Nancy Kaplan

General Academic Policies

How to Contact Me

I will set regular office hours every semester. I will be in my office or reachable elsewhere in the building during those hours. My office phone number is 410.837.5319. Schedule permitting, you can also see me by appointment. The best way to contact me is via e-mail: nkaplan@ubalt.edu.

Attendance

I expect my students to attend every class, but I also understand that most of you work and many have family obligations, so you may face distractions. If you must miss class, an informal explanation will usually do. Try not to miss a class at which you are expected to deliver a presentation or report. Don't skip class if you're late with an assignment. Excessive or unreasonable absences will affect your grade.

Participation

I expect you to read or otherwise attend to the assignment carefully and to find something intelligent, interesting, or at least thoughtful to say about it. Students who ask questions and carry on discussion always do better than those who stay silent.

Late Work or Missed Information

You are responsible for announcements, changes in the syllabus, and assignments that may be given out in class. Please observe closely any policies about deadlines announced in specific classes. Unless you have a very good reason, do not ask me to fax you course materials. Likewise, do not leave voice mail asking me to call and catch you up on a missed class.

Help With Assignments

I am happy to read or respond to an advance draft of any paper or project.

Basic Requirement for Passing Grade

You will not obtain a passing grade unless you satisfactorily complete at least 75 percent of the assigned work.

Incompletes

I am happy to sign petitions for an Incomplete grade, provided you have satisfactorily completed at least 50 percent of the assigned work. It is your responsibility to meet the deadline set on your petition. I do not send out reminders.

Administrative Withdrawal

I will not issue an Administrative Withdrawal if you stop attending. It is your responsibility to withdraw from the course if you cannot complete 75 percent of the work (or complete 50 percent and file for an Incomplete). Students who do not withdraw fail the course.

Registration Problems

It is your responsibility to register for the course. I will call the Registrar's roll when it comes out during the early part of the semester. If your name does not appear, you must take the matter up with the Registrar. I cannot submit a grade if you are not officially registered.

Plagiarism and Academic Integrity

It is illegal and unethical to use someone else's work without properly crediting the source, whether online, print, or other. If you are not sure whether to credit a source, or to quote or paraphrase, or to use original language, please ask me in advance--or err on the side of citing the source you are using. If I discover that you've plagiarized material for this class, I will follow the university's policy for violations of academic integrity. (See the UB Student Handbook for this policy). Under that policy, the consequences of plagiarism can include failing this course and being expelled from the university.

Please also refer to the University's handbook outlining integrity policies.