Frequently Asked Questions

This page offers a set of answers to frequently asked questions regarding plagiarism, attendance, assigned readings in GeorgiaVIEW, submitting assignments in GeorgiaVIEW, retrieving graded assignments in GeorgiaVIEW, MLA style, research methods, and course grades. Additionally, this page clarifies paper formats, technology issues, and attendance policy.

 

Q: How is plagiarism treated in your classes?

A: Since 2004, I have caught 33 plagiarists.

8 composition students earned "D-"s on revised and resubmitted papers.

1 student failed the assignment.

1 student earned a "D" in the course, forcing her to retake it.

23 students (4 of whom were graduating seniors) failed the course.

1 student filed an appeal and lost.

1 student was suspended.

1 student was expelled.

 

Q: Where do I find my attendance record?

A: Here.

 

Q: An assigned reading on the online syllabus schedule links to GeorgiaVIEW. What does this mean?

A: The assigned reading is available in GeorgiaVIEW's Content Browser under the title Electronic Course Reserves. Click here for more information.

 

Q: Where and how do I submit an assignment electronically?

A: Submit assignments to GeorgiaVIEW using this handout.

 

Q: Where and how do I retrieve a graded assignment?

A: Grades for assignments submitted on paper are returned on paper. Grades for electronically submitted assignments are posted in GeorgiaVIEW; use this handout as a guide.

 

Q: How should my formal papers and take-home exams be formatted?

A: MLA Style.

 

Q: How do I research a paper for this class?

A: Follow this handout.

 

Q: How do I calculate my final grade in the course?

A: Use this spreadsheet.

Papers

• Formal Papers and Take-Home Exams
• Follow MLA style for all formal papers and take-home exams.
• Use only Times New Roman 12pt font.
• Do not submit papers with 1.25" margins. Use only 1" margins.
• Double space at all times except when block quoting three or more lines of single-spaced poetry.
• Do not add extra lines between paragraphs or sections. Do not add extra lines anywhere.
• Do not submit a title page.
• MLA Style Penalties
• I expect formal papers and take-home exams to follow the style rules outlined in my MLA Style handout and the MLA Handbook.
• Heading, Running Header, and Margins: Your formal paper will be penalized one-third of a letter grade if its heading, running header, and/or 1" margins are incorrect.
• Font and Line-Spacing: Your formal paper will be penalized one-third of a letter grade if its font is not 12pt Times New Roman and/or if it does not maintain double-spacing (except in the case of block quoting poetry). Do not use your word processing program to manipulate the font size and line spacing to make your paper appear longer than it really is.
• In-Text Quoting, Block Quoting, and Works Cited: Your formal paper will be penalized one-third of a letter grade if it fails to properly quote and/or cite sources.
• Length Penalties
• Your paper will be penalized one-third of a letter grade if it does not end at least halfway down on the minimum page limit (not including Works Cited page) while implementing MLA style (12pt Times New Roman font, double-spacing, one-inch margins).
• Your paper will be penalized one-third of a letter grade for each page it falls below the minimum page limit.
• Note: To determine your electronic paper's true page length according to MLA style, I will fix your margins, font, and line spacing. Therefore, you may receive both an MLA style penalty for margins, font, and line spacing in addition to a length penalty.
• Informal Papers, Peer Response, and Discussion Board Response
• Although these are informal and less polished, you should nonetheless double-space and use 1" margins.
• Authors' Names
• Use the author's full name the first time you mention or cite an author. Subsequent mentions may use just the last name.
• Never refer to the author by her first name only.
• Titles
• The following titles of works are italicized:
• novels
• plays
• films
• books of poetry
• short story collections
• television series
• The following titles of works are placed in "quotation marks":
• essays and articles
• book chapters
• individual poems (unless they are very long)
• short stories
• individual television episodes

Computers

• General Note: It is your responsibility to know how to use your word processing program, email, and GeorgiaView. I am happy to help you with the substance of your work, but I am not tech support.
• Email: Check your university email regularly. If you regularly use a private email account instead of your university account, forward your university email to your private email address.
• Please use email etiquette. When sending an email, address the person you're emailing and sign your email. I do not respond to anonymous messages.
• GeorgiaView: We will be using GeorgiaView as an assignment dropbox and electronic course reserve.
  • Content: Download works of literature and scholarly articles not included in our textbooks in the Electronic Course Reserves module.
  • Discussions: Submit your peer responses and scheduled discussion board responses here. In order for your post to be privately graded because of the limitations of GeorgiaVIEW, you must also submit posts to
  the appropriate Dropbox.
  • Assignment Dropbox: Submit informal writing and formal writing here. Retrieve all grades for electronically submitted assignments here. If you
  • GeorgiaView Basics: Learn how to use GeorgiaView here.
• TurnItIn: Formal papers submitted in GeorgiaVIEW are automatically reviewed by TurnItIn.
• Surfing the Web: If you use a laptop, tablet, or cellphone, do not text, check your email, browse the web, or do homework for another class during class discussion.
• File Formats: You must submit your work in a file format that is readable by your instructor and, in the case of peer response, your fellow students.
• Papers must be submitted in Microsoft Word 2007-2013 (.docx), or Rich-Text Format (.rtf) only. Because most users and all university computer labs have Word, Word and Rich-Text Format will be the standard format for documents that will be shared in my classes. Learn more about file templates and conversions here.
• Saving Documents: Although I may empathize when a student loses an assignment due to computer problems, it happens so frequently that I no longer consider computer error a valid excuse for a late assignment. To avoid problems, follow the suggestions below.
• Save Your Work: Save your work often and in multiple places, including your hard drive, flash drive, or file hosting service. If you are working on a paper in a computer lab, save your work to your flash drive every five minutes and email it to yourself every half hour. Never save your work to a computer lab desktop.
• GeorgiaView: After uploading an assignment to GeorgiaView, verify that it was submitted correctly. If you are submitting to a discussion board, surf out of the board and browse back in to verify that your post was received. If you are submitting a document to a group discussion file exchange, your document is viewable as soon as you upload it. If you are submitting an informal response, formal paper, or exam, you can see your paper under the Attachments section of the assignment Ddropbox. Your graded paper will be returned to the same dropbox; look for a document entitled with your last name and posted by me.

Attendance

• Mandatory Attendance : Attendance in my classes is mandatory. However, I recognize that illness, issues, and emergencies arise; therefore, I permit students in a one-day per week course to miss two days of class, students in a two-day per week course to miss three days of class, and students in a three-day per week course to miss five days of class. In other words, you can miss about two weeks of a 15 week semester without hurting your grade. Habitually arriving late to or leaving early from class also constitutes nonattendance.
• Attendance Penalty: If you miss any more class periods than those allotted, your final grade will be penalized one letter grade per day missed, regardless of excuse. For instance, if you are in a two-day per week class, use your three days, and are absent a fourth day, then your final grade in the course will be penalized one letter grade. If you miss another day, then your final grade in the course will be penalized two letter grades.
• Attendance Sheet: You must sign the attendance sheet, passed around at the beginning of each class, to document your attendence. If you do not sign the sheet, then you will be marked absent. Your signature constitutes the only written proof we have that you attended a class period, so it is imperative that you sign it.
• Attendance Spreadsheet: You can check your attendance online.