Contents
Controversial Subject Disclaimer
Art can be provocative. Historically speaking, many works of art recognized as culturally significant have precipitated controversy—and they may still!
Art can sometimes present challenges to our individual beliefs in ways that some individuals may perceive as offensive, prurient, or otherwise questionable. In this course, we will interact with art that may include language or imagery exploring controversial points of view regarding intrinsically sensitive topics: sexuality, race, politics, or religion.
The presentation of such material in this course is necessary to foster a fuller understanding of the sometimes disruptive or subversive function of art in society. In the spirit of the free exchange of ideas that is core to the educational mission, is not the proper role of the instructor or the institution to censor, ban, or limit access to culturally significant material. Therefore, it is important to understand the presence of controversial or provocative material does not necessarily reflect or imply an endorsement of such work by the instructor or the institution.
If material of this nature raises any concern, please make an appointment with me. I am happy to meet and discuss it with you.
Academic Integrity
The Abington College Academic Integrity Policy can be found at the link above and should be read in full.
This policy constitutes an addendum to this syllabus and is in full effect for this studio.
Assurance of Integrity | I reserve the right to submit material to such resources as Turnitin.com or Google Image Search to ensure academic integrity. I may be required to assess a breach of integrity in accordance with PSU Sanctioning Guidelines for Violations of Academic Integrity, on a scale ranging from minor through moderate to major. Minor violations may limit the sanction to a warning or a loss of points for the material in question. Moderate sanctions can include loss of points for the project. Major sanctions may include failure for the course.
Code of Conduct
The PSU Student Code of Conduct can be found at the link above and should be read in full.
Scroll to Section IV: The Code of Conduct, which you may click or tap open to read. This policy constitutes an addendum to this syllabus and is in full effect for this studio.
Assurance of Compliance | I am obligated to report breaches of the code in accordance with the process governed by the PSU Office of Student Conduct.
Student Disability Resources (SDR)
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. At Penn State Abington, services for students with documented disabilities are provided through the Office of Student Disability Resources.
- Tiffany Ostrowski, Coordinator
- 223 Sutherland
- 215-881-7962
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, ADA law requires the student themselves to self-disclose the need for accommodations. This can be done through SDR’s online intake form:
SDR will then follow up with information regarding next steps to determine eligibility: submitting diagnostic documentation and participating in an intake interview.
SDR will provide the student with an accommodation letter for the semester if the student meets eligibility requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to share their letter and discuss accommodations with instructors as early in their courses as possible. Instructors are not required to provide accommodations until the letter is presented and discussed.
Students must follow this process for each semester they wish to receive accommodations.
Please visit the sites below for comprehensive information:
This semester, SDR will be meeting with students via Zoom. Please email AbingtonSDR@psu.edu with questions or to schedule an appointment.
Counseling + Psychological Services (CAPS)
Many students at Penn State face personal challenges or have psychological needs that may interfere with their academic progress, social development, or emotional wellbeing. If you encounter personal problems of any kind on or off campus, please reach out for help. 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. Remote campus counseling and psychological services are available. Comprehensive information can be found at:
Please contact our campus psychologist with additional questions.
- Dr. Karen Gould
- 103 Cloverly
- 215-881-7577
- ksg17@psu.edu
Center for Student Achievement (CSA)
The Center for Student Achievement, located in 315 Sutherland, offers Free Tutoring and Writing Consultations to all students. For help achieving success, please email achieve-ab@psu.edu.
Tutoring in subjects will be available in-person and through virtual formats. Writing consultations will be conducted remotely. Scheduling tutoring appointments in advance is required and can be made through Starfish. When you schedule your appointment, please send the assignment in advance to achieve-ab@psu.edu to encourage physical distancing during the appointment. Free Online Tutoring is also available through Brain Fuse and can be accessed here:
The CSA also offers workshops that strengthen students’ abilities to study, write, manage time, make decisions, and achieve goals. The Center for Student Achievement office is open 8am to 5pm, Tuesday through Thursday, but support is also provided remotely on Mondays and Fridays.
Educational Equity Concerns
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:
Sexual Harassment Policy
The university’s code of conduct states that all students should act with personal integrity, respect other students’ dignity, rights, and property, and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts. Violations of this principle can result in a range of sanctions, from a warning to expulsion. Note that Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment based on sex and gender is a civil rights offense subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, etc.
Sexual harassment of faculty, staff or students is prohibited and will not be tolerated. It is the policy of the University to maintain an academic and work environment free of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment violates the dignity of individuals and impedes the realization of the University’s educational mission.
The University is committed to preventing and eliminating sexual harassment of faculty, staff, and students through education and by encouraging faculty, staff, and students to report any concerns or complaints about sexual harassment. Prompt corrective measures will be taken to stop sexual harassment whenever and wherever it occurs:
If this is a Title IX issue, please contact Penn State Abington’s Title IX Resource Person for more information:
- Gina D’Amato-Kaufman, Director of Student Affairs
- 106 Sutherland
- gxd22@psu.edu
- 215-881-7391
- Mary Ellen Glick, Case Manager
- 102b Lares
- mpg5645@psu.edu
- 215-881-7353
Additional resources
- On Campus Counseling Services, 215-881-7577
- PSU Sexual Assault & Relationship Violence Hotline, 800-560-1637
- Victim Services of Montgomery County, 888-521-0983
National Hotlines
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233
- National Sexual Assault (RAINN) Hotline: 800-656-4673
- PSU Sexual Assault & Relationship Violence: 800-560-1637 or 866-714-7177 (TTY)
Police & Legal Information
- Police Emergency – 911
- Penn State Abington Campus Police:
- Abington Township Police:
Licensing + Citation Notes
This Liquid Syllabus is written by williamCromar to guide students through coursework in new media, and is published to the web under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This allows anyone to use the material and build on it for for any purpose, and is considered a Free Culture License, with "free" used in the "free speech" rather than "free stuff" sense of the word. There are restrictions associated with this license that do not impact the user's rights to use, but which obligate the user to honor one responsibility:
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Liquid Syllabus contains text, image, audio, interactive, or time-based works that are covered under several licensing schemas, including but not limited to restrictions on copyright, public domain, or Creative Commons. As a project based in the Open Educational Resource ethos intended for use in academic contexts, Liquid Syllabus and its author make every attempt to faithfully follow the rights and responsibilities governing United States copyright exceptions and limitations (a.k.a. Fair Use) law and Creative Commons guidelines regarding the use of the Free Culture License level of CC registration. The primary responsibility respecting the rights of original authors or holders of copyright is proper citation of work, so that the original source of the work can be recognized and traced. Media assets used herein are always cited with a direct URL link to their original web resources wherever possible. The web is an ephemeral world, and where URLs are no longer active, they are noted by a link via Internet Archive (the Wayback Machine) or, if not archived, by the date accessed. If you are the author of an image used in Liquid Syllabus and wish to contest any fair use or public domain claims made by the author, please contact williamCromar and a mutually agreeable resolution will be found. Fair Use | Creative work used in Liquid Syllabus is, from time to time, covered by copyright owned either by the creator, the entity commissioning the work, or their estates. In an educational context such as this, it is conventionally understood that low resolution images of works of art, video or sound fragments of short duration, or like-kind sampling, qualify as Fair Use under United States copyright law. Though an individual creative work may be subject to copyright, its presence here is covered by the doctrine of Fair Use because:
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Fair Use in Liquid Syllabus does not imply that the same may be claimed in another context oriented toward a non-educational or commercial purpose. Original copyright is still held by the owner and governs any use outside of this title. Permission to use work in any context other than Fair Use must be sought from the copyright owner, not Liquid Syllabus. For that purpose, Liquid Syllabus clearly cites original sources for Fair Use material through direct URL link. Public Domain | United States copyright law provides that exclusive intellectual property rights do not extend to creative works for which copyright term has expired, is inapplicable, or has been forfeited or waived by the creator. U.S. law also recognizes any faithful photographic reproduction of creative work in the public domain is itself also in the public domain, since no attempt at derivation or transformation wherein a new, original idea has been created has been attempted in making said reproduction. Works in the public domain are articulated as such in the original web resourced linked, and may be freely repurposed.