Lateness and Missed Assignments: All assignments are due in lecture at the beginning of class at 2:30 PM on the due date. Assignments handed in at 2:31 PM are considered late. Late assignments will be penalized at 1% a day off your overall final mark of the class. For instance if you receive 24/30 on an assignment that is worth 30% of your final mark and it is two days late, you will receive 23/30.

Remember that class starts at 2:30 PM, so that is your baseline for what constitutes a day. That is, assignments need to be in by 2:30 PM the next day or they are late again. Avoid all of this by planning ahead and handing everything in on time.

Please be advised that late assignments may take longer to return since these assignments take longer to obtain there is no guarantee when they will be marked and given back to you.

Students do not have the option of rewriting assignments to improve their grades. Students do not have the option of handing in additional assignments to improve their grade.

If you are too sick to hand in an assignment, you will need a detailed doctor’s note. This note must state why you were unable to write the exam or hand in the assignment on that day and the days/weeks leading up to it. For assignments be prepared to show the work that you have done leading up to the illness.

Special Needs and Concerns: Students with special needs or concerns that may affect their course work should make an appointment with Learning Disability Services to discuss any special need as soon as possible.

E-Mail Guidelines and Office Hours: I am happy to answer questions or concerns during class and will also be available to provide individual guidance and advice during my office hours. Please note that you must give me at least 72 hours to respond to email messages. If you have not received a reply to your email after this time has elapsed, this may mean the message has been lost and you should resend it.

Please be aware of the limits of email. I will not respond to questions that require lengthy answers, but will recommend that you meet with me in person during office hours.

NB: Messages can also be left at the office of the Department of Communication Studies in TEL centre; however such messages may not be received very promptly.

Grade Appeals: If you are dissatisfied with the explanation of the grade, please bring your concerns to the professor. Appeals of grades will only be considered if you can identify something specific about the assignment or exam that you feel did not receive the credit that it merits. [How hard you worked and the grades that you need to apply to grad school / law school / an MBA program, etc. are not relevant.]

Classroom Etiquette: Attendance at lectures is strongly recommended. Of course, respectful and attentive behaviour is expected from those who do attend. It is inappropriate for any mobile electronics to be in use, and laptop computers should be used only for taking notes. Disruptive behaviour (such as watching video files) will not be tolerated. Punctuality is also important, as essential information will be announced at the beginning of class, and late entry to the class is disruptive and disrespectful.

Course Website: All information that needs to be distributed to students will be sent through the course website, via the class Twitter account (@comn4729) and to your yorku.ca email address that is on record with the university. It is therefore very important to ensure that I have the correct email address for you and that you regularly check that account as well as the course website.

Messages that bounce back from accounts that are full will not be resent.

Plagiarism: The university policies concerning plagiarism apply in this course. Students are expected to take the Academic Integrity Tutorial and take the Academic Integrity quiz. Proof of this must be supplied to me at the beginning of the second meeting of the course.

Assignments will be submitted through Turnitin.com and no sympathy will be shown to anyone found having engaged in plagiarism.

For your reference:

Assignment Grade Scale:

A+. 9. Exceptional Thorough knowledge of concepts and/or techniques and exceptional skill or great originality in the use of those concepts, techniques in satisfying the requirements of an assignment or course.

A. 8. Excellent Thorough knowledge of concepts and/or techniques with a high degree of skill and/or some elements of originality in satisfying the requirements of an assignment or course.

B+. 7. Very Good Thorough knowledge of concepts and/or techniques with a fairly high degree of skill in the use of those concepts, techniques in satisfying the requirements of an assignment or course.

B. 6. Good Good level of knowledge of concepts and/or techniques together with considerable skill in using them to satisfy the requirements of an assignment or course.

C+. 5. Competent Acceptable level of knowledge of concepts and/or techniques together with considerable skill in using them to satisfy the requirements of an assignment or course.

C. 4. Fairly Competent Acceptable level of knowledge of concepts and/or techniques together with some skill in using them to satisfy the requirements of an assignment or course.

D+. 3. Passing Slightly better than minimal knowledge of required concepts and/or techniques together with some ability to use them in satisfying the requirements of an assignment or course.

D. 2. Barely Passing Minimum knowledge of concepts and/or techniques needed to satisfy the requirements of an assignment or course.

E. 1. Marginally Failing

F. 0. Failing