COURSE POLICIES

The following rules apply to ALL of Professor Casey’s courses unless otherwise stated.

(A) CHEATING: You are expected to abide by the terms of the Institute’s Honor Code, which states that: “Plagiarism is taking the words or ideas of another and presenting them as your own. Cheating is making use of any assistance on an examination, assignment, or other class project (including written reference materials, help from other students, etc.) beyond that authorized by the professor.” Penalties for academic misconduct are at the discretion of the professor and can range from the loss of all credit on an assignment to a formal hearing before the Institute’s Rules and Discipline Committee. It is incumbent upon you to know what constitutes academic misconduct and make sure to avoid it. If you are in any way unsure about what constitutes a violation, please ask me.

Claiming ignorance after the fact is not a valid excuse. Students have been expelled from Rose for these sorts of violations. Think rationally; the risks outweigh the gains.

(B) LATE ASIGNMENTS: Extensions for exams or assignments will only be given if you have a legitimate excuse and you contact me in advance. All projects that are late will receive a letter grade reduction for each day (including weekend days) that they are late. You can reach me via e-mail, voicemail, or by dropping a note in either my campus or HSS mailbox. Short of being in a coma, you should be able to reach me if there is a problem. I am very accommodating to those who alert me to a problem in advance; I will be far less friendly if you approach me after the fact.

Please note that failing to take an exam and/or turn in an assigned research paper will result in an automatic ‘F’ for the course.

(C) IDEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES: Political questions are contentious and are seldom amenable to objectively right or wrong answers. That being said, there are good and bad arguments. You may hold any opinion you wish, but your arguments must be logically sound and supported by the available evidence.

OVERALL, I can only facilitate the learning process; I can’t force knowledge into your heads. It is your responsibility to be an active learner. If you do not understand something you need to take the initiative to find out the answer -- raise your hand, talk to me after class, come to my office. I cannot read minds, so it is up to you to try to seek clarity when it is lacking.