General course policies:

   Exams and other required in-class activities: If you have to miss a scheduled exam or required in-class activity, you must let me know in advance in order to be considered for an excused absence. For a health or medical problem, be sure to get a written excuse from Emmons.

    Papers: Late papers receive a penalty of one grade level per day. For example, a B+ paper one day late would receive a final grade of B. Weekends count two grade levels, so a B+ paper due Friday which is turned in on Monday would receive a final grade of B-. For papers more than 10 days late, the late penalty increases to one grade per additional late day to your overall course grade.  No papers will be accepted after the scheduled final exam for the course.

    Homework: Unless stated otherwise, you must turn in your own individual copy of homework assignments, but I encourage you to discuss your work with each other and help each other out. To earn full credit, staple your homework pages together--don't use paper clips or just fold over the corners.

    Co-curricular activities: If you participate in a co-curricular activity--such as athletics or performing arts--that you believe might cause a conflict with any aspect of the class, then you must ensure that I receive (1) a schedule of events and (2) a schedule of all time commitments related to your activity for a typical week. Three acceptable options include: (1) email me the schedules yourself, with a CC to your activity coach/instructor (2) have your activity coach/instructor email me the schedules; or (3) email me a link to posted online schedules. The deadline for this information is the end of the first full week of classes.

    Learning disabilities: In cooperation with the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE), I am happy to make recommended accommodations for students with learning disabilities which might pertain to any type(s) of course requirements. If this is relevant to your situation, please drop by to discuss it with me so we can work out the details.
    Please note that students with documented disabilities who are registered with Disability Services are required to present their accommodation verification card to the instructor at the beginning of each semester or as soon as possible thereafter. Students who experience significant physical or mental impairments can contact Disability Services at (323) 259-2969 to learn about available services and support

    The Oxy honor spirit has worked well for nearly all the students I have dealt with over the years I have been at Oxy. But, for those rare instances in which a course exam or paper is found to violate the school's guidelines for academic honesty, the course weight assigned to the exam or paper automatically rises (if necessary) to the minimum required to classify it as a major course assignment, subject to the maximum penalty allowed under College policy. I don't invoke such a stiff penalty for problem sets, but you'll learn a lot more by doing your own work, and you risk getting only 1/2 credit for a problem set if you copy wrong information from an old answer key.