Syllabus

Communication Research Methods | CAS 204

PSUGA | Spring 2023 | Fri 1:25-3:20 + Web | Main 101

“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.”
~ Zora Neale Hurston (from Dust Tracks on a Road, 1942)

Location: https://psu.zoom.us/my/punkademic
Professor: Dr. Zack Furness
Office Hours: Mon & Wed 12:15-1:15 in person or Zoom by appt.
Virtual Office via Zoom: https://psu.zoom.us/my/punkademic
Office Phone: (412) 675-9153
Course Website: https://sites.psu.edu/cas204/
Canvas Website: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2230641
Email: zackfurness@psu.edu
* Please allow up to 24hrs for a reply. See my email policy below for more. 

Course Description

Communication Research Methods (CAS 204) is an overview of the prominent theories and practices used to conduct both academic and professional research on communication and culture. By the end of the course, you will possess the knowledge necessary to understand and evaluate arguments utilizing research to persuade, as well as, to conduct simple, yet, sound research on your own. A primary goal of the course is to enable you to become a critical consumer and producer of information that defines the world around you. The course will educate you on the proper terminology/concepts used in research methods. The end result of the course should be a fundamental understanding of how to critique and to conduct research in the field of Communication.

While the course is primarily aimed at introducing students to a range of qualitative research methods in the field, it is also specifically designed to compliment the Research Project (COMM 494) course that all Communications majors are required to complete during their senior year at Penn State Greater Allegheny. Students in CAS 204 will spend the first 2/3 of the semester cultivating their knowledge of communication research methods while the end of the semester will largely be devoted to researching and developing their senior research project topics. By the end of the course students in CAS 204 will produce a written portfolio that includes:

• A research methods statement
• An annotated bibliography
• A polished document that will double as the Introduction to their senior research project paper (which will be completed in COMM 494).

Course Goals and Objectives

1. To become familiar with the appropriate language or terminology of research methods.
2. To understand the ethical decisions involved with conducting sound research.
3. To be able to articulate the similarities and differences in the different types of communication research methods.
4. To understand the challenges of selecting an appropriate method to study a communication issue.
5. To develop the skills necessary to critically evaluate the methods used in various types of communication research.
6. To be able to construct a valid argument utilizing appropriate research methods.

Required Texts (Free)

• Wayne C. Booth, Gregory C. Colomb, et. al., The Craft of Research, 4rd Ed (University of Chicago Press, 2016). This link takes you to the Ebook Central edition available via Penn State Libraries.
• All others reading assignments this semester will be distributed for free in PDF format, for easy access on your iPad. Readings will either be downloadable from this website or linked to our Canvas website.
• The lecture notes I provide to students each week are not simply a synopsis of material that will be covered during the class – they are also documents that effectively function as course readings. Please make sure to read and study them in advance of quizzes.

Course Schedule, Website and Canvas

Our weekly schedule of assignments, as well as the quiz dates and important course documents, are posted on the course website. You are expected to check the website on a regular basis for updates and possible changes to our schedule. Students are also expected to access the Canvas website for our course, which is the place where assignments will be submitted and grades will be posted.

Canvas Profiles
Please update your profile on Canvas with a picture of yourself. After you login, just click on Account and then click on Profile and select the Edit Profile button. Please post a clear picture so that your classmates and I can see your face when you post on discussions (it will appear in the little circle next to your name). After that, please edit the biography section to tell us a little bit about yourself. 

ASSIGNMENTS & GRADES

Due dates for all assignments, as well as detailed assignment guidelines, are posted on Canvas and on the Schedule that’s linked through the main menu above.

Short Papers & Exercises (80%)

• Semiotic Analysis – 10%
• Response Paper: News Framing – 10%
• Response Paper: Rhetorical Analysis – 10%
• Survey Assignment – 10%
• Interview Write-up – 10%
• Ethnography Exercise – 10%
• Response Paper: Archival Research – 10%
• Response Paper: Political Economy of Communication – 10%

Additional Information:

• Response Paper Guidelines – NOTE: We changed to a different format for papers early in the semester that I started calling a Research Diagram.

Final Project (10%) – THIS WILL LIKELY CHANGE

In previous versions of this course, the final assignment in our Communication Research Methods course was what I’m called the Final Research Plan. It was primarily designed for Communications majors as preparation for their senior research projects (COMM 494), but since we are in the process of phasing out the Communications major at Greater Allegheny, this assignment may be revised in order to appeal to other students in the course.

Final Project (10%)

• Final Project Pitch
• Topic Paper
• Literature Review Draft
• Completed Final Research Plan

Participation (10%)

Participating in class is not to be confused with simply showing up and occupying the same space as your fellow students. Participation means coming to class ready to ask questions, discuss weekly reading assignments, and engage in thoughtful, respectful conversation with your peers and the professor.

For online courses and courses with a web component:

• Practice good netiquette in online discussions. If you don’t know what the term netiquette means, here is a useful primer. In a nutshell, it means that you need to pay attention to the manner in which you engage with people online, particularly if you’re not in the habit of doing so outside of social media. Whereas face-to-face communication provides us with myriad opportunities to read other people’s body language and nonverbal cues in real time, online communication does not afford us such luxuries. This is compounded by the fact that all of us have spent years inadvertently reading tons of nasty online comments that have partly conditioned us to be more antagonistic and more defensive with our online behaviors.
  • As a writer, you need to recognize how your statements, responses, and arguments can potentially be interpreted by people…and you should make an effort to write accordingly. Do your best to explain yourself, clarify your ideas, make succinct points, and support your positions.
  • As a reader, you should be similarly generous with other people’s writing – give people the benefit of the doubt, don’t assume the worst, and try not to read too much emotion into peoples’ statements simply because they agree or disagree with you.

Extra Credit Opportunities

Students can all earn extra credit by attending a lecture on campus this semester and writing up a synopsis of the lecture afterward. These short papers can be submitted up to one week following the event, via Canvas – just upload your paper to the assignment labeled Extra Credit. Students can take advantage of this opportunity up to three times during the semester. Extra credit points will be added to your lowest quiz score or, if applicable, configured into your overall grade.

• The calendar of Teaching International lecture events is accessible here. 

Grading Scale

As a general rule of thumb, the following grading scale shall apply to all assignments:
A = 93-100% Excellent (excellence consistently achieved)
A- = 92.9-90% Outstanding (nearly always top quality)
B+ = 89.9-87% Very Good (extremely solid performance)
B = 86.9-83% Good (better than average performance)
B- = 82.9-80% Respectable (demonstrates solid potential)
C+ = 79.9-77% OK (average performance)
C = 76.9-73% Acceptable *Meets minimum requirements for a passing grade in the Communications major or minor
C- = 72.9-70% Less than acceptable (shows some ability)
D = 69.9-60% Passing (counts for credit)
F = below 60% Failure (does not meet minimum standards)

STUDENT SERVICES & CAMPUS RESOURCES

Student Need

Any student who is having difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, who lacks a safe and stable place to live, is experiencing a financial emergency, or has any other concern that could affect their personal well-being and/or academic success is urged to complete the Student Needs form. When you submit your response you will immediately receive a list of resources based upon the need(s) you’ve selected. If it doesn’t come to your inbox check your “junk” or “other” folder.

A staff member will reach out to you with any questions or concerns you may have. Feel free to contact Erica Willis (elc147@psu.edu) or Lorraine Craven(lac585@psu.edu) if you have any questions. 

Center for Academic and Career Excellence (ACE)

ACE provides academic and non-academic services to students who meet federal eligibility requirements and agree to participate in the program. This includes first generation college students, those from low-income families, and students with disabilities. The ACE website is located here and their office is located on the Lower Level of the Kelly Library. To contact ACE, call 412-675-9491, or send an email to PSUGA-ACE@psu.edu.

The Learning Center

Clear and coherent writing is an important factor in your success in this class. Students in need of tutoring and/or extra help with study skills are encouraged to make a Zoom appointment with someone in the John H. Gruskin Learning Center, located in the Kelly Library, Lower Level. To schedule an appointment, call (412) 675-9088 or visit their website: https://greaterallegheny.psu.edu/academics/learning-center. One-on-one appointments are encouraged but not required.

• Click here to download info about the Learning Center.
• Click here to download info about registering for the Math 10 and Engl 5 supplemental courses.

Disability Accommodation

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to providing access to a quality education for all students. Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. If a student has a disability-related need for modifications or reasonable accommodations in this course, it is the responsibility of the student to first obtain a University accommodation letter confirming the disability and suggesting appropriate remedies. This letter should be obtained from the campus Disability Contact Liaison.

The contact person at Penn State Greater Allegheny is Siobhan Brooks (Office in Lower Level of J. Clarence Kelly Library, 412-675-9454, snb106@psu.edu).  Students from other Penn State campuses can find their contact person at http://equity.psu.edu/sdr/disability-coordinator.

It is encouraged that students request their accommodation needs early in the semester, and once identified, a reasonable accommodation will be implemented in a timely manner. In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation: http://equity.psu.edu/sdr/guidelines.  If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus 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 as possible. For more information, visit: http://www.equity.psu.edu/ods/.

Counseling & Psychological Services

Many students at Penn State face personal challenges or have psychological needs that may interfere with their academic progress, social development, or emotional wellbeing. The university offers a variety of confidential services to help you through difficult times, including individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, consultations, online chats, and mental health screenings. These services are provided by staff who welcome all students and embrace a philosophy respectful of clients’ cultural and religious backgrounds, and sensitive to differences in race, ability, gender identity and sexual orientation.

Here is the website for Counseling Services at Penn State Greater Allegheny. The counselor available on our campus is named Kevin Debow and his office is located in the lower level of the SCC in the Student Offices Suite. You can also reach him via email or phone:

• Email: kld31@psu.edu
• Phone: 412-675-9475

• Penn State Crisis Line (24 hours/7 days/week): 877-229-6400
• Crisis Text Line (24 hours/7 days/week): Text LIONS to 741741
• Black Mental Health Services in Pittsburgh

Educational Equity, Reporting Bias, and Title IX

• If you are in need of immediate assistance due to a sexual assault, call the Pittsburgh Action Against Rape Sexual Assault Hotline: (866) 363-7273.

Other Services and Resources

Links to additional services and resources for students are accessible through the Links page in the website menu above.

COURSE POLICIES (OUR CONTRACT)

NOTE: These policies are very important, please read them

COVID Related

For the latest COVID guidance from Penn State University, please visit https://virusinfo.psu.edu. And if you have any health-related questions or concerns including questions about Covid, please contact our campus nurse, Jennifer Ross at jur396@psu.edu or at 412-675-9490.

Students who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or those who are concerned they may have been exposed to COVID-19, should not go to class or participate in other activities. Instead, these students should seek out symptomatic COVID-19 testing.

On campus testing is not available at the Greater Allegheny campus. Students are strongly encouraged to procure at-home COVID-19 tests and bring a supply with them to campus this fall.  Free at-home rapid tests provided by the U.S. government are available to be ordered online at covidtests.gov. A limited supply of rapid test kits are available through the Health Services office. Please contact Jennifer Ross at jur396@psu.edu.

• Students should notify Penn State of a positive lab test result by submitting test results through MyUHS.
• Students should notify Penn State of a positive at home test by completing this online referral form.
• Once reported, a Penn State employee will be in touch regarding isolation and official notification will be sent to students’ faculty member(s).

Broadly speaking, experts across the globe strongly recommend wearing an N95 or K95 mask to help reduce the chance for Covid transmission. As your professor, and father of an 1-yr old, I encourage you to wear masks while you’re in class though you can do so at your discretion. More information about the masks and where to order authentic ones online, you can visit the Project 95 website: https://www.projectn95.org/.

Email

All students are required to make use of their Penn State email accounts. While I recognize that you all have your preferred modes of digital communication (social media, messaging apps, Gmail, etc.), you will still be expected to check your school email account on a daily basis, and I will use that address to discuss all class related business throughout the semester. If your email requires a long reply I will ask you to see me. If you have a question that is easily answered on the course website or in course materials, I will direct you there.

• Here are some useful tips for communicating with your professor via email.

Attendance

Regular attendance and punctuality are necessary in order to achieve a passing grade in this course. You will be advised of any possibility that your attendance or punctuality are having a negative impact on your grade both by the scores you earn on assignments and an e-mail notification from me.

Students are expected to attend all classes and read the assignments in order to be prepared for class discussion. Experience shows that there is a direct relation between attendance and performance in the course. Absences hurt your ability to learn and they hurt your grade. In short, come to class! Signing up for this class indicates that you are committed to being here for the full class period each class meeting. Students who miss an unreasonable number of classes during a given semester run the risk of earning a failing grade. It is your responsibility to inform the instructor regarding planned absences ahead of time. Whenever reasonable, a student should submit a class absence form a week in advance and email it to the professor as an attachment.

Penn State’s official policy on attendance is located here. The policy recognizes that on occasion, students may opt to miss a class meeting in order to participate in a regularly scheduled university-approved curricular or extracurricular activity, or due to unavoidable or other legitimate circumstances such as illness, injury, family emergency, or religious observance.

• NOTE: The operative phrase in the paragraph above is “on occasion.” If your PSU-related schedule (for university-approved curricular or extracurricular activities) is going to significantly impede your ability to attend our class this semester, your professor strongly recommends that you either a) free up your schedule to ensure your attendance, b) sign up for a different section of this course this semester, if one is offered, or c) enroll in this course during another semester in which you are able to regularly attend class.
• Students who participate in athletics must provide me with a digital copy of their athletic schedule at the beginning of the semester, sent via email. If you are only provided with a print copy by your team, please scan the document or take a clear picture of it, and send via email.
• Religious observance can be a legitimate reason for an absence. Academic Administrative Policy and Procedure R-4, Religious Observances, provides further information and a link to an all inclusive list which provides both major and minor religious holidays, maintained by the Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs.

If you are going to miss a class, please take note of the following:

• You are still responsible for whatever material was covered in lecture and discussion that day.
• Please do not email your professor to find out what you are going to miss (or already missed). Instead, please just check the schedule on the course website or make a point to speak with your professor during office hours.

Late Arrivals and Early Departures

Your professor finds people entering and leaving the classroom during lecture to be very unpleasant and distracting. Please be on time for class, and if you know that you must leave early on a given day, please let him know before the class starts. Please make your visits to the bathroom and drinking fountain before and after class. If you arrive late or leave early (or if your excretory system presents you with an emergency in the middle of class), please enter or leave the classroom quietly. If you are more than 25 minutes late, then please don’t come to class. Repeat offenders will find their semester grades reduced.

• Please don’t leave class unless it is absolutely necessary. Walking in and out of class is distracting and disrespectful. The longest you will ever be in my class (before a break or the end of the period) is about an hour and 15 minutes. If this presents a legitimate problem for you physically then please make your professor(s) aware of your situation at the beginning of the semester.

Assignments and Extensions

Completing your assignments is a vital part of succeeding in this course. Information about all course assignments – including weekly readings, papers, speeches and/or presentations – will be provided well in advance of due dates.

• All assignments must be completed and submitted on time for full credit.
• Students have a limited window in which to submit late work for a passing grade. There will be a full grade deduction for each day that assignments are submitted late, meaning that the highest possible grade one can earn a day late is a B, the highest possible grade after two days is a C, etc. Assignments submitted more than 3 days after the due date will not be accepted without permission from your professor, and the highest possible grade one can earn on assignments submitted more than 3 days late is 50%. With that being said, students are strongly encouraged to submit late or missing assignments since anything is better than a zero grade.
• Missing a speech due to an unexcused absence will result in an automatic F for that assignment. 

Grading Policy

Grades shall be assigned to individual students on the basis of the instructor’s judgment of the student’s scholastic achievement. Grades are final and I grade exams and assignments based on your performance, not your intentions. Effort will be recognized in your participation grade for the course. I am eager to help you do well on exams and assignments before they are due. Please visit me during office hours to ask questions when you are working on an assignment or reviewing material. Here are the circumstances under which I would change a grade: (a) if I have made an error, or (b) if I have failed to hold you to the same standard as everyone else. In the event that you feel you received an undeserved grade, you should make your case in writing to your instructor within two weeks of receiving the grade. Finally, there are very few circumstances in which the professor will award a grade of “incomplete” for the course. If you feel like such circumstances apply, please discuss it with me before the end of the semester.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

A bit of clarity here about plagiarism is worthwhile given that it’s one of the most common violations of academic integrity. Simply put, plagiarism consists of using someone else’s ideas as your own in formal writing or speeches. If you use someone else’s ideas, you are expected to cite them. If you use someone else’s exact words, even if it is just part of a sentence, then you must put quotation marks around the phrase or sentence and properly cite the author. In light of Penn State’s stated regulations and your professor’s desire to administer plagiarism policies fairly – regardless of the individual responsible for the offense or their intentions – the standing policy is this: Any intentional incident of plagiarism, as well as any other academic integrity violation, will be submitted to the university.

Tech Issues

Problems related to computers, printers, electronic devices, software and/or email are your responsibilities to address; they are not legitimate excuses for late work or incomplete assignments. Here are some easy ways to avoid problems with hardware and software can and do arise:

• As a responsible student, you should always anticipate potential issues and plan accordingly. First and foremost, you should always keep backup copies of your papers and regularly backup your computer and electronic devices. External hard drives are cheap and don’t require an Internet connection or third party support. Online storage services are also great options and Penn State students have a vast amount of free online storage space via Microsoft Office 365.
• Another easy way to ensure the safety of your written assignments is to write them using Google Docs or with Word that’s integrated with Microsoft Office online (ask IT for help if you don’t know how to set this up). Documents composed in these ways are saved in real time and can be accessed from any device with an internet connection.
• Avoid doing work on your smartphone. Beyond the obvious visual benefits of working on a computer or tablet, some smartphones (and, occasionally, some tablets) can limit the functionality and/or features of certain applications or course management systems you are required to utilize as a Penn State student – for example, comment attachments on Canvas are sometimes not visible on iPhones. Such problems can be avoided by simply working on a computer, or your iPad, or using a computer located in a campus computer lab. If you don’t have much experience operating a regular computer, it’s especially important to learn how while you are in college since you will undoubtedly be required to use one regularly in your post-graduate career.
• If you primarily work on an iPad, we strongly advise you to invest in a Bluetooth keypad and a stand, or to find a case that has them built in. You can find any of these items cheap on Amazon (like this), and your professor may have a couple of extra compact Bluetooth keyboards that he can lend out for the semester if you need one (just ask).
• Take your devices to the IT Helpdesk on campus if you need assistance with anything, or get in touch with them directly via email or phone.

Using Zoom (Web Courses & Meetings)

Having normal conversations via Zoom can be as easy, productive, and enjoyable as doing it face-to-face. Here are some useful guidelines to help facilitate good communication in your remote courses and meetings:

• Make sure you are logged into Zoom with your Penn State account and use the Zoom app. Visit https://zoom.psu.edu/ if you’re having any problems or reach out to someone in IT.
• Broadly speaking, it’s preferable to keep your camera turned on for class meetings but it is not required.
• Update your Zoom profile with a selfie so that people can at least put a face to a name if/when your camera is turned off.
• Keep your audio muted when you are not speaking.
• Keep the chat window open to see messages.
• Utilize gallery view instead of speaker view if you want to see all of your classmates (or meeting participants) on the screen.
• Be mindful that there can sometimes be slight lag times during synchronous meetings, so try to avoid interrupting people in order to keep conversations flowing smoothly.
• When you wish to speak you can utilize the Raise Hand feature so that your professor and/or your classmates can easily see it.
• It’s generally wise to wear pants when you’re on Zoom, as one does during any college course IRL. But you do you.
• Dogs and cats who enter the chat are always welcomed, and also fun to look at.

Anyone with questions about using Zoom can check out Penn State’s rather comprehensive website here: https://zoom.psu.edu.

Translation Assistance

If you are a non-native English speaker and you would like to access web materials in your native language, there are a few different tools you can use to try and make this happen:

• Use Google Chrome as your main web browser and download the Google Translate extension online, via the Chrome Web Store (click here for the link). After installing the extension, you will see the extension icon in the top right corner of your web browser. Whenever you access a webpage that you want translated, just click on the icon and then click again where it says “TRANSLATE THIS PAGE.” A new bar will then appear on the browser (right underneath the bookmarks bar) and you can select whichever language you prefer. It looks like this:

• If you have any trouble with the Google Translate extension, the other alternative is to go into the settings on Chrome and change your language preferences to your native language and make sure the button is selected where it says: “Offer to translate pages that aren’t in a language you read.” I’m more than happy to show you how this works in person if you have any questions.
• You can use the website translate.google.com to translate any content that is copied/pasted into the box. You can also upload different kinds of files for translation, including Word docs and PDFs. Some PDFs don’t translate very well, so if you run into problems don’t hesitate to ask me for assistance.

Students With Children

If you are a parent and for some unexpected reason you are unable to secure your regular child care on a day we have class in-person, please feel free to bring your kid with you to class, so long as they are comfortable entertaining themselves or being held (and complying with any Covid safety protocols, if they’re in effect).

Respectful College Classroom Behavior

One of the ways that college differs dramatically from high school or the workplace is that you are all here by your own choice. As tuition-paying adults who have made the conscious decision to take a course that either sparks your curiosity or is required for your major (or both), I presume that you want to be here and that you are eager to learn. As your professor, you can presume that I also want to be here and that I am eager to teach you everything I can about the subject matter. In order to get the most out of that experience, it’s important for everyone to keep the following things in mind:

Treat people with care and respect. In both our face-to-face meetings and online discussions, it’s important to treat others with care and respect, regardless of whether you share the same beliefs or hold the same opinions. Because while debates or disagreements can be a part of any healthy class discussion, they should never be occasions for rude or insulting behaviors. In short, harassment of students and/or instructors will not be tolerated. In the event that it happens – and fortunately it almost never does – the person responsible will be held accountable, as such behavior violates Penn State’s student code of conduct. Furthermore, any such incidents that include the use of racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or other abusive, discriminatory language will be grounds disciplinary action and/or expulsion from the course.

Practice good netiquette online. If you don’t know what the term netiquette means, here is a useful primer. In a nutshell, it means that you need to pay attention to the manner in which you engage with people online, particularly if you’re not in the habit of doing so. Whereas face-to-face communication provides us with myriad opportunities to read other people’s body language and nonverbal cues in real time, online communication does not afford us such luxuries. This is compounded by the fact that all of us have spent years inadvertently reading tons of nasty online comments that have partly conditioned us to be more antagonistic and more defensive with our online behaviors.

• As a writer, you need to recognize how your statements, responses, and arguments can potentially be interpreted by people…and you should make an effort to write accordingly. Do your best to explain yourself, clarify your ideas, make succinct points, and support your positions.
• As a reader, you should be similarly generous with other people’s writing – give people the benefit of the doubt, don’t assume the worst, and try not to read too much emotion into peoples’ statements simply because they agree or disagree with you.

Bring the readings to class with you. We can’t have productive and intelligent conversations about course material if you don’t bring copies of the assigned readings to our weekly class meetings (digital or print).

Be mindful of your communication practices. This includes some of the following things:

• Device management. Please turn off your phone’s ringer before class, keep your phone away during class meetings, and no texting or social media in the classroom. If you are required to be on-call at all times (for ex. you are a parent, or caretaker, or work in emergency services), please let your professor know at the beginning of the semester.
• Please avoid chatting with your friends during lectures and film screenings. If you want to sit and talk to your friends, there are plenty of other places to do it on campus.
• No laptops or tablets unless you require a device for note-taking. Class is not the place to screw around online and it’s far too tempting if you’ve got a device open that you’re not using specifically, and only, for taking notes. Besides, recent research shows that students who take notes by hand retain more information than those who use a laptop for the same purpose.
• Please don’t sleep in class. If you need to sleep, please just go home and get some rest! Or, at the very least, find somewhere else more comfortable to nap.
• Broadly speaking, please do not put your professor in the awkward position of having to reprimand you in front of your peers. College educators shouldn’t have to remind anyone about the kinds of disrespectful behavior that can make it difficult for your peers to learn and for us to teach. Consequently, in the rare instance that a student’s disruptive behavior becomes a pattern, that student’s conduct will be reported to the university and they will also be asked to drop the course.

Classroom Civility Statement

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to creating a culture of respect and civility that is free of harassment, where all members of the community share a commitment to academic freedom, open inquiry, and the pursuit of knowledge.  Incivility and disrespect in or out of the classroom can be a barrier to effective learning, communication, and performance. The impact can be severe as it may result in poor performance, reduced morale, suppressed communication, and physiological impacts such as stress and depression that can lead to increased absenteeism. Incivility can escalate and may lead to more severe behaviors including harassment and violence.

Civility requires treating others with dignity, respect, and making a “good faith effort” to respect others’ feelings. Civility requires that even the most critical feedback and discussion be delivered respectfully, appropriately, and courteously. Civil conduct includes:

• Treating others with dignity, courtesy, respect, politeness, and consideration
• Engaging in productive and respectful classroom behaviors
• Speaking in tones of voice that are appropriate for the circumstances
• Using courteous and respectful language in all oral and written communications
• Being respectful of others’ right to express their views, even if you disagree
• Managing conflict with others in a respectful way rather than a confrontational way

Incivility deals with a broad range of behaviors including, but not limited to, unprofessional behavior; rudeness; shouting or swearing; intimidation or bullying; threatening comments or behaviors/actions; unsolicited and unwelcome conduct, comment (oral or written including email communication), gestures, actions or contact that cause offense, humiliation, physical or emotional harm to any individual.

Incivility can be subtle or overt. It may be a single event or may involve a continuing and escalating pattern of incidents. Uncivil behavior may be unintended, or it can be deliberately directed at another individual. Regardless of intentionality, incivility can create a toxic classroom environment and it won’t be tolerated. Uncivil conduct includes:

• Shouting
• Disrupting class by chronic tardiness
• Disrespectful oral, written, or non-verbal communication.  This includes in-person, text, email, written responses to assignments, and any other comments or responses
• Inappropriate technology usage (iPads, laptops, mobile phones not used for sanctioned class-related activities)
• Using profanity, abusive, aggressive, or violent language directed at an individual or individuals
• Using props suggestive of violence
• Slamming doors
• Throwing objects
• Humiliating, degrading, demeaning, belittling, insulting, frightening, or intimidating another person
• Distributing comments about an individual, whether verbally or in writing, including on-line, that are unjustified and are likely to have a negative impact on the individual if that person were to see them
• Telling inappropriate jokes
• Disallowing divergent points of view from being heard—including observations about performance and collegiality

Concern, Grievance, or Complaint
Students who believe they have been treated with disrespect or in an uncivil manner should contact me with their concerns. I will take action to correct. If I feel a student is engaging in uncivil behavior, I will give a verbal warning at the first occurrence. If a second incident occurs, the student will be required to leave the classroom.  At that time, a formal complaint will be filed with the Office of Student Conduct and you, the student, will be asked not to attend class until both the Office of Student Conduct, Chief Academic Officer or Assistant Chief Academic Officer, and I believe the situation has been appropriately resolved. 

Non-Discrimination Statement

As a professor at Pennsylvania State University, I value equality of opportunity, human dignity, and diversity. In addition to the Penn States’s official nondiscrimination policy, and within the bounds of the course, I also do not discriminate on the basis of one’s personal opinions or political affiliations. In the simplest terms possible, this means that you do not have to agree with me in order to do well in this course. So long as you demonstrate an understanding of, and informed engagement with, the course material, you are under no obligation to agree with your professor, your classmates, or anything we read (you don’t even have to agree with yourself all the time). If there is something I can do to make the class more hospitable, please let me know. Be assured that I will treat students with respect, and I will promote a safe and conducive environment for learning. I expect all students to do the same. This means that, in accordance with college policies, I will not tolerate discrimination or harassment in my classes. If you have questions about the school’s policies, please consult the Student Code of Conduct online at http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/conduct/codeofconduct/.

Academic Calendar

For important dates pertaining to adding/dropping courses, withdrawal, etc. please consult the appropriate Penn State Academic Calendar.

No Reproduction or Distribution of Course Materials

Students are encouraged to take notes and utilize the course materials that your professors provide to the class, i.e. lecture notes, slide presentations, etc. These materials are for you to use but they may not be distributed online, sold, or in any way monetized for personal gain by students or third parties (for instance, by for-profit note-taking services) without your professor’s expressed, written prior consent.

Photos, audio recordings, and video recordings of class proceedings are explicitly prohibited without the professor’s expressed, written prior consent. Under no circumstances may they be posted online.

Compliance

By staying enrolled in this class, you acknowledge that you understand and agree to abide by my policies, as well as Penn State’s official regulations (i.e. the accepted codes of conduct and academic integrity). Failure to follow the letter and the spirit of these reasonable guidelines can result in a reduction of your final grade, failure of the course, and/or other penalties set by the university.