Class Etiquette

Trigger Warning:

• Sometimes, we will address sensitive topics. Please do not hesitate to alert me if you cannot read, write, or engage in conversations about particular topics presented in class or on assignments. I have dealt with this issue before. Your relationship with the topic is none of my business. I will excuse you from the activity, and we will think of an alternative way for you to fulfill the requirements associated with that course segment.

• Occasionally, students request to write on a topic or bring a topic up for discussion in class that is “sensitive.” Perhaps that topic elicits strong negative feelings, resulting in a hostile or silencing environment in the classroom. Occasionally, a student has privately voiced a trauma related to a specific topic. For those reasons, I respectfully ask you to consider other topics for your work, as all your work will be shared openly among classmates. It would be unfair to foster an environment not conducive to the subject at hand- improving your writing!

Class Rules of Conduct:

• Any comments construed as threatening, cruel, or silencing to any class members will not be tolerated. 

• While the college will monitor your Brightspace interactions, we cannot monitor your online engagements with other students. However, if I learn that students are being trolled by their peers online or in person, I will refer the situation to campus authorities. 

• To limit the possibility of inappropriate online interactions, I suggest you not add or friend your classmates on social media and only communicate with them through Brightspace and your school email address for course-related purposes. 

• If you feel uncomfortable at any time, please contact me so I may handle the situation accordingly.

• Please make sure to document any inappropriate behaviors you witness and immediately send any materials to me and public safety.

Name/ Pronoun Use:

• If you have a preferred name or pronoun, please speak to me privately and I will honor your preference and ensure its usage among your classmates.