Major Assignments
RCL II has four major units: Articulating Beliefs, Deliberating, Persuading & Advocating, and Presenting Yourself. Additionally, students will keep two major blogs throughout the semester–a passion blog and civic issues blog. All major assignments must be completed in order to pass this class. Specific details on the assignments will be available on this course website and discussed in class. Please note that, though RCL II sections are rather standardized, as your instructor, I have the discretion to offer some adjustments to the course schedule and assignments.
Assignment Grade Values
Unit Five: Articulating Beliefs 7.5%
- This I Believe 7.5%
Unit Six: Deliberating in our Communities 30%
- Research, writing 12.5%
- Deliberation moderation and participation 12.5%
- Post-deliberation reflection (500 words) 5%
Unit Seven: Persuading and Advocating 30%
- Issue Brief 17.5%
- Advocacy Project 12.5%
Unit Eight: Presenting Ourselves 10%
- E-Portfolio 10%
Participating 22.5%
- Blogs 15%
- Participation 7.5%
Grading Scale
Please note that this is the standard grading scale offered by the College of Liberal Arts. Given the exact range of grades, students should not expect “rounding up.”
A = 95 to 100, A- = 90 to 94.99, B+ = 87 to 89.99, B = 83.3 to 87.8, B- = 80 to 83.32, C+ = 75 to 79.99, C = 70 to 74.99, D = 60 to 69.99, F = 59.99 and below. Note: The Penn State grading scale does not allow the option of awarding grades of C-, D+ or D- grades.
Blogs
Early in the semester, students will start up two distinct blog categories–the Passion Blog and Civic Issues Blog. You will also keep your Rhetoric and Civic Life Blog from last semester for your other course-related and “in progress” assignments. These blogs will be devoted to RCL and will be distinct from any other blogs you keep on this site or elsewhere. Blogs from this particular section of RCL will be aggregated so that you, your classmates, and your instructor may easily find and read one another’s posts. Civic Issue posts will be due by 5pm on Wednesdays. All other responses and blogs will be due each Friday by 8am. Blogs posted after these times will not be recognized for credit. Students will be placed in blog groups, and members of these blog groups will be responsible for engaging one another’s entries with comments. Students will be able to revise and select entries for inclusion in final e-portfolios in RCL II. For more specific information on blogging in RCL II, consult “Blogging Assignment” under the “Assignments” tab on this course website.
Technology
We will definitely use technology. Having a some sort of laptop or tablet is useful for discussing readings and for days when we’re blogging or workshopping. Other than these times, however, technology is prohibited. Please also silence your mobile devices before entering class. Invest in a good notebook and a pen that is a pleasure to write with.
Participation
Participation in this class is strongly encouraged. Participation has several dimensions, not the least of which is presence in class. This doesn’t simply mean bodily presence (this is covered in the attendance policy below), but actual attunement to the class discussion. Engaged, vocal contributions (questions, discussion points, etc.) and online posting and commenting are considered central to the success of the class. Also valuable is recognizing when it’s time for other students to contribute. Avoiding undesirable and distracted behaviors such as texting, talking, or sleeping is another component of participation and attendance. There will be opportunities to contribute in small-group discussion. All in-class activities represent opportunities to work out ideas.
Attendance/lateness
While it is best not to miss class, you are permitted three absences without a grade penalty. Each absence in excess of three will result in a one percent deduction off your final grade (independent of grades received on course work). Three late arrivals will equal one absence. Please note that absences are not counted as excused or unexcused. Exceptions for extraordinary circumstances are managed differently, but using your three absences should be done wisely as they will count as part of excused absences. Students who come to class without having completed the assigned reading or writing may be counted absent as well.
Missing 8 or more class sessions will result in an automatic failing grade for the course, regardless of the reason for missing class. (See the Faculty Senate Policy 42-27, available here. The relevant portion reads: “A student should attend every class for which the student is scheduled and should be held responsible for all work covered in the courses taken…. A student whose irregular attendance causes him or her, in the judgment of the instructor, to become deficient scholastically, may run the risk of receiving a failing grade or receiving a lower grade than the student might have secured had the student been in regular attendance.”)
Students may present documentation of illnesses, university-approved activities, and other extenuating circumstances to count their absences as excused. To learn more about the University’s attendance policy (Faculty Senate Policy 42-27) and procedures for obtaining class excuses, please consult the Class Excuses page provided by University Health Services. In the unfortunate event that you face an emergency, please call Student & Family Services at 814-863-2020. This hotline is available 24 hours a day, and it will notify your professors of your absence and when you will return to class.
Office Hour Visits
Please note my office hours. Please plan ahead. I’m there for you and want to help, but a lack of foresight is not an okay reason to miss office hours for the week and/or to ask me to figure out another time.
Written Assignment Guidelines
- Assignments submission dates and times are not flexible. Barring legitimate emergenciesit is your responsibility to submit the assignment as prescribed.
- Late work will be penalized at the rate of one letter grade per day, and only if prior arrangements have been made with the instructor. Late work for which no such arrangements have been made will not be accepted for a grade (but must be turned in, nonetheless). Likewise, if you miss your presentation slot, you will will receive a zero for the assignment (but must still complete it).
- All assignments should be typed using a standard font, such as Times New Roman. Please use one-inch margins and a font size between 11-12 point. Handwritten work is never accepted.
- Carefully proofread all assignments before submitting.
I assume you know how to put together a basic works cited list, using a standard citation style (usually MLA, APA, Chicago, or CSE). If you are unfamiliar with citation expectations in American scholarship, please stop by office hours so we can discuss them. We will also discuss how to cite things aloud and online, which may be new to many people, and we’ll cover just what needs to be cited. I welcome questions on this issue at any time before assignments are due, as even unintentional violations can have negative consequences on your academic career. I also require completion of Penn State’s short Plagiarism Tutorial for Students before your first written assignment is due. In particular, the section on inappropriate paraphrasing is worth a close read.
I have a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism and academic dishonesty. If you write or say something that someone else said, whether in oral presentations or written work, and do not cite the original source, you are plagiarizing. If you collect several ideas and present them collectively as your own, you are plagiarizing. Even if you have the author’s permission and do not cite her/him, you are plagiarizing. I’d like to stress, though, that plagiarism is not to be confused with the sharing of ideas—all writers get advice from friends and colleagues.
If you are caught engaging in academic dishonesty, the situation will be handled in accordance with the procedures outlined in Section 49-20 of the Policies. Note that in classes with attendance policies, lying about the reason for an absence also constitutes academic dishonesty. Also note that even unintentional academic misconduct (sometimes termed academic incompetence) may result in penalties on a particular assignment.
The most common violations in this course:
- Copying text (a phrase, sentence, or paragraph) from the internet or other source and not appropriately citing it. In addition to essays and blog posts, this also includes copying text into a speech outline, even if you plan to change up some of the wording when you deliver the presentation.
- Inappropriate paraphrasing, as discussed in Penn State’s Plagiarism Tutorial for Students.
- Borrowing or buying an essay or speech online or from a friend and presenting it as your own work, with or without modification.
- Presenting a speech or paper prepared by you for another course or instructor, without first discussing it with me.
- Having sources listed on a bibliography/works cited list for an assignment or speech outline, but not clearly indicating which ideas in the text (or speech outline) came from which source, either via parenthetical references or source numbers. A “Works Consulted” list–which is different than a “Works Cited” list–might be permissible for some assignments (usually homework or blogs), if no ideas or phrases were specifically drawn from a particular source.
Accessibility: Disability Accommodation
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. The Student Disability Resources Web site provides contact information for every Penn State campus (http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/campus-contacts). For further information, please visit the Student Disability Resources website at http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources.
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation (equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/applying-for-services). If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.
Education Equity: Bias Reporting
Penn State takes great pride to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff. Acts of intolerance, discrimination, or harassment due to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, or veteran status are not tolerated and can be reported through Educational Equity via the Report Bias webpage (equity.psu.edu/reportbias/).
Standards of Classroom Behavior
Classroom behavior should always reflect the essential Penn State values of civility, integrity, and respect for the dignity and rights of others. As such, the classroom space should be safe, orderly, and positive—free from disruptions, disorderly conduct, and harassment as defined in the University Code of Conduct (http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/conduct/codeofconduct/). The University Code of Conduct defines disruption “as an action or combination of actions by one or more individuals that unreasonably interferes with, hinders, obstructs, or prevents the operation of the University or infringes on the rights of others to freely participate in its programs and services;” disorderly conduct includes but is not limited to “creating unreasonable noise; pushing and shoving; creating a physically hazardous or physically offensive condition;” and harassment may include “directing physical or verbal conduct at an individual…; subjecting a person or group of persons to unwanted physical contact or threat of such; or engaging in a course of conduct, including following the person without proper authority (e.g., stalking), under circumstances which would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her safety or the safety of others or to suffer emotional distress” (Section IV, B). The course instructor has the authority to request that any disruptive students leave the class for the class period. If disruptive behavior continues in subsequent class periods, a complaint may be filed with the Office of Student Conduct, which may result in the student being dismissed from class until University procedures have been completed. Any student with concerns or questions as to this policy should contact the Director Rhetoric and Civic Life.
Nondiscrimination
The University is committed to equal access to programs, facilities, admission and employment for all persons. It is the policy of the University to maintain an environment free of harassment and free of discrimination against any person because of age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, physical or mental disability, gender, perceived gender, gender identity, genetic information or political ideas. Discriminatory conduct and harassment, as well as sexual misconduct and relationship violence, violates the dignity of individuals, impedes the realization of the University’s educational mission, and will not be tolerated. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the Affirmative Action Office, 328 Boucke Building.
Resource
Undergraduate Speaking Center: The Undergraduate Speaking Center, located in 7C Sparks, provides excellent one-on-one peer mentoring to support any phase of your presentation/speech development. See its website for more information: http://speakingcenter.la.psu.edu/.
Mental Health Resources
More than half of all college students report feeling hopeless, while over a quarter of college students feel overwhelming anxiety. There are few things that can affect your academic performance like struggling with maintaining mental health. If you feel hopeless, or you feel any other symptoms of mental illness or struggle, there is help for you. And please do ask for help—the sooner you do, the sooner you may find relief. Looking for help can be daunting, especially if you aren’t feeling well. Reach out to someone you trust who might be willing to connect you with resources. I am not a doctor, counselor or psychotherapist, but I will help you find someone who is. Be in touch if you need that kind of support.
CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services): Provides support and help for an array of concerns, from relationship issues to suicidal feelings.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or you can go to their site and chat online.
Centre County CAN HELP: 1-800-643-5432. Provides immediate crisis intervention, as well as referrals to hospitals or other medical and counseling assistance, community resources. CAN HELP can send mental health professionals to you to help assess a serious crisis situation and provide the appropriate resources. CAN HELP should not be a substitute for dialing 911 if the situation is life-threatening.
The Centre County Women’s Resource Center: 1-877-234-5050/814-234-5050. 24 hour hotline supporting women and men who have experienced relationship violence or sexual violence. CCWRC provides crisis help, legal advocacy, counseling, and medical advocacy.