NCLC 110 COURSE SYLLABUS

ACADEMIC POLICIES

Participation and Attendance

A learning community depends on active and sustained participation by all members. If you miss a class, you cannot earn credit for the discussions, in-class exercises, and group work undertaken in that particular session. Your absence also penalizes your group members, who have to work without your input. Remember that participation in seminar discussions and group work counts in your final grade.

Late Work

In NCLC 110, daily writing assignments are due in seminar and will not be accepted late. Major assignments submitted late will lose one letter grade for each day they are past due, including Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. However, your seminar leader will explain the "life happens" rule, which you will be able to use once during the course. (Note: if you choose to use this rule for work due on Thursday, you must hand it in on Friday to avoid losing points.) The "life happens" option cannot be applied to any work due Oct. 9. In case of documented emergencies (for example, hospitalization), your seminar leader will work with you to determine alternative due dates for both daily and major assignments.

Honor Policy

The University Honor Code exists “To promote a stronger sense of mutual responsibility, respect, trust, and fairness among all members of George Mason.” (www.gmu.edu/catalog/9798/honorcod.html#intro).
Cheating, plagiarism, lying, and stealing of academic work and related materials, or the attempt to do so, constitute Honor Code violations. To maintain an academic community according to the standards of the Honor Code, both students and faculty are obligated to report alleged violations to the Honor Committee.

It is your responsibility as a part of the NCC and GMU community to study the Honor Code carefully and ask your professors for further explanation of any part you do not understand. The following information is provided to help you understand Honor policies in NCLC 110 and in other New Century College learning communities.

A. Plagiarism: According to the Honor Code, plagiarism includes the following:

· Presenting as one's own the words, the work, or the opinions of someone else without proper acknowledgment.
· Borrowing the sequence of ideas, the arrangement of material, or the pattern of thought of someone else without proper acknowledgment.

It is essential to be very careful about crediting work through citations. In addition to direct quotations, paraphrases and summaries of opinions of factual information not formerly known to the writer must also be cited. The exception to this rule is information termed general knowledge, in other words, information that is widely known and stated in a number of sources. Determining what is general knowledge can be complicated, so "When in doubt, cite."

When using another person's ideas you must either quote the idea verbatim or completely rewrite the ideas in your own words and voice, in addition to clearly stating the source of the information. In written assignments and in class and seminar discussions, it is important to acknowledge information and ideas you have acquired from others. Always give credit where credit is due.

In written work, credit should generally be given in an appropriate format, for example, the systems created by the Modern Language Association (MLA) or the American Psychological Association (APA). Both of these systems of documentation are explained in various textbooks, including A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker.

B. Appropriate Collaboration: In NCLC 110, as in other learning communities and in many other classes, some assignments are designed to be completed by a study group. With collaborative work, each member of the study group who has contributed to the work should be identified on the assignment; all group members who have participated are equally responsible for the results. If a group member does not participate in completing the project, her or his name should not appear on the project.

Other assignments are designed to be completed independently. For these assignments, you may discuss your ideas informally with others and receive feedback from peers on drafts of papers. However, the final paper is your responsibility; it is not appropriate to turn your paper over to someone else to edit, revise, or complete for you. If only your name appears on an assignment, your professor has the right to expect that the work you turn in is fully and completely your own, with the exception of information, ideas, and language you have clearly credited to others. As a part of a learning community, you are encouraged to incorporate ideas from your colleagues, but you must give credit in an appropriate manner.

Three fundamental principles to follow at all times are:

· All work submitted with your name must be your own.
· When using the work or ideas of others, including your fellow students, you must give appropriate credit.
· If you are uncertain about the ground rules on a particular assignment, ask for clarification.

No grade is important enough to justify cheating, for which there are serious consequences. If you feel unusual pressure or anxiety about your grade in this or any other course, talk with your professor or a member of the Counseling Center staff. The University provides a range of services to help with test anxiety, writing skills, study skills, and related concerns.

Learning Differences
If you have a learning or physical difference that may affect your academic work, you will need to furnish appropriate documentation to the Disability Resource Center (see below). If you qualify for accommodation, the DRC staff will provide you with a form to give to your seminar leader. These forms should be given to faculty at the beginning of every course. In addition to providing your professors with the appropriate form, please take the initiative to discuss accommodation with them at the beginning of the semester and as needed during the term. Because of the range of learning differences, faculty need to learn from you how to assist you. If you have contacted the Disability Resource Center and are waiting to hear from them, please alert your seminar leader.