Late work: Assigned work is due at the beginning of class the day it is due. Your final project must be in presentable form on the day you present it, and must be turned in to the instructor in final form by no later than Saturday 9/1 (the day after the last class) at 12:00 noon. Due to the intensive, compressed nature of this course, late work can usually not be accepted for logistical reasons. If weekly experiments are late, they will be dropped a letter grade for each day (24 hour period) they are late, starting immediately after the beginning of class. (I.e. if something is e-mailed to me halfway through the class where it was due, it will count as one day late.) If you have a legitimate reason for missing a deadline (family emergency etc) contact me and I’ll do my best to work something out with you.
Absences: Again, due to the compressed nature of this course attending class is vital to success. Please try to attend all class meetings. If you must miss a class, you must notify me by email before class begins, or it will count as an unexcused absence. Unexcused absences will negatively affect your participation score; three unexcused absences or four absences of any sort will result in an automatic failing grade. If you miss class, it’s your own responsibility to find out what you missed from another student.
Grading: I use the standard UCSC grading metric (90-92 A-, etc). See the syllabus for the precise grade breakdown. You will be given prompt feedback on your weekly experiments and close reading. If you have any concerns about your grade, please feel free to contact me or come to my office hours. Note that grading artistic projects is inherently subjective: that said, in your weekly experiments and final project I’ll be looking for a) effort, b) passion, and c) understanding and utilization of the techniques and styles discussed in class. As this is a writing-based class, spelling and grammar count; please proofread your projects before submitting them.
Participation will be judged based on how well you demonstrate your attentiveness to the course material, either through participating in discussions in class, or commenting on work we read on the class website.
Mature Content: Many of the works studied in this class concern issues and topics including but not limited to race, gender, sexuality, religion, and politics. In particular, some may include depictions of violence and/or sexuality that some readers may find objectionable or offensive. I will do my best to treat these subjects professionally and with sensitivity. In turn, I expect you to help me create a community in which these challenging and potentially uncomfortable issues can be discussed in a mature, sensitive, and tolerant manner.
Use of electronic devices: Students are allowed, even encouraged, to bring laptops or other electronic devices to class for the purpose of interacting with work and taking notes. However, this privilege comes with responsibility, and activities such as surfing the web, reading e-mail, or text-messaging are not allowed. If you are browsing Facebook instead of participating in class, I will consider you absent for the day.
Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in any form and may cause you to receive a failing grade and academic probation.
Special Accommodation: If you qualify for classroom accommodations because of a disability, please submit your Accommodation Authorization Letter from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) to me during my office hours or by appointment, preferably within the first week of the Summer Session. Contact DRC by phone at 831-459-2089 or drc@ucsc.edu for more information.
