New Drop Policy
Course outcomes
Course objectives, description
Academic integrity
Attendance
Due dates/late assignments
Internet access
Contacting me
Expectations
Students with disabilities

Drop Policy

Starting winter term 2010, a student may drop from a course for any reason with no record on the
student's transcript before the end of the 4th week of the term. Thereafter, a student must withdraw from the course (see withdrawal policy). A student may withdraw from the 5th week of the term through the 7th week with a grade of "W" indicated on the transcript.

No withdrawals will be issued after the 7th week of the term . Instructors will issue a letter grade (A-F, or I) for all students enrolled after the 7th week. A student making adequate academic progress during the term and needing to withdraw after the 7th week may request an incomplete from the instructor.

Course objectives

1. To learn how to think more critically about environmental representations in the mass media;
2. To better understand the ways in which humans and natural environments interact with one another, both in historical and contemporary venues.
3. To examine key issues with respect to the environment, including population growth, natural resource consumption, global warming and climate change, technology, economic growth and globalization, and to use critical and abstract thinking skills in this process.
   

All human activity has consequences for the natural environment. The natural environment has also shaped the development of human civilization. Yet rarely is the natural world considered worthy of sociological study. This course will examine the ways humans interact with their natural environments, and examine some of the consequences of those interactions, mixing theory, history and example to look at energy use, resource consumption, population growth, technology, and politics.

By the time we're finished, you'll have a much more sophisticated understanding of how humans and their environments are connected, and how these connections have consequences for what we do now and what we'll be able to do in the future as societies. Environment and society can only be separated in the most artificial ways. As activist Barry Commoner once said, 'everything is connected to everything else.'

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Academic integrity

The university's official position: Eastern Oregon University places a high value upon the integrity of its student scholars. Any student found guilty of academic misconduct (including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, or theft of an examination or supplies) may be subject to having his or her grade reduced in the course in question, being placed on probation or suspended from the university, or being expelled from the university--or a combination of these. (see section II of the 2002-03 Student Handbook, p. 32ff, and p. 41 ff).

My interpretation: Plagiarism is taking credit for others' work, ideas, or papers. Universities make lots of literature available for a nominal fee, the bargain being that if you use the ideas of others, you'll credit them. So it isn't just wholesale theft, but as the above says, deception, misrepresentation, etc. Be sure you're familiar with what plagiarism is, and how to avoid it. Anyone found to have plagiarized will receive an 'F' on the assignment and possibly for the course. If you're having problems in class, please come see me before you turn to the Web . . .

resources:

Clipinfolit (great for citing references, organizing assignments, etch. Here's the APA page)
EOU's Academic Standards Web page
Defining and avoiding plagiarism (from the Council of Writing Program Administrators)

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Attendance

Class attendance is not mandatory. But there are some points attached, as you can see from the assignments page. This is regrettable, but there is a collective responsibility to a successful class, and you can think of it as being rewarded with a point a day for attending! Your active participation in classroom discussion, completing short end-of-class summaries, and substantive contribution to our class listserv will all have an effect on your participation grade. Chronic absence in general won't gain my sympathies-it isn't fair to those who make the effort to show up for class prepared. If you miss any class, it is your responsibility to find out what has been covered, get notes from other students, and find out whether there were any announcements-don't depend on the announcements page to be up-to-the-minute, or lecture material online to be comprehensive. While for parts of the course there will be online lecture material, that material won't reflect the actual discussions we had in class. You might look at it as the difference between watching a movie, and reading a review of it. You'll have a difficult time doing well in this class if you don't attend regularly.

If you know you will be missing class, especially if it might happen on a scheduled exam day, let me know in advance. However, don't send me an email and assume I've read it if I didn't reply.

Due dates and late assignments

Assignments are expected in class on the day they're due. Late assignments will be assessed a penalty (one letter grade for each day, increasing with lateness, is the standard). You should turn in assignments in Blackboard—there is a place for submitting them (no .wps documents please!). Please don't blame anything I never receive on technology. If you have extenuating circumstances for being late, I'm willing to listen. But in fairness to others who've managed to get them in on time, it's got to be compelling.

Posted due dates are firm. They may change over the course of the semester, but they'll be the same for everyone. Turning in an assignment late will lead to a deduction. If you notify me on the due date that it will be late, and get it in the next day, the deduction is one letter grade (the total number of points you can get is 10% less than the total possible). Later notifications or assignments turned in will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Printer/server/computer problems are your responsibility—the university is full of computers and printers, you can carry around a file on a flash drive.

Note: Class schedule and assignments may be revised during the course of the term as needed.

Internet access

You will need access to the Internet for this course. The course Web page contains a great deal of information on the course itself, course-related topics, and more general topics. Things happen, and assignments and due dates may be subject to change, so check the announcements page regularly. If Internet access is a problem, you need to let me know at the beginning of the course (there are multiple computer labs on campus (see a list), and not having a computer or Internet access from home won't be a valid excuse. I put this stuff up so that it's available to you anytime you're on a computer, not just during office hours, class time, or the regular school day.

Expectations

I will justify my lecture and reading material, assignments, media offerings, etc., by showing its relevance to the overall course objectives. I will provide a friendly environment for discussion of ideas, try to make you think, impart personal experiences relevant to course material, and be generally accessible, approachable, and clear and precise about course expectations. With respect to coverage of content, I tend to emphasize depth over breadth—I would rather cover less points thoroughly, at a reasonable and engaging pace, than pledge strict allegiance to a course schedule.

In turn I expect students will do their own work, use or develop critical thinking skills and be able to express them on paper or in class discussion, speak up when unclear or in disagreement on a concept, either exhibit college-level writing skills or seek help to improve them, and refine note-taking skills. I'll look for progress in developing abstract thinking skills and students' abilities to focus on the “big picture”—key concepts delivered in class, their relevance to course material, the real world, etc.—and to be able to identify these phenomena and formulate informed ideas about them in real-life settings. To put it bluntly, I'm looking for evidence of learning--that you're able to read books and articles, identify their value, figure out how they're relevant to the subject matter, and if you're having a difficult time, let me know so I can help. You should be able to express this learning in some form I can evaluate--essays on a test, papers, discussion in class or online, etc.

Contacting me

My office number is 962-3591 (just push 23591 if you're on campus). You have my email address (bgrigsby@eou.edu). I have three office hours during the week:

Tues (2:00-3:30); Thur (1:30-3:00) or by appointment

I teach in the mornings and use that time to prepare class material, so drop by if you have something quick to say, but this is not a good time to pop in for a chat.

Students with disabilities

Any student requiring assistance or accommodation from me in performing course-related work should make his/her needs known to me in a timely manner. If you have a documented disability or suspect that you have a learning problem, you are entitled to reasonable and appropriate accommodations. But you must work with the Disabilities Services Office (Pat Arnson, Director, parnson@eou.edu, or Lynn Tilley, ltilley@eou.edu). The office is located in Loso Hall 234 (phone 962-3235).