Course Syllabus

ENGL 1320: First Year Writing II

Rev. 12-19-2020

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Syllabus Contents

• Basic Information
• Course Description
• Required Materials
• Course Objectives
• Evaluation and Grading
• Units and Assignments Overview
• Instructor Policies and Expectations
• Technical Requirements & Skills
• Getting Help
• UNT Policies
• Schedule of Assignments

Basic Information

Welcome to UNT! As members of the UNT community, we have all made a commitment to be part of an institution that respects and values the identities of the students and employees with whom we interact. UNT does not tolerate identity-based discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. UNT’s full Non-Discrimination Policy can be found in the UNT Policies section of the syllabus.

Instructor Contact Information: Provided by instructor on Canvas.

Catalog Description: 3 hours. Writing as inquiry. Develops habits of critical thinking, research-based inquiry, and argument through written engagement with relevant social and cultural issues.

Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1310; Core Category: English Composition and Rhetoric

Course Description

ENGL 1320: First-Year Writing II will help you practice and develop new skills in research and evidence-based writing. However, it is also a course about finding a personal connection to issues and topics that are important to you and to your wider community. One of the broadest goals of ENGL 1320 is to help you become comfortable with strategies for making your writing compelling to the audiences you want to reach. Defining, explaining, persuading, finding and evaluating good sources—these are all ways to provide insight into topics that you want to share with other people.

In ENGL 1320, you will practice writing clear, coherent, and focused arguments that academic audiences expect, with well-researched evidence and appropriate grammar conventions. However, ENGL 1320 will also teach you to address audiences in ways that complement (and sometimes exceed) argumentation. These other ways of writing include expressing common ground, extending existing ideas, and showing logical and emotional support. Overall, ENGL 1320 will prepare you for a wide range of writing expectations, including those that demand research, evidence, and careful argument.

 

Required Materials:

Both ENGL 1310 and ENGL 1320 courses will use:

THE COMPOSITION OF EVERYDAY LIFE, Brief 6th Edition

(Mauk/Metz, Cengage, 2017, ISBN 9780357613740)

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to

• Assess and explain their own writing habits reflectively
• Recognize and use rhetorical tools and writing processes to focus their writing
• Describe and define a specific issue that interests them from relevant social and cultural topics
• Select and evaluate sources that give insight into a specific cultural issue
• Synthesize information from other written sources
• Plan, draft, write, and revise a research essay that addresses a relevant social or cultural issue
• Compare and rate their contributions as a team member to peer review and other team-based assignments

Evaluation and Grading:

Units and Assignments

Note: To earn a passing grade, you must complete all major writing assignments.

• 15% - Unit 1: Research Proposal Assignment Group
• 20% - Unit 2: Definition and Synthesis Assignment Group
• 30% - Unit 3: Addressing Issues Research Essay Assignment Group
• 5% - Unit 4: Remixing the Research Essay Assignment Group
• 15% - Discussion Boards
• 15% - Activities
• 100% - Total

Grading Policies and Tips

This course has a demanding reading and writing load commensurate with a first-year writing class. Students will be expected to read all assigned texts carefully and to be prepared to discuss the texts analytically and critically on the day that they are assigned. Much of your class time will be spent discussing course readings, practicing writing, and working together collaboratively online. If you do not understand or need help, please make arrangements to talk to your instructor right away. Note that you may have reading quizzes or discussions at unannounced times in order to check up on how the class is reading and comprehending the course material.

Please also keep up with all writing assignments. On days when writing is due, be ready to post a draft for your other writing community members. Evaluating, revising, and editing our writing together is a vital part of this class.

Sometimes you will also engage in collaborative or individual assignments or activities during class modules. When you communicate with other class members, you should move beyond simply writing about what parts of the texts that you “like.” Work hard to think about how the texts support and contradict one another. Bring experiences and ideas from your own life into the discussion where appropriate. Look for ways that class readings and discussions are relevant in the world around you. Pay attention to what your classmates write and build off of their ideas when you can. Encourage, support, and learn from each other.

Rubrics and Scoring Systems

• For the purposes of this course,
• “A” WORK will constitute a final score of 90-100% of total points, and will represent an overall response that is impressively sophisticated and illuminating: inventive, balanced, justified, effective, mature, and expertly-situated in time and context
• “B” WORK will constitute a final score of 80-89.99% of total points, and will represent an overall response that is thorough and systematic: skilled, revealing, developed, perceptive, but not unusually or surprisingly original
• “C” WORK will constitute a final score of 70-79.99% of total points, and will represent an overall response that is acceptable but limited: coherent, significant, and perhaps even insightful in places, but ultimately insufficient in organization, articulation, perception, and/or effectiveness
• “D” WORK will constitute a final score of 60-69.99% of total points, and will represent an overall response that is incomplete and severely lacking: incoherent, limited, uncritical, immature, undeveloped, and overall not reflective of the performance expected of UNT undergraduates
• “F” WORK will constitute a final score of 0-59.99% of total points, and will represent an overall response that is unacceptable.

Units and Assignments Overview

(Note: specific instructions for each assignment may vary from instructor to instructor; the following text offers general descriptions only)

Unit 1 – Exploring Issues

This unit focuses on reading sources for information and insight, as well as formulating a specific research question around an issue you want to write about and explore.

Unit 1 Assignment - Proposing a Research Question: Write a brief research proposal in which you identify a topic that you want to address and define the existing context for the topic, including how different groups have engaged with the topic.

Unit 2 – Defining Context and Developing Perspective

This unit focuses on defining the context for the issue you have chosen and synthesizing important insights from other sources that offer perspective on the issue.

Unit 2 Assignment – Definition and Synthesis Essay: Write an essay that explains how the practices of a particular cultural or community group reveal insights about common human experiences. (110)

Unit 3 – Addressing Issues

This unit prepares you to put together everything you have been learning in order to plan and write a clear, focused, and well-researched essay that addresses the issue you have chosen to write about.

Unit 3 Assignment – Addressing Issues Research Essay: Write a research essay in which you analyze a problem of wide interest to one or more social groups and offer a specific insight, perspective, strategy, or policy that addresses the problem in ways that will move the conversation forward.

Unit 4 – Remixing and Reflecting

This final unit focuses on the activity of "remixing" writing through changes to the audience, purpose, context, and/or other criteria used to write the Unit 3 Research Essay. Remixing is an activity that helps writers develop new strategies such as using multimodal writing or “everyday” language to reach audiences beyond the form of the traditional academic essay.

Unit 4 Assignment – Remixing the Research Essay: With your topic, issue, research question, and basic thesis in mind from the previous unit, experiment with one or more different approaches to addressing the cultural or social issue you wrote about in your Unit 3: Addressing Issues Research Essay.

Use this project to experiment with different forms or modes, or to write for different audiences.

Program Values

Writing develops through inquiry, experimentation, and discovery. 

The act of writing encourages intellectual and personal development, and leads to greater knowledge retention, deep reflection, and empathy.  Writing may teach us new ways to understand ourselves, our world, our communities, and others better. Through writing and listening to the writing of others, we grow intellectually, reflect deeply, and respond empathetically to vital issues facing ourselves, our communities, and our world.

Writing facilitates critical thinking about complex issues.  

Writing is a practice of responding clearly, concisely, and coherently to complex issues. Students studying writing develop their logical skills and learn strategies to address critical problems and attune to audiences with precision and purpose.

Writing takes place through a lifelong process supported by revision and reflection.  

Beyond traditional academic skills and rules of writing, writers develop flexible strategies to read, listen, plan, and collaborate with others by revisiting and reflecting on their writing experiences. Students studying writing learn to reflect on their own writing processes, which might include critical reading, planning, drafting, collaborating, revising, and reflecting, through multiple pages of drafted material.

Writing can give us agency to intervene in social issues.  

Writers intervene in their communities by addressing audience needs and concerns. Academic audiences expect writers to address difficult questions through well-researched writing that is supported with compelling evidence. Other kinds of audiences and communities expect writers to address their needs differently, through flexible rhetorical strategies that offer relevant and timely information.

Writing is integral to information literacy and critical reading. 

In order to write ethically and build credibility with audiences, writers must read sources carefully and know how to assess and use information effectively.

Writing is learned through effective and engaging teaching.

The First-Year Writing program at UNT provides its instructors with ongoing educational training to help them deliver effective and engaging instruction to students. UNT FYW acknowledges excellence in teaching and fosters a culture that facilitates thoughtful instruction and promotes student success.

Instructor Policies and Expectations:

Attendance and Absences:

UNT policy 6.039 on student attendance states that no student will be excused for more than 25% of a course for absences. However, it is the UNT FYW policy that no student missing more than 20% of classroom instruction in a first-year writing course should be able to pass the course. For online classes, attendance means that you must check our Canvas site weekly and participate each week. I will check your attendance in the class by checking your postings, responses, activities, and assignments each week. If you do not submit your work for a week, you may be counted absent for that week.

Writing courses are by nature participatory, collaborative, and discussion-based. If you miss more than 20% of classes (2 weeks for a 10-week course), your grade may be reduced by 10% for each additional week missed. If you miss more than 30% of the class (3 weeks for a 10 week course), then I am authorized to keep you from passing the course.

Please arrange any planned absences with me ahead of time in order to avoid penalization. Note that absences for the following reasons are authorized as excusable by the university (policy 06.039): (1) religious holy day, including travel for that purpose; (2) active military service, including travel for that purpose; (3) participation in an official university function; (4) illness or other extenuating circumstances; (5) pregnancy and parenting under Title IX; and (6) when the University is officially closed by the President.

Communication Expectations:

Please communicate with me formally through my UNT email address. When you write me, please include the subject of your email in the subject line, and write your email with appropriate salutations and grammatical language. Note that I am not able to discuss any information relating academic records through email. I ask that you also remember the following guidelines in your communications with me:

• Treat all communications professionally. Think about spelling and grammar and double-check your response before hitting send or reply. Consider the purpose of any uses of slang or other icons, graphics, or memes.
• Please use my title in all communications (i.e. “Ms. Jones” or “Dr. James”).
• Think about your tone, and remember that email cannot convey nonverbal cues that provide clarity and context in face to face conversations.
• Take care to respect the personal identities and privacy of yourself, of me, and of others. Respect identities based on gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, and/or culture. Also think carefully about what you reveal and do not reveal, particularly if this information involves your health and/or classroom performance.
• Please also check the syllabus before you ask me a question about an assignment or course schedule. It helps me if you can also let me know you checked the syllabus before writing, since I put significant time into creating the schedule and the syllabus.
• In your email subject line, it helps to be descriptive and note vague. Since I receive a lot of emails, I need to identify your question and problem as quickly as possible. For a sample email, read this article, “How to Email Your Professor (Links to an external site.).”
• For any online posts in our course, please read the directions and all the messages in a thread before replying so you do not repeat something one of your peers may have already said. Additionally, avoid replies such as “I agree” and instead explain why you agree or do not agree. Also, share examples, citations, and other sources that have supported your conclusions.
• Remember that if you disagree with anything in class, please refrain from making personal attacks or use language that discriminates based on gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, and/or culture.

Instructor Responsibilities and Feedback

My responsibility as your instructor is to challenge you, to help you understand the course material, and to help you grow and learn as a student. I will provide clear instructions for projects and assignments, answer your questions, and identify additional resources as necessary. I will also provide substantive feedback on your written work. You can expect me to have feedback and grades returned to you within two weeks of the submission date for each assignment.

Disruptions:

Excessive disruptions of our class time—including posting inappropriate or inflammatory comments or harassing others online—are unacceptable. .Please respect the class environment by using your time effectively and helping your classmates do the same.

Participation and Civility:

We are all members of an academic community where it is our shared responsibility to cultivate a climate where all students/individuals are valued and where both they and their ideas are treated with respect. Therefore, I expect you to conduct yourself in a professional and respectful manner during all online interactions and class-­‐related activities. I expect you to listen to and respect the viewpoints of others, even if you strongly disagree with them. When you do voice disagreement in your writing, do so in a civil manner. Remember that you are accountable for all of your actions in this course, including your submitted work, your grades, and your interactions with me and with other students.

Everyone will have multiple opportunities to participate in class. Participation can be many things, including all of the following:

• Participating actively in small group work, class meetings, and discussions
• Showing attention to others in discussion posts
• Completing all assignments on time
• Coming prepared to online conferences/office hours

Here are some of the “Rules of Engagement” UNT recommends as guidelines for our class:

• While the freedom to express yourself is a fundamental human right, any communication that utilizes cruel and derogatory language on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal or state law will not be tolerated.
• Treat your instructor and classmates with respect in any communication online or face-to-face, even when their opinion differs from your own.
• Ask for and use the correct name and pronouns for your instructor and classmates.
• Speak from personal experiences. Use “I” statements to share thoughts and feelings. Try not to speak on behalf of groups or other individual’s experiences.
• Use your critical thinking skills to challenge other people’s ideas, instead of attacking individuals.
• Avoid using all caps while communicating digitally. This may be interpreted as “YELLING!”
• Be cautious when using humor or sarcasm in emails or discussion posts as tone can be difficult to interpret digitally.
• Avoid using “text-talk” unless explicitly permitted by your instructor.
• Proofread and fact-check your sources.
• Keep in mind that online posts can be permanent, so think first before you type.

You also can visit the Engagement Guidelines (Links to an external site.) page at https://clear.unt.edu/online-communication-tips (Links to an external site.) for more information.

Using Canvas:

Announcements, discussions, assignments, and grades for this course will all be handled within UNT’s CANVAS Learning Management System. You must be able to access CANVAS regularly in order to succeed in this course.

All students have access to CANVAS through their UNT accounts. For more information on using CANVAS, see  https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10701 (Links to an external site.). If you have any questions regarding your use of the Canvas learning management system, please contact the student help desk at: Email: helpdesk@unt.edu, Phone: 940-565-2324.

You also need to make plans to have a backup way to access the technology each week: another computer; the local library; or perhaps the UNT campus. Not having access to the course will not excuse you from the workload each week.

Formatting Your Assignments:

All written work needs to be typed and submitted online to our CANVAS site, with a paper copy brought to class.  For all essays, include your name and the page number on the top right of each page (i.e.: Lastname 1). Please also include a date and the course number (ENGL 1310 or ENGL 1320).  Use a text font for all essays (Times Roman or Garamond for example) at 12 points, with all one-inch (1”) margins, and double-spacing. Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date indicated by the assignment prompt.

Late or Missed Assignments:

All papers are due by class time on the due date (or by the date specified in Canvas). Late work may not be counted, or may be penalized severely for each day late. It is up to you as a student to make arrangements with me. Additionally, I will not grade subsequent assignments from any students until all previous assignments have been completed, and you cannot pass the course if you have not received a grade for all major assignments. Please meet with me as soon as possible if you miss a deadline for an assignment.

Exceptions for technical outages: UNT is committed to providing a reliable online course system to all users. However, in the event of any unexpected server outage or any unusual technical difficulty which prevents students from completing a time sensitive assessment activity, the instructor may extend the time windows and provide an appropriate accommodation based on the situation. Students should immediately report any problems to the instructor and contact the UNT Student Help Desk: helpdesk@unt.edu or 940.565.2324 and obtain a ticket number. The instructor and the UNT Student Help Desk will work with the student to resolve any issues at the earliest possible time.

Using the UNT Writing Center:

It is recommended that you schedule an appointment with the UNT Writing Center (Links to an external site.) to request extra help with all of your assignments for this class.  All writers can benefit from sharing and discussing their work with a trained peer tutor, early and often.  A writing tutor can help you get started on a paper or help you decide what to revise on an existing draft.  In order to make an appointment with a writing tutor, visit https://writingcenter.unt.edu/online-tutoring (Links to an external site.). The Writing Center also offers online tutoring through UNT's Zoom portal. Online tutoring sessions last one hour for both undergraduate students and graduate students.

To schedule an online tutoring session, email WritingCenter@unt.edu. You'll need to provide the following information:

• UNT ID (Example: 12345678)
• Your email address
• Your phone number
• Your classification (undergraduate student)
• Your major
• Time and date you want to schedule your session
• Class for which you're writing the paper
• Name of the assignment
• Citation style you're using for this paper (APA, Chicago Manual of Style, MLA)
• Digital copy of the paper
• Whether you would prefer a video-based session or a chat box-based session

Library skills.

Please make yourself familiar with the UNT Library and its resources before you get too far in this course. You can make an appointment with a reference librarian in order to get one-on-one help using this link: https://library.unt.edu/forms/reference-appointment/ (Links to an external site.)

Public Writing

You should consider that all of your submitted writing for this course, including prewriting, drafts, in-class assignments, and final projects, is public writing. The writing that you submit in this course may be viewed by me and possibly your classmates as well. Please do not submit any information about yourself that you do not want to be public.

Mandatory Reporting

It is important to know that your teacher, as a State employee, must report any instances of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence or stalking against a student or employee to the institution’s Title IX Coordinator or a Deputy Title IX Coordinator.

If you disclose an incident in your writing for this class that must be reported, your teacher will contact you to let you know. In this case, your teacher may offer support, listen to you, and encourage you to seek help and counseling as soon as possible. Your teacher also will report the incident you revealed in your writing to the Title IX Coordinator at UNT.

Please note that the Title IX office at UNT keeps your information private and only shares it with those who need to know in order to provide care for you and help keep you safe. If you have any questions or concerns about sexual violence, please contact the UNT Survivor Advocate at SurvivorAdvocate@unt.edu  or call the Dean of Students Office at 940-565- 2648. You also can visit the Counseling and Testing Services site (Links to an external site.) for more information.

Syllabus Change Policy

I have made every attempt to provide this syllabus as an accurate overview of the course. However, unanticipated circumstances may make it necessary for me to modify the syllabus during the semester. These circumstances may arise in response to the progress, needs, and experiences of students. Advance notice will be given for any changes made to the syllabus.

Technical Requirements & Skills

Minimum Technology Requirements

• Computer with word processing capabilities, internet access, and web browser
• Canvas Technical Requirements (Links to an external site.) (https://clear.unt.edu/supported-technologies/canvas/requirements (Links to an external site.))

Computer Skills & Digital Literacy

Students in this course should be able to

• Use Canvas
• Use email with attachments
• Use presentation and graphics programs
• Use Zoom (Links to an external site.) as a web conferencing tool (https://clear.unt.edu/supported-technologies/zoom)

Success in an Online Course

While the online classroom shares many similarities with the face-to-face classroom, success in online education requires certain skills and expectations that students may not be aware of. Consider providing tips for success based on your own online teaching and learning experiences. You can also include a link to or adapt tips from this webpage for students, “How to Succeed as an Online Student” (https://clear.unt.edu/teaching-resources/online-teaching/succeed-online).

Getting Help

Technical Assistance:

Part of working in the online environment involves dealing with the inconveniences and frustration that can arise when technology breaks down or does not perform as expected. Here at UNT we have a Student Help Desk that you can contact for help with Canvas or other technology issues.

UIT Help Desk:

http://www.unt.edu/helpdesk/index.htm (Links to an external site.)

Email: helpdesk@unt.edu

Phone: 940-565-2324

In Person: Sage Hall, Room 130

Walk-In Availability: 8am-9pm

Telephone Availability:

• Sunday: noon-midnight
• Monday-Thursday: 8am-midnight
• Friday: 8am-8pm
• Saturday: 9am-5pm
• Laptop Checkout: 8am-7pm

For additional support, visit Canvas Technical Help (Links to an external site.) (https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10554-4212710328 (Links to an external site.))

Student Support Services

UNT provides mental health resources to students to help ensure there are numerous outlets to turn to that wholeheartedly care for and are there for students in need, regardless of the nature of an issue or its severity. Listed below are several resources on campus that can support your academic success and mental well-being:

• Student Health and Wellness Center (Links to an external site.) (https://studentaffairs.unt.edu/student-health-and-wellness-center (Links to an external site.))
• Counseling and Testing Services (Links to an external site.) (https://studentaffairs.unt.edu/counseling-and-testing-services (Links to an external site.))
• UNT Care Team (Links to an external site.) (https://studentaffairs.unt.edu/care (Links to an external site.))
• UNT Psychiatric Services (Links to an external site.) (https://studentaffairs.unt.edu/student-health-and-wellness-center/services/psychiatry (Links to an external site.))
• Individual Counseling (Links to an external site.) (https://studentaffairs.unt.edu/counseling-and-testing-services/services/individual-counseling (Links to an external site.))

Other student support services offered by UNT include

• Registrar (https://registrar.unt.edu/registration)
• Financial Aid (Links to an external site.) (https://financialaid.unt.edu/)
• Student Legal Services (Links to an external site.) (https://studentaffairs.unt.edu/student-legal-services)
• Career Center (Links to an external site.) (https://studentaffairs.unt.edu/career-center)
• Multicultural Center (Links to an external site.) (https://edo.unt.edu/multicultural-center)
• Counseling and Testing Services (Links to an external site.) (https://studentaffairs.unt.edu/counseling-and-testing-services)
• Pride Alliance (Links to an external site.) (https://edo.unt.edu/pridealliance)
• UNT Food Pantry (Links to an external site.) (https://deanofstudents.unt.edu/resources/food-pantry )

Academic Support Services

• Academic Resource Center (Links to an external site.) (https://clear.unt.edu/canvas/student-resources)
• Academic Success Center (Links to an external site.) (https://success.unt.edu/asc)
• UNT Libraries (Links to an external site.) (https://library.unt.edu/ (Links to an external site.))

Chosen Names

A chosen name is a name that a person goes by that may or may not match their legal name. If you have a chosen name that is different from your legal name and would like that to be used in class, please let the instructor know. Below is a list of resources for updating your chosen name at UNT.

• UNT Records (Links to an external site.)
• UNT ID Card (Links to an external site.)
• UNT Email Address (Links to an external site.)
• Legal Name (Links to an external site.)

*UNT euIDs cannot be changed at this time. The collaborating offices are working on a process to make this option accessible to UNT community members.

Pronouns

Pronouns (she/her, they/them, he/him, etc.) are a public way for people to address you, much like your name, and can be shared with a name when making an introduction, both virtually and in-person. Just as we ask and don’t assume someone’s name, we should also ask and not assume someone’s pronouns.

You can add your pronouns to your Canvas account (Links to an external site.) so that they follow your name when posting to discussion boards, submitting assignments, etc.

Below is a list of additional resources regarding pronouns and their usage:

• What are pronouns and why are they important? (Links to an external site.)
• How do I use pronouns? (Links to an external site.)
• How do I share my pronouns? (Links to an external site.)
• How do I ask for another person’s pronouns? (Links to an external site.)
• How do I correct myself or others when the wrong pronoun is used? (Links to an external site.)

UNT Policies

(https://policy.unt.edu/policy/06-049 (Links to an external site.))

COVID-19 Impact on Attendance

While attendance is expected as outlined above, it is important for all of us to be mindful of the health and safety of everyone in our community, especially given concerns about COVID-19. Please contact me if you are unable to attend class because you are ill, or unable to attend class due to a related issue regarding COVID-19. It is important that you communicate with me prior to being absent so I may make a decision about accommodating your request to be excused from class.

If you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 (Links to an external site.) (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html (Links to an external site.)) please seek medical attention from the Student Health and Wellness Center (940-565-2333 or askSHWC@unt.edu) or your health care provider PRIOR to coming to campus. UNT also requires you to contact the UNT COVID Hotline at 844-366-5892 or COVID@unt.edu for guidance on actions to take due to symptoms, pending or positive test results, or potential exposure.  While attendance is an important part of succeeding in this class, your own health, and those of others in the community, is more important.

Class Materials for Remote Instruction

For any classes starting as Partial Remote, Partially Online, or Face-to-Face, remote instruction may be necessary if community health conditions change or you need to self-isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19.  Students will need access to a computer with internet to participate in fully remote portions of the class.  Additional required classroom materials for remote learning are listed above in the “technical requirements” section of this syllabus. Information on how to be successful in a remote learning environment can be found at https://online.unt.edu/learn.

Statement on Face Covering

Face coverings are required in all UNT facilities.  Students are expected to wear face coverings during this class.  If you are unable to wear a face covering due to a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Access to request an accommodation. UNT face covering requirements are subject to change due to community health guidelines. Any changes will be communicated via the instructor.

Academic Integrity Standards and Consequences.

According to UNT Policy 06.003, Student Academic Integrity, academic dishonesty occurs when students engage in behaviors including, but not limited to cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, forgery, plagiarism, and sabotage. A finding of academic dishonesty may result in a range of academic penalties or sanctions ranging from admonition to expulsion from the University.

The decision of the instructor will be reported to the Office of Academic Integrity, which is responsible for maintaining student conduct records. The incident may result in an official disciplinary record for the student(s).

Academic integrity violations can include copying a passage from a source verbatim, but they can also include improper or misleading citations. Please note that all source material must be acknowledged, even if the material is paraphrased. Be careful to always acknowledge the work of other writers, and take the time to work out your thoughts and arguments without copying the work of others.

ADA Policy

The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking reasonable accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Access (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with a reasonable accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request reasonable accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of reasonable accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of reasonable accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. Students are strongly encouraged to deliver letters of reasonable accommodation during faculty office hours or by appointment. Faculty members have the authority to ask students to discuss such letters during their designated office hours to protect the privacy of the student. For additional information, refer to the Office of Disability Access website at https://studentaffairs.unt.edu/office-disability-access (Links to an external site.). You may also contact ODA by phone at (940) 565-4323.

Prohibition of Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation (Policy 16.004)

The University of North Texas (UNT) prohibits discrimination and harassment because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal or state law in its application and admission processes; educational programs and activities; employment policies, procedures, and processes; and university facilities. The University takes active measures to prevent such conduct and investigates and takes remedial action when appropriate.

Emergency Notification & Procedures.

UNT uses a system called Eagle Alert to quickly notify students with critical information in the event of an emergency (i.e., severe weather, campus closing, and health and public safety emergencies like chemical spills, fires, or violence). In the event of a university closure, please refer to Blackboard for contingency plans for covering course materials. II. Optional Statements.

Retention of Student Records.

Student records pertaining to this course are maintained in a secure location by the instructor of record. All records such as exams, answer sheets (with keys), and written papers submitted during the duration of the course are kept for at least one calendar year after course completion. Course work completed via the Canvas online system, including grading information and comments, is also stored in a safe electronic environment for one year. Students have the right to view their individual record; however, information about student’s records will not be divulged to other individuals without proper written consent. Students are encouraged to review the Public Information Policy and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) laws and the University’s policy. See UNT Policy 10.10, Records Management and Retention for additional information.

Acceptable Student Behavior

 Student behavior that interferes with an instructor’s ability to conduct a class or other students' opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be notified verbally or in writing and may be directed to leave the classroom. Additionally, the instructor may refer the student to the Dean of Students to consider whether the student's conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The University's expectations for student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including University and electronic classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The Code of Student Conduct can be found on the UNT Policy Page (Links to an external site.).

Access to Information  

Students’ access point for business and academic services at UNT is located at: http://my.unt.edu (Links to an external site.). All official communication from the University will be delivered to a student’s Eagle Connect account. For more information, please visit the website that explains Eagle Connect and how to forward e-mail Eagle Connect (Links to an external site.) (https://it.unt.edu/eagleconnect).

Student Evaluation Administration Dates.

Student feedback is important and an essential part of participation in this course. The student evaluation of instruction is a requirement for all organized classes at UNT. The survey will be made available during weeks 13, 14 and 15 of the long semesters to provide students with an opportunity to evaluate how this course is taught. Students will receive an email from "UNT SPOT Course Evaluations via IASystem Notification" (no-reply@iasystem.org) with the survey link. Students should look for the email in their UNT email inbox. Simply click on the link and complete the survey. Once students complete the survey they will receive a confirmation email that the survey has been submitted. For additional information, please visit the SPOT website (Links to an external site.) (http://spot.unt.edu/ (Links to an external site.)) or email spot@unt.edu.

Sexual Assault Prevention

UNT is committed to providing a safe learning environment free of all forms of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. Federal laws (Title IX and the Violence Against Women Act) and UNT policies prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, and therefore prohibit sexual misconduct. If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual harassment, relationship violence, stalking, and/or sexual assault, there are campus resources available to provide support and assistance. UNT’s Survivor Advocates can assist a student who has been impacted by violence by filing protective orders, completing crime victim’s compensation applications, contacting professors for absences related to an assault, working with housing to facilitate a room change where appropriate, and connecting students to other resources available both on and off campus. The Survivor Advocates can be reached at SurvivorAdvocate@unt.edu or by calling the Dean of Students Office at 940-565- 2648. Additionally, alleged sexual misconduct can be non-confidentially reported to the Title IX Coordinator at oeo@unt.edu or at (940) 565 2759.

Additional Online Delivery Policies

Important Notice for F-1 Students taking Distance Education Courses

 (link to policy (Links to an external site.))

To read detailed Immigration and Customs Enforcement regulations for F-1 students taking online courses, please go to the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations website (Links to an external site.) (http://www.ecfr.gov/). The specific portion concerning distance education courses is located at Title 8 CFR 214.2 Paragraph (f)(6)(i)(G).

The paragraph reads:

(G) For F-1 students enrolled in classes for credit or classroom hours, no more than the equivalent of one class or three credits per session, term, semester, trimester, or quarter may be counted toward the full course of study requirement if the class is taken on-line or through distance education and does not require the student's physical attendance for classes, examination or other purposes integral to completion of the class. An on-line or distance education course is a course that is offered principally through the use of television, audio, or computer transmission including open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, or satellite, audio conferencing, or computer conferencing. If the F-1 student's course of study is in a language study program, no on-line or distance education classes may be considered to count toward a student's full course of study requirement.

University of North Texas Compliance

To comply with immigration regulations, an F-1 visa holder within the United States may need to engage in an on-campus experiential component for this course. This component (which must be approved in advance by the instructor) can include activities such as taking an on-campus exam, participating in an on-campus lecture or lab activity, or other on-campus experience integral to the completion of this course.

If such an on-campus activity is required, it is the student’s responsibility to do the following:

(1) Submit a written request to the instructor for an on-campus experiential component within one week of the start of the course.

(2) Ensure that the activity on campus takes place and the instructor documents it in writing with a notice sent to the International Student and Scholar Services Office.  ISSS has a form available that you may use for this purpose.

Because the decision may have serious immigration consequences, if an F-1 student is unsure about his or her need to participate in an on-campus experiential component for this course, they should contact the UNT International Student and Scholar Services Office (telephone 940-565-2195 or email internationaladvising@unt.edu) to get clarification before the one-week deadline.

Student Verification

UNT takes measures to protect the integrity of educational credentials awarded to students enrolled in distance education courses by verifying student identity, protecting student privacy, and notifying students of any special meeting times/locations or additional charges associated with student identity verification in distance education courses.

See UNT Policy 07-002 (Links to an external site.) Student Identity Verification, Privacy, and Notification and Distance Education Courses.

Use of Student Work

A student owns the copyright for all work (e.g. software, photographs, reports, presentations, and email postings) he or she creates within a class and the University is not entitled to use any student work without the student’s permission unless all of the following criteria are met:

• The work is used only once.
• The work is not used in its entirety.
• Use of the work does not affect any potential profits from the work.
• The student is not identified.
• The work is identified as student work. 

If the use of the work does not meet all of the above criteria, then the University office or department using the work must obtain the student’s written permission.

Download the UNT System Permission, Waiver and Release Form (Links to an external site.)

Transmission and Recording of Student Images in Electronically-Delivered Courses

This course employs lecture capture technology to record class sessions. Students may occasionally appear on video. The lecture recordings will be available to you for study purposes and may also be reused in future course offerings.

No permission is needed from a student for his or her image or voice to be transmitted live via videoconference or streaming media, but all students should be informed when courses are to be conducted using either method of delivery.

In the event an instructor records student presentations, he or she must obtain permission from the student using a signed release (Links to an external site.) in order to use the recording for future classes in accordance with the Use of Student-Created Work guidelines above.

Instructors who video-record their class lectures with the intention of re-using some or all of recordings for future class offerings must notify students on the course syllabus if students' images may appear on video. Instructors are also advised to provide accommodation for students who do not wish to appear in class recordings.

Class Recordings & Student Likenesses (for online FYW)

Synchronous (live) sessions in this course will be recorded for students enrolled in this class section to refer to throughout the semester. Class recordings are the intellectual property of the university or instructor and are reserved for use only by students in this class and only for educational purposes.   Students may not post or otherwise share the recordings outside the class, or outside the Canvas Learning Management System, in any form. Failing to follow this restriction is a violation of the UNT Code of Student Conduct and could lead to disciplinary action.

Schedule of Assignments

View on our course Canvas Page