Course Policies

To ensure an equitable learning environment, students will not be required to purchase any books or materials for this course. Notebooks and pens will be provided. All readings are available on the course website.

In efforts to foster an engaged classroom environment, all cell phones must be silenced and away throughout class. If you have concerns with being unable to access your device during class and/or need an assistive device for an accommodation, please let me know.

Students will need access to a laptop device during class. If you have difficulty obtaining a laptop for class, please let me know and we can work together to ensure you have the technology necessary to participate in this course. When using your laptop, I ask that you focus your attention on the course and use your device only for the purposes of note-taking and writing class assignments. While it is expected that students bring their laptop to class, there may be times when I ask that all electronic devices, including laptops, be put away to augment participation. 

Students in need of accommodations should schedule an appointment early in the semester with the Office for Accessibility and Educational Opportunity and follow-up with me to discuss your individual accommodation needs. On a case-by-case basis, I am open to working with students who do not qualify for accommodations through the Office for Accessibility and Education Opportunity. Please let me know if this applies to you. To convert course readings into other media formats, please use SensusAccess. If there is a pdf scan that is not machine-readable, please let me know and I can find you an alternative.

Class attendance is expected. All students are permitted one unexcused absence and one excused absence (i.e., family emergency, professional commitment, medical appointment, or sickness). If you have an extenuating circumstance and foresee needing to be absent for more than two class periods over the course of the semester, please let me know as soon as possible.

This course involves a high degree of active participation during class time. Please try to give your full focus and attention to class. Each week, there will be opportunities for written and verbal participation. We will have opportunities to reflect individually, dialogue in pairs, collaborate in small groups, and discuss as a whole class. If these modes of participation become difficult for you for any reason, please be in touch so that we can work out a different participation plan that meets your needs.

All final papers / projects will be filtered through an automated system that determines the originality of the work, including whether AI (e.g., ChatGPT) was used to generate work. Do not plagiarize, fabricate, misrepresent, or misuse privileged texts in your course assignments. Cases will be adjudicated in accordance with the school’s code of conduct. 

This is a co-graded course (combined self- and teacher-evaluation). Grading for this course will be heavily informed by a self-assessment conducted by students. At the end of the course, there will be a final reflection in which you will revisit the course objectives and assess your own progress in relation to those objectives. You may preview this self-evaluation HERE. On it, you will see that I ask you to give yourself a grade and substantiate that grade using examples from your work and experiences throughout the semester. I will consider this grade when making my determination. If you have any questions or concerns about this type of co-grading, please let me know.

On the first day of class, we will develop community agreements. It is my hope that we are able to have open and meaningful conversations about course topics. I recognize that we each bring our multiple intersecting identities to class. Please let me know if something has been said or done in class by me or another student that causes harm or offense. I will do my best to address any comments that contribute to the discrimination of any race, ethnicity, culture, class, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, or ability group.

I recognize that we are living in difficult times and encourage you to use this class as a space to think critically about the world around you. Throughout this course, some of us may be directly or indirectly impacted by threats to our mental or physical health and safety. Your physical and mental wellbeing will always be prioritized over class. If you are experiencing challenges to your physical or mental health, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can develop a plan for you to complete the course as best as you can.

Northwestern University is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students that is free of all forms of discrimination and sexual harassment, including sexual assault, relationship abuse, and stalking. Northwestern faculty members are “responsible employees,” which means mandatory reporters for information concerning Title IX. Students will control how cases will be handled — there is no requirement to respond to outreach emails and/or pursue formal complaints.

Students are not authorized to record, post, or distribute any content from this course. Unauthorized recording of classroom or other academic activities, including advising sessions or office hours, is prohibited. Students requesting the use of recording devices or assistive technology as an accommodation should let me know as soon as possible so that I am aware of this exception.