Academic Policies

Studying at Global Academic Centers is an academically intensive and immersive experience, in which students from a wide range of backgrounds exchange ideas in discussion-based seminars. Learning in such an environment depends on the active participation of all students. Since classes typically meet once or twice a week, even a single absence can cause a student to miss a significant portion of a course. To ensure the integrity of this academic experience, class attendance at the centers is expected promptly when class begins. Attendance will be checked at each class meeting. Site visits and field trips are considered regular class meetings and the attendance policies outlined here apply equally to these as well.

Regardless of whether an absence is excused or not, it is the student's responsibility to recoup the work that was missed by getting notes from a classmate and consulting with your faculty member. Remember: Not all class activities can be made up and frequent absences may affect the participation, commitment or engagement component of the final grade.

Unexcused absences may be penalized with a two percent deduction on the participation, commitment or engagement component of the final grade for every week's worth of classes missed and may negatively affect your final grade. Four unexcused absences in one course may lead to an F (Fail) in that course. Furthermore, your professor is entitled to deduct points if you frequently join the class late.

As soon as it becomes clear that you cannot attend a class, you must immediately inform your professor and the Office of Academic Support. Absences are only excused if they are due to illness, Moses Center accommodations, religious observance or emergencies. Please note, emergencies or other exceptional circumstances that you wish to be treated confidentially must be presented to staff.

Exams, tests, quizzes, oral presentations, field trips and other important deadlines that are missed due to illness always require a doctor's note as documentation to be submitted to the Office of Academic Support. For regular class sessions, health-related absences require a doctor’s note to be submitted only if you miss four consecutive days due to illness. To have these absences excused, please send the doctor’s note via email to the Office of Academic Support at florence.advising@nyu.edu. 

Please note that absences cannot be excused retroactively.

Important deadlines (i.e. exams, quizzes, field trips) that are missed for any other reason may or may not be made up at the discretion of the instructor in consultation with the Office of Academic Support and the Office of Global Programs.

**If there is a pattern of single day non consecutive absences for health reasons over the course of the semester, you may be contacted by the Academics team.**

Excused Absences:

In case of absence, regardless of the reason, the student is responsible for completing missed assignments, getting notes and making up missed work in a timely manner based upon a schedule that is mutually agreed upon between the faculty member and the student.  Absences should be reported to the Office of Academic Support via email and to your faculty member BEFORE your class meets for lesson. 

Categories of Excused Absences:

Absence Due to Illness

• If you feel sick, please contact the Office of Student Life for assistance.

• The Office of Student Life, when assisting you in cases of severe or extended illness, will coordinate with the Office of Academic Support to properly record your absences.

Due to Religious Observance

• Students observing a religious holiday during regularly scheduled class time are entitled to miss class without any penalty to their grade.  This is for the holiday only and does not include the days of travel that may come before and/or after the holiday.

• Please note that no excused absences for reasons other than illness can be applied retroactively.

Students with questions or needing clarification about this policy are instructed to contact a member of the Office of Academic Support located in Villa Ulivi or to email florence.advising@nyu.edu

NYU’s Calendar Policy on Religious Holidays states that members of any religious group may, without penalty, excuse themselves from classes when required in compliance with their religious obligations. Students who anticipate being absent due to religious observance should notify their professor and the Office of Academic Support in writing via email to florence.advising@nyu.edu one week in advance. If examinations or assignment deadlines are scheduled on the day the student will be absent, the Academics Office will schedule a make-up examination or extend the deadline for assignments. Please note that an absence is only excused for the holiday but not for any days of travel that may come before and/or after the holiday. See also Religious Accommodations at NYU. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact religiousaccommodations@nyu.edu 

To optimize the experience in a learning environment, please consider the following: 

• Please do not eat during class and minimize any other distracting noises (e.g. rustling of papers and leaving the classroom before the break, unless absolutely necessary).

• If you are not using your cell phone to follow the lesson, cell phones should be turned off or in silent mode during class time.

• Make sure to let your classmates finish speaking before you do. 

• Students should be respectful and courteous at all times to all participants in class.

Final exams must be taken at their designated times. Should there be a conflict between your final exams, please bring this to the attention of the Academics team. Final exams may not be taken early, and students should not plan to leave the site before the end of the finals period.

The complete Global Attendance Policy is posted in the Academic Policies tab in Brightspace and on the NYU Florence Student Portal website. After you have read and reviewed the policies, if there is anything that still needs further clarification or raises a question, please reach out to florence.advising@nyu.edu. 

Late Submission of Work

1. Work submitted late may be declined or may receive a penalty for each day it is late (including weekends and public holidays).

2. Students may request extensions which may or may not be approved at the discretion of the instructor in consultation with site staff and the Office of Global Programs.

3. Without an approved extension, written work submitted more than 5 days (including weekends and public holidays) after the submission deadline may receive an F.

4. Assignments due during finals week that are submitted more than 3 days late (including weekends and public holidays) without previously arranged extensions may not be accepted and may receive a zero. Any exceptions or extensions for work during finals week are at the discretion of the instructor in consultation with the Office of Academic Support and the Office of Global Programs.

5. Students who miss any part of a timed assignment or exam may or may not be given an extension or opportunity to make up missed work. Any exceptions or extensions are at the discretion of the instructor in consultation with the Office of Academic Support and the Office of Global Programs.

An “incomplete” is a temporary grade that indicates that the student has, for good reason, not completed all of the course work. This grade is not awarded automatically nor is it guaranteed. Incompletes may or may not be granted and are at the discretion of the instructor in consultation with site staff and the Office of Global Programs.

As the University's policy on "Academic Integrity for Students at NYU" states: "At NYU, a commitment to excellence, fairness, honesty, and respect within and outside the classroom is essential to maintaining the integrity of our community. By accepting membership in this community, students take responsibility for demonstrating these values in their own conduct and for recognizing and supporting these values in others." Students at Global Academic Centers must follow the University and school policies.

NYU takes plagiarism very seriously; penalties follow and may exceed those set out by your home school. Your lecturer may ask you to sign a declaration of authorship form, and may check your assignments by using TurnItIn or another software designed to detect offenses against academic integrity. 

The presentation of any improperly cited work other than your own, as though it is your own, including words, ideas, judgment, images, data, or AI-generated work (like ChatGPT or Google Gemini), whether intentionally or unintentionally, constitutes a breach of academic integrity. It is important that all work submitted for this course is your own. It is also an offense to submit your own work for assignments from two different courses that are substantially the same (be they oral presentations or written work). If there is overlap of the subject of your assignment with one that you produced for another course (either in the current or any previous semester), you must inform your professor.

For guidelines on academic honesty, clarification of the definition of plagiarism, examples of procedures and sanctions, and resources to support proper citation, please see:

NYU Academic Integrity Policies and Guidelines

NYU Library Guides - Plagiarism and How to Avoid It  

NYU’s Office of Global Programs and NYU’s global sites are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. In order to nurture a more inclusive global university, NYU affirms the value of sharing differing perspectives and encourages open dialogue through a variety of pedagogical approaches. Our goal is to make all students feel included and welcome in all aspects of academic life, including our syllabi, classrooms, and educational activities/spaces.

Pronouns and Name Pronunciation (Albert and Zoom)

Students, staff, and faculty have the opportunity to add their pronouns, as well as the pronunciation of their names, into Albert. Students can have this information displayed to faculty, advisors, and administrators in Albert, NYU Brightspace, the NYU Home internal directory, as well as other NYU systems.  Students can also opt out of having their pronouns viewed by their instructors, in case they feel more comfortable sharing their pronouns outside of the classroom. For more information on how to change this information for your Albert account, please see the Pronouns and Name Pronunciation website.

Students, staff, and faculty are also encouraged, though not required, to list their pronouns, and update their names in the name display for Zoom. For more information on how to make this change, please see the Personalizing Zoom Display Names website.

Bias Response Line

The New York University Bias Response Line provides a mechanism through which members of our community can share or report experiences and concerns of bias, discrimination, or harassing behavior that may occur within our community.

Experienced administrators in the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) receive and assess reports, and then help facilitate responses, which may include referral to another University school or unit, or investigation if warranted according to the University's existing Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy.

The Bias Response Line is designed to enable the University to provide an open forum that helps to ensure that our community is equitable and inclusive.

To report an incident, you may do so in one of three ways:

• Online using the Web Form (link)

• Email: bias.response@nyu.edu

• Phone: 212-998-2277

• Local Telephone: 055 5007277

Academic accommodations are available for students with documented and registered disabilities. Please contact the Moses Center for Student Accessibility (+1 212-998-4980 or mosescsd@nyu.edu) for further information. Here is their website Moses Center for Student Accessibility.  Students who are requesting academic accommodations are advised to reach out to the Moses Center as early as possible in the semester for assistance. Students will need to complete an Accommodation Letters request once per semester for each class they take. 

• Coming prepared to class having done the assignments, making an effort to constantly speak Italian, asking questions, participating in all activities with a positive attitude, are all criteria in assessing your own class participation. 

• Relying on used textbooks with marked answers is considered a matter of academic honesty and will be regarded by your instructor as cheating, negatively affecting your grade.

• All Quizzes and Exams will be taken as scheduled. Examinations may be made up only with the permission of the Office of Academic Support, Villa Ulivi.

• Personal travel arrangements will never constitute a satisfactory excuse for requesting an early or make-up exam.