Course Requirements and Policies

Lecture Attendance Exam Attendance Grading Exams Writing Portfolio Academic Integrity Student Resources

Lecture attendance:

The lectures are an integral part of the course. They will start promptly at 1:10, and we ask you to be in your seat by that time. Please do not disrupt the class by coming late or leaving early. In addition to important course announcements, lectures will often include films or videos and provide other information not covered in the text. If you miss a lecture, be sure to get notes from more than one classmate. Also obtain any handouts or writing assignments you may have missed. Some handouts will be used for several successive lectures, so you should bring them to class with you or see the TA before class for handouts you are missing. (Although we do keep track of attendance at lecture, this is not a factor in your course grade.)

Please make note of the midterm and final exam dates. We cannot schedule alternative exam times for students who have conflicting examination schedules, travel plans, etc. An unexcused absence from midterm or final exam will result in a grade of F on that exam. To be excused from an exam in the event of a medical or family emergency, we ask that you notify Prof. Putnam prior to the exam if at all possible; as soon as you are able, you should present a note from the Dean of Students certifying the legitimacy of your absence. (Note that Columbia strictly limits situations in which an Incomplete can be granted. Your bulletin provides details.)

• 350 points -- midterm exam -- Thursday, March 12
  450 points -- final exam -- Tuesday, May 14? from 1:10 - 4 PM
  
• 200 points -- writing portfolio
  • midterm portfolio due at beginning of class Tues. March 10
  • final portfolio due at beginning of class Thursday April 30
    

Exams:

In this class you will have the opportunity to assemble a portfolio of two kinds of written assignments, described in greater detail below:
I. In-class writing assignments plus out-of class revisions.
II. Reaction pieces in response to recent newspaper, magazine, or WWW articles of relevance to this course.

Your midterm portfolio will be collected at beginning of class Tuesday March 10; your final portfolio is due at the beginning of class on Thursday April 30. The portfolio will contribute up to 200 points toward the total 1000 points in the course. Both midterm and final portfolios will lose 10 points for each day, or portion of a day, they are late. Instructions for assembling your Portfolio, and a Table of Contents page for you to use, will be posted in the Assignments section of CourseWorks. There you will also see suggestions of good candidates for Reaction Pieces.

Here is some more information on the two kinds of writings you will produce and assemble.

I. In-class writing assignments. Several times throughout the semester you will have the opportunity, in class, to write a few brief paragraphs in response to written questions relating to lecture topics. You might be asked to take the perspective of a developmental theorist, comment on a controversial issue, interpret some empirical data, or summarize some important findings in developmental psychology. As long as you are present and make a decent attempt to answer the questions, you will earn 10 points on each of these in-class assignments. If you are absent or late for one of these, you will miss an opportunity to earn 10 points toward your Portfolio grade.

These assignments will be collected, stamped, and returned to you. Outside of class you will have the opportunity to rewrite each in-class assignment, plus answer an additional question or two. You will keep all of these writing assignments in your class portfolio. You may miss one in-class writing assignment without penalty, by completing the associated out-of-class assignment and submitting an extra reaction piece.

Copies of in-class writing assignments, and instructions for out-of-class writing assignments will be posted on CourseWorks, following each in-class writing assignment.

II. Reaction pieces. Newspapers and periodicals frequently report on current events and research relating to prenatal, infant, or child development. We hope that this course will help you to read these reports with greater understanding and with a more critical eye. Each week you should scan current newspapers and periodicals for candidate articles. Throughout the semester you will write at least four reaction pieces in response to such articles. Each should include a brief summary of the news story or article, including its source and date, followed by your critical evaluation or reaction to it in the context of the topics we've covered. You should include two reaction pieces in your midterm portfolio and two more in the final portfolio. Each entry should be 1-2 pages long (typed, double-spaced, with 1" margins on each side). Include a copy of each article to which you refer.

"It is essential to the academic integrity and vitality of this community that individuals do their own work and properly acknowledge the circumstances, ideas, sources, and assistance upon which that work is based. Academic honesty in class assignments, term papers, examinations, laboratory reports, and computer projects is expected of all students. Plagiarism, cheating, falsification of data, misrepresentation or fabrication of credentials, submitting another's work as one's own, and other forms of intellectual dishonesty are considered serious violations of academic propriety. Students who are unsure about the proper presentation of their own independent work should consult with their instructor or advisor. Because intellectual integrity is the hallmark of educational institutions, academic dishonesty is one of the most serious offenses that a student can commit at Columbia. It is punishable by suspension or dismissal from the School."

--from the online bulletin of the School of General Studies

"Every year there are instances in which students attempt to submit the work of other people as their own. Because intellectual integrity is the hallmark of educational institutions, academic dishonesty is one of the most serious offenses that a student can commit at Columbia. It is punishable by suspension or dismissal from the College.

"In making clear Columbia's policy on plagiarism, it is not feasible to include here all the various forms--they are innumerable--that plagiarism might take. It is useful, however, to list several obvious varieties in order to dispel confusion about actions that the College will not tolerate:

1. Submitting essays, or portions of essays, written by other people as one's own;
2. Failing to acknowledge, through proper footnotes and bibliographic entries, the source of ideas essentially not one's own;
3. Failing to indicate, through proper use of quotations and footnotes, paraphrases of ideas or verbatim expressions not one's own, including materials on the Web;
4. Submitting written work for one course to a second course without having received prior permission from both instructors;
5. Collaborating on an assignment or examination without specific permission from the faculty member to do so.

"This list, of course, does not pretend to be definitive. If questions arise concerning proper use of quotations, footnotes, or bibliographies, the student should contact the instructor. Seeking informed advice from a faculty member is the best way to avoid confusion about matters that can be complicated."

--from the Online Bulletin of Columbia College

Resources for Columbia Students

• For students with disabilities: If you have a disability which may necessitate an academic accommodation or the use of auxiliary aids and services in a class, please contact the Office of Disability Services as soon as possible. This office determines the specific needs of students with disabilities, and develops and implements programs and policies to meet those needs.
  
  
• For students who would like to write better. If you would like to learn to write better, you should take advantage of the Undergraduate Writing Program. You will be assigned a trained tutor who will help you find ways to improve your writing.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

This page was modified on November 2, 2008