that is adequately documented, according to MLA format;
adherence to the conventions of standard written English (that is, conformity to rules of grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation); and
understanding of the rhetorical requirements for each piece of writing.

A portfolio must contain all of the required texts to receive an average or above-average grade. Excellent work will meet the above standards and, in addition, show:

thoroughness of research,
thorough revising,
originality, and
sophistication of thinking.

More specific guidelines for evaluating excellence will be developed as part of the class work for this course.

The Honor Code:
It is expected that the writing each student turns in is her or his own and that material drawn from sources--whether quoted, paraphrased, or summarized--will be clearly documented. Plagiarism will be reported to the Honor Council. See Ethics in Academic Work, a policy statement adopted by the full faculty of Bridgewater College in August 2005.

Updated by A. L. Trupe Jan. 11, 2007