English 1000

Student Handbook: Policies and Procedures

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Absences
With typically no more than twenty students per section, English 1000 may be your smallest class the semester you take it. Lecturing plays little or no role in most sections. Instead, discussion, small group interaction, in-class activities that are integrally related to writing a particular paper, and peer reviews are more common uses of class time. Instructors depend upon students’ presence and participation to make the class run effectively. For this reason, many of them have absence policies that they enforce by dropping students who miss too much class. Be aware of the absence policy for your section. A typical absence policy allows 6 absences for a Monday-Wednesday-Friday class or only 4 absences for a Tuesday-Thursday class. Find out if your instructor distinguishes between excused and unexcused absences. Don’t assume that since you have a doctor’s note your absence won’t count against you. There are indeed times when students have good reasons for missing class, but the effect of those absences for the student and for the class are the same regardless of the reason. Keep your instructor informed of extenuating circumstances, and don’t use the few allowed absences frivolously.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Students with disabilities that might affect their work (in or out of class) should both contact Disability Services and notify the instructor. MU can make a variety of arrangements that help insure equal opportunity. The Office of Disability Services is located at A038 Brady Commons or by phone at 882-4696. For resources for students with disabilities, click on “Disability Resources” on MU’s homepage. If you have emergency medical information to share or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please inform the instructor immediately. You are welcome to speak to your instructor privately after class or during office hours.

Changing Sections
If you find yourself in an unsuitable section, perhaps because the writing assignments are based upon topics particularly uninteresting to you, limited options for changing sections sometimes exist. For more information, come to the Composition Office in Tate Hall within the first few days of the semester.

Complaints
If you have any concerns about your experience in English 1000, do not hesitate to speak to someone in the Composition Office. Irregularities in a given section can be more effectively handled the sooner we are made aware of the problem. Drop by the Composition Office in Tate Hall, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; call 882-2356; or email Dana Kinnison at kinnisond@missouri.edu.

Grade Appeals
Only after a student is unable to resolve a grade problem with the instructor should he or she come to the Composition Office where the handout “Grade Reconsideration for English 1000” is available, which outlines the requirements for a grade appeal. The following criteria apply in all cases: (1) students must first attempt to speak with the instructor; (2) if the appeal is not resolved by speaking with the instructor, the student must file a written petition with the Director of Composition; (3) only final course grades may be appealed; (4) appeals will only be successful in cases of arbitrary and capricious grading; (5) the academic standards of the instructor, when applied to all students and explained in the syllabus, are not grounds for a grade appeal.

Plagiarism
Students who submit as their own work a paper taken in whole or in part from another person’s writing without proper acknowledgment are guilty of plagiarism. Make sure you understand plagiarism and how to avoid it. Read the section on plagiarism in the grammar and usage handbook required for your section of English 1000, and pay attention when the matter is discussed in class. Instructors are obligated to report to the Office of the Provost all instances of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism inevitably affects the quality of a paper, likely resulting in a lowered or failed grade, and may lead to harsher penalties such as suspension or expulsion.

Withdrawing From The Course
Students should be aware of two deadlines by which they can withdraw from English 1000, with two different outcomes. The exact dates vary, of course, but are available on the University Registrar’s webpage (select General Resources). The initial deadline is called the “last day to drop without a grade,” occurring roughly five weeks into the semester. Students should receive a paper grade in English 1000 by this date, which may be one factor among others to help them decide whether to remain in the class. Should a student withdraw from the course by this date, enrollment in the course will not appear on a transcript. Further into the semester, should a student withdraw by the “last day to withdraw from a course” a grade of either W or F will be issued. A “W” grade indicates the student was passing at the time of withdrawal. If a student fails to withdraw by this latter date, the instructor has no option but to award the student the grade he or she has earned.