COURSE MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES:
By nature, our course is non-traditional, and our course materials reflect that. All students should be prepared to access linked resources and reading materials on the internet and may choose to print these materials at their own expense. Each week you will be asked to use freely available online resources linked on this site and others related to professional development, such as LinkedIn. We will be using The College Reads! selection, How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America in this course, and sometimes the city itself becomes our textbook!
We recommend purchasing an Honors College binder from the College of Charleston Barnes and Noble bookstore. These can be found as “recommended texts” for our assigned course number (HONS 100) and are extremely useful in managing the print version of the portfolio you will create in this course.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS and GRADED WORK:
Class Engagement and Attendance (25%): Participation in all aspects of class is essential. You are expected to actively engage in class activities, to contribute meaningfully to discussions, and to display dedication and earnest effort in exploring the class topics and tasks. This is simply what honors students do. Your PF will address any shortcoming in this area with you personally either over e-mail or during one of your consultation meetings. If you fail to address concerns regarding engagement that your PF or one of the faculty members brings up with you, your grade will be lowered incrementally: from an A to an A-, for example, or from a B- to a C+. Please keep in mind that attending class (online or in person) is an aspect of being engaged. Provided there is reasonable communication from individuals, we will be flexible and accommodating in cases where excessive absence is due to unavoidable issues involving COVID-19, personal health, religious participation, or family crises.
Individual Consultations: (10%) In addition to regular class sessions, you will be required to attend three additional meetings outside of regular class sessions with your peer facilitator throughout the semester. While each session will have a particular purpose, there will be ample time to address broader concerns and just to simply be with your peer facilitator one-on-one. These sessions may be conducted in-person or online at your peer facilitator’s discretion and with health and safety in mind. Please remember to respect your peer facilitator’s time as if it were your own. All you have to do to earn a good grade on this is arrive on time and ready to chat.
Portfolio (50%): Throughout the semester you will create an electronic portfolio that will set the framework for your academic, professional, and civic accomplishments across your college career. Because the portfolio is a semester-long project, it will go through several revisions in response to things like peer edits, in-class workshops, outside input from Academic Writing instructors and Writing Lab staff, and feedback from PFs and class leaders. Your final portfolio will include the following documents:
- PACE Navigator (10%): This document is a comprehensive planning tool that you will use throughout your time in the Honors College. It allows you to chart out your individual academic plan in addition to noting professional and community engagement plans. We will spend time in class discussing the best methods for long- and short-term planning on the PACE Navigator, and this is a document you should update and share with your Honors advisor for each of your semester advising appointments.
- Professional Documents:
- Resume (10%)
- Personal Narrative (10%)
- Honors Engaged
- Honors Engaged Application (10%)
- Honors Engaged Semester Reflection (10%)
Honors Engaged (15%): Honors Engaged is the umbrella first-year community engagement program in which all first-year students participate. Through Honors Engaged, you will learn about best practices in community engagement and receive project-specific training to gain the skills necessary to carry out your service role. Informal discussion of your Honors Engaged experience and related community engagement concepts will unfold across the semester. Your Honors Engaged grade will be based on your consistent and earnest participation with your assignment, your sustained communication with your Honors Engaged Project Mentor (assigned by 10/1/21), and the completion of your reflective assignments. See the Honors Engaged Cohort Guide and website for additional details.
STATEMENT ABOUT COVID-19 SAFETY AND PROTOCOLS:
HONS 100: Beyond George Street will maintain and operate under the COVID-19 protocols
outlined on the “Back on the Bricks” website. While our area may be classifying COVID-19 as
endemic, we are sensitive to the individual needs of members of our campus community.
Please be respectful of the needs and decisions of others when interacting with others in and
outside the classroom.
STATEMENT ABOUT CLASS MODALITIES DURING PERIODS OF ISOLATION/QUARANTINE:
If one or more students are absent for an extended period of time due to COVID-19 (quarantine
or isolation), instructors may, at their discretion, conduct the class exclusively online via OAKS
for the duration of the student quarantine/isolation, record class lessons to share with students,
or choose an alternate accommodation that provides the impacted student(s) with the
opportunity to continue in the course. The specific accommodation will vary depending on the
number of students affected, the expected duration of their absence, and the needs of the class.
STATEMENT ABOUT LAPTOPS and PHONES:
Since we will provide very few hard copies of handouts and because there may be occasions
which call for social distancing, we encourage you to bring your laptops or tablets to class.
Please note: this is not an invitation to access any other websites, read email, check Facebook,
or do any work not related to work we’re doing in class on any given day. Additionally, please
use professionalism regarding the use of cell phones; get into the practice of turning off your
phones and putting them away before each class begins. Students who do not abide by these
expectations jeopardize their Class Engagement grades.
HONOR CODE AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
The Honor Code of the College of Charleston specifically forbids:
1. Lying: knowingly furnishing false information, orally or in writing, including but not limited to
deceit or efforts to deceive relating to academic work, to information legitimately sought by an
official or employee of the College, and to testimony before individuals authorized to inquire or
investigate conduct; lying also includes the fraudulent use of identification cards and
fabrication of data, endnotes, footnotes and other information related to academic work.
2. Cheating: the actual giving or receiving of unauthorized, dishonest assistance that might give
one student an unfair advantage over another in the performance of any assigned, graded
academic work, inside or outside of the classroom, and by any means whatsoever, including but
not limited to fraud, duress, deception, theft, talking, making signs, gestures, copying,
electronic messaging, photography, unauthorized reuse of previously graded work,
unauthorized dual submission, unauthorized collaboration and unauthorized use or possession
of study aids, memoranda, books, data, or other information. The term cheating includes
engaging in any behavior related to graded academic work specifically prohibited by an
instructor in the course syllabus or class discussion.
3. Attempted cheating: a willful act designed to accomplish cheating, but falling short of that
goal.
4. Stealing: the unauthorized taking or appropriating of property from the College or from
another member of the college community. Note also that stealing includes unauthorized
copying of and unauthorized access to computer software.
5. Attempted stealing: a willful act designed to accomplish stealing, but falling short of that
goal.
6. Plagiarism:
6.1. The verbatim repetition, without acknowledgement, of the writings of another author. All
significant phrases, clauses, or passages, taken directly from source material must be enclosed
in quotation marks and acknowledged in the text itself and/or in footnotes/endnotes.
6.2. Borrowing without acknowledging the source.
6.3. Paraphrasing the thoughts of another writer without acknowledgement.
6.4. Allowing any other person or organization to prepare work which one then submits as
his/her own.
Attempted cheating, attempted stealing, and the knowing possession of stolen property shall
be subject to the same punishment as the other offenses. Because the potential penalties for an
Honor Code violation are extremely serious, all students should be thoroughly familiar with the
above definitions and their consequences.
Lying, cheating, attempted cheating, and plagiarism are violations of our Honor Code that,
when suspected, are investigated. Each incident will be examined to determine the degree of
deception involved.
Incidents where the instructor determines the student’s actions are related more to a
misunderstanding will be handled by the instructor. A written intervention designed to help
prevent the student from repeating the error will be given to the student. The intervention,
submitted by form and signed both by the instructor and the student, will be forwarded to the
Dean of Students and placed in the student’s file.
Cases of suspected academic dishonesty will be reported directly by the instructor and/or
others having knowledge of the incident to the Dean of Students. A student found responsible
by the Honor Board for academic dishonesty will receive a XXF in the course, indicating failure
of the course due to academic dishonesty. This status indicator will appear on the student’s
transcript for two years after which the student may petition for the XX to be expunged. The F is
permanent.
Students should be aware that unauthorized collaboration—working together without
permission—is a form of cheating. Research conducted and/or papers written for other classes
cannot be used in whole or in part for any assignment in this class without obtaining prior
permission from the instructor.
Students can find the complete Honor Code and all related processes in the Student Handbook
at http://studentaffairs.cofc.edu/honor-system/studenthandbook/index.php
RECORDING OF CLASSES (VIA ZOOM):
Class sessions taking place on ZOOM may be recorded via both voice and video recording. By
attending and remaining in a zoom section of this class, the student consents to being
recorded. Recorded class sessions are for instructional use only and may not be shared with
anyone who is not enrolled in HONS 100.
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
If you require academic accommodation due to a disability, please make Dr. Permenter, Dr.
Cavalli and/or your Peer Facilitator aware of the fact in a confidential manner within the first
week of class. The College will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented
disabilities. Should you have questions about disability services at the College of Charleston,
please contact the Center for Disability Services at 843-953-1431, visit their physical location at
Lightsey Center, Suite 104, or visit their website at http://www.College of
Charleston.edu/~cds/home.htm.
STATEMENT REGARDING INCLEMENT WEATHER AND CAMPUS CLOSURES:
As Charlestonians, we live in a beautiful setting, which is also sometimes the site of severe
weather. Rest assured, we are prepared to handle these situations. If the College of Charleston
closes and members of the community are evacuated due to inclement weather, students are
responsible for taking course materials with them in order to continue with course assignments
consistent with instructions provided by faculty. In cases of extended periods of institution-wide
closure where students have relocated, instructors may articulate a plan that allows for
supplemental academic engagement despite these circumstances.
MENTAL & PHYSICAL WELLBEING:
At the college, we take every students’ mental and physical wellbeing seriously. If you find
yourself experiencing physical illnesses, please reach out to Student Health Services
(843.953.5520). And if you find yourself experiencing any mental health challenges (for example,
anxiety, depression, stressful life events, sleep deprivation, and/or loneliness/homesickness)
please consider contacting either the Counseling Center (professional counselors at
http://counseling.cofc.edu or 843.953.5640 3rd Robert Scott Small Building) or the Students 4
Support group (certified volunteers through texting “4support” to 839863). These services are
there for you to help you cope with difficulties you may be experiencing and to maintain
optimal physical and mental health.
FOOD & HOUSING RESOURCES:
Many CofC students report experiencing food and housing insecurity. If you are facing
challenges in securing food (such as not being able to afford groceries or get sufficient food to
eat every day) and housing (such as lacking a safe and stable place to live), please contact the
Dean of Students for support (http://studentaffairs.cofc.edu/about/salt.php). Also, you can go to
http://studentaffairs.cofc.edu/student-food-housing-insecurity/index.php to learn about food
and housing assistance that is available to you. In addition, there are several resources on and
off campus to help. You can visit the Cougar Pantry in the Stern Center (2nd floor), a studentrun
food pantry that provides dry-goods and hygiene products at no charge to any student in
need.