The Fine (but Important) Print

Spring 2009 Edition

STANDARDS FOR PAPERS: I expect papers and take-home exams to be typewritten, in essay form (that is, not point form). They should be in 12 point Times New Roman font, with one inch margins, and double-spaced. Pages must be numbered, and the paper should be single-sided (that is, do not use both sides of the sheet of paper when printing). There should be a title page which includes the title of the paper, the name of the author, the date, the course, and the name of the professor. DO NOT put the paper in a folder, binder or plastic sleeve. I will be taking grammar, spelling, and structure into account - good ideas cannot be communicated with poor form. If the grammar or structure in a paper is severely flawed, I reserve the right to give a paper back to the student for revision without a grade (or with a reduction in grade), or fail the paper. As for citation style, I will be using the MLA format. For citing electronic sources in MLA, go here. I am open to other recognized formats (e.g., Chicago, Turabian), but whatever format you use must be used consistently. Note that the library has obtained a site license for a number of good citation programs, such as Endnote and ProCite, which can aid in proper citation form. See the library's home page for these. For information on documentation styles, see http://www.uwc.ucf.edu/Writing%20Resources/writing_resources_home.htm#documentation

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PAPERS: Some professors do not allow electronic submissions; I, on the other hand, generally prefer it for most assignments. It should be sent to janzb@mail.ucf.edu as an attachment. The paper needs to be in Word (.doc or .docx; this is the preferred mode), Adobe Acrobat (pdf), Rich Text Format (rtf), or WordPerfect format (wpd). It must appear identical to how it would look if you were to hand it in as a physical document (in other words, with a title page at the beginning and reference list at the end), as a single file. You will receive typed comments on the paper, and it will be returned electronically in the same format as it was sent. Do not include .exe files or anything that might contain a virus, and please scan your document with a virus program before you send it. Please identify yourself and the course in the subject line of the message (e.g., "<Your Name>, <Paper title> for <course name and number>"). I will likely rename the paper in the following format: "lastname, firstinitial - short paper name". Please make sure as well that I can reach you at the email address that you use to send the paper, in case the file does not open. NOTE: You will receive a return email from me when you send your paper in. If you do not receive an email, please assume that the paper was not received, and try contacting me again. If you do not receive confirmation, the paper may not have arrived, and so you will not receive a grade for it. The only proof that I received a paper is an email response from me. Claiming later that you sent it is not good enough, because I don't know whether you really did or not.

• Why should I submit my paper electronically? You will likely receive more extensive comments, as I can type faster than I can write. You may receive the paper back faster, as I often return electronic papers before class. Drawback: I cannot record a grade on a paper sent by email (see below). You will still have to find out your grade in class, or on the MyUCF grade sheet.
• Is electronic submission acceptable for all assignments? Almost all, but in some cases it may not be. Take-home finals, for instance, will likely need a hard copy to be submitted (although electronic submissions may be acceptable in addition to the hard copy). Generally I will say if it is acceptable - if in doubt, please ask.
• Which formats are acceptable? It needs to be in Microsoft Word (any version up to the current, .doc, docx), Adobe Acrobat (.pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), or WordPerfect (.wpd). It will be read on a Windows PC system, which may cause problems for papers written on Macs. Please make sure that your paper actually opens on a Windows system. I will not download another word processor and install it in order to read your paper. If you send the paper in pdf format (Adobe Acrobat), I will make comments using the comment tag feature.
• Can I send multiple files with, say, a title page, body of text, notes, bibliography, images? No, please don't. Please send only one document for an assignment. If you can't get the page number to work (that is, the title page gets numbered), I'd rather have one document with the title page numbered than multiple documents.
• How do I know that my paper arrived? I will respond to your email containing your paper once I have determined that the file opens. If you don't receive an email from me within a day or so, check that the paper arrived. Email is notoriously unreliable, and it is possible that something went wrong.
• Why can't I read the returned paper? It may be that you use Microsoft Works, instead of Microsoft Word. These programs may not be compatible. The paper should be sent in Microsoft Word, not Works. You may be able to install a document converter - see your program documentation.
• The file opens but I can't read the comments. What do I do? If you sent the paper in Microsoft Word, I will use the "Comments" function and the "Track Changes" option. If the program opens, but you don't see any comments, bring up the "Reviewing" toolbar (right-click on your toolbar at the top, and when you see a list of options for toolbars, make sure the "reviewing" toolbar is checked). Look for a tab marked "show", and click it. Underneath you will see several options. Make sure "Comments" and "Insertions and Deletions" at least are marked (the others wouldn't hurt, either). If you are using WordPerfect, either make sure you are in "draft" mode, or else while in "page" mode, go to the far left margin (you may have to scroll the screen to the side), and note the small tabs. When you click on one, you will be able to see comments. Please use the program that you used originally - comments may not be readable if made in one word processor and read in another.
• Where's my grade? See below on the communication of grades.
• Can I fax my paper to the department instead? Sorry, the department has a policy of not accepting faxes of assignments from students.

WRITING HELP: The University Writing Center (UWC) is a free resource for UCF students. At the UWC, a trained writing consultant will work individually with you on anything you're writing (in or out of class), at any point in the writing process from brainstorming to editing. Appointments are recommended, but not required. For more information or to make an appointment, visit the UWC website at http://www.uwc.ucf.edu, stop by MOD 608, or call (407) 823-2197.

ATTENDANCE, ABSENCES FROM CLASS AND FROM EXAMS, AND LATE ARRIVALS: I expect students to be in every class, on time. Classes are absolutely essential to success in the course. If you cannot be at a class, let me know before-hand. I reserve the right to not accept assignments from students either if attendance has been a problem, or if a paper is seriously late without a legitimate (in my opinion) reason. This includes any paper or graded activity in the course, including the final paper and the final exam. I will only inflict this measure after having given a warning; however, if you simply never come to class, do not expect to get much sympathy at the end of the term when you want to hand in assignments. PLEASE NOTE: Specific classes may have other attendance requirements. Please see the syllabus.

Generally, I adhere to the list of university approved reasons for absence. The following is an expansion on some of those points.

• Job Conflict: I have very little sympathy for those who tell me that their job got in the way of coming to class. If you are unable to attend a class regularly due to a job, please drop the course and take it in a term when you can come.
• Other School Activities: I understand that occasionally other school activities may get in the way of class (e.g., team trips, drama rehearsals, etc.) These should be kept to a minimum - this is a courtesy on my part to you and to the coach/director, and my patience will run thin if it becomes a regular occurance. As with jobs, if you anticipate a regular absence from the course, please drop the course and take it in a future term, when you do not have a conflict.
• Illness: Absences due to illness will require some evidence, such as a doctor's note.
• Late Arrivals to Class: Arriving late disrupts the class. Please arrive on time. If you can only make it to class very late (like, halfway through or more), please don't come in at all.
• Absence from Exams/Make-up Exams: The university list of approved reasons for absence applies here. I discourage make-up or rescheduled exams, as they tend not to be fair to the whole class, but I recognize that there are circumstances that are unavoidable. It is important to talk to me beforehand. I will not change final exam dates simply to accommodate travel schedules or job requirements. I am especially unsympathetic if someone buys a plane ticket first, and comes to me later saying that I have to change an exam date to accommodate it. If there are other reasons that you think might be legitimate, please see me. Remember, I have to ensure fairness for the entire class, and I also have to ensure that questions do not leak out to the rest of the class prior to the scheduled exam.The final exam date is known from the first day of the course - please choose your courses with that knowledge from the beginning.
• Chronic Absence: There may come a time that, even with the best of reasons, a student may have too many absences to be able to finish the course. If you miss a month of the course due to illness or some other reason, you should consider withdrawing from it. It is possible, with the permission of the instructor and the college, to have a late withdrawal, in extreme circumstances such as illness or a death in the family. Do not be surprised if I ask you to withdraw if you have missed a large number of classes. It is better than failing a course, which will almost certainly occur for someone who has not been part of the classroom work. Assessment on exams and papers heavily privileges those who have been in class regularly and done the reading.

There is another reason to be in class on time. I consider the syllabus, the class, and this "Fine Print" document to be the official record for the course. If I announce something in class, I assume that everyone has heard it. If the class location changes for a given day, for instance, I may only announce that in class. If you miss a class, it is up to you to find out what is happening. I will not repeat instructions that were given in the official class time, nor will I deliver lectures over again if a person missed the class or was late. If you miss the day when we discuss an upcoming exam, it is up to you to find out what happened from someone in the class.

The bottom line is this: I am happy and willing to work with you if you show the respect of coming to class on time and participating. If, however, you don't bother to come, you haven't pulled your weight, and I see no reason to make up for your lack of commitment to the class. So, take it seriously.

LATE PAPERS: On late papers in general: The due dates are firm. There will be penalties for late papers. If there is a legitimate reason for a paper being late, I am willing to consider it and waive the late penalty. Unacceptable reasons include:

• "I had too much work" (you could have started earlier)
• "My computer deleted my file" (make back-ups)
• "I'm on a team and we were away" (work that out with your coach, not me)
• "I couldn't think of a topic" (come & see me early)

This, of course, does not exhaust the list of reasons that will not succeed. Plan ahead, and save yourself problems. Having said that, I recognize that there will sometimes be factors beyond a person's control. I will deal with these cases on an individual basis. Giving an extension in one case in no way obligates me to do it in others. The most successful appeal will a) have an argument for why an extension is justified, and b) tell me how the assignment will be made better by the extension.

I will be especially unwilling to help anyone who has just not come to class for a substantial amount of time, and then wants to catch up by doing papers later. If you cannot come to class and participate, please drop the course and take it again in a term when you can give it your attention.

COMMUNICATION OF GRADES: I will be using the system at UCF that allows me to report your grades to you when you log into your "MyUCF" page. The university follows the state FERPA code, which does not allow the communication of grades to a student by email (including embedding them in documents, which means they cannot be placed on a paper emailed to me), or by posting them outside a professor's door. This is a confidentiality issue. Please do not ask me for your grade by email.

INCOMPLETES: I will only give an incomplete in very rare and unique circumstances. Simply not having time to finish work during the term is not sufficient reason. Even medical reasons may not be enough - medical withdrawal from the course is a preferable option in many cases (if medical withdrawal is to be taken, it needs to be taken from all courses in a given term). So, please do not take on too much in a term, thinking that it will be easy to get an incomplete and then finish the work later. Incompletes will require documented evidence from the student. Please note as well: Incomplete grade automatically revert to F's one year from the end of the course in question.

ACADEMIC HONESTY: As with all matters of student conduct, academic honesty is governed by the "Golden Rule". We will discuss the nature of academic honesty in class, but a note here is warranted. Basically, your work should be your own and original to this class, and when you are drawing on the words, images, or ideas of others, this should be properly noted. What must be avoided?

• Handing in an identical (or substantially similar) paper to another person in the class.
• Using a paper from another student (e.g., a former student, or a paper from an internet paper mill), including a former student in the course you are taking with me.
• Using any information from a book or an internet site without proper referencing.
• Handing in work that you previously submitted for a grade in another class, or are simultaneously submitting to another class, without discussing it first with the professor. This includes excerpts of your own writing that you cut and paste or reformat into a new paper. If you plan to use anything at all that has previously received a grade or is being submitted for another grade, you need to discuss it with the professor in advance. There are rare cases when a student will be allowed to write a single paper for two courses, if the material is relevant and if both professors agree to it in advance, but the paper is usually expected to be more ambitious and more extensive.

The university writing center has many useful handouts on writing, including handouts on properly handling citations. If you have any question about how to properly complete an assignment, please see me. On occasion I may submit student papers (or ask students to submit them) to Turnitin.com, a website that checks for plagiarism. Papers submitted to that site become part of their database. Submitting a paper in this course gives consent for your paper to be added to their database.

WITHDRAWAL: It is the student's responsibility to drop or withdraw from the course if there is an unavoidable conflict or if the need should arise for another reason. Students who fail to drop before the deadline established in the curriculum catalogue will receive an F for the course. The withdrawal date for Spring 2009 is Friday, March 6 .