5.1 Attendance

Students are expected to attend every class. (See Seton Hill University Catalog.)

Active participation in the class discussion (both online and in the classroom) is vital for the successful completion of this course.

I am happy to excuse students who have legitimate reasons, but students who miss a class period for any reason are still responsible for the material covered during the absence. An excused absence does not automatically grant an extension for any work collected or assigned that day.

In some cases, it may not be possible to make up activities that you missed.

Procrastination is toxic, more so than in most classes, because so much of the course material depends on your familiarity with challenging readings that we will discuss in class.

Students who miss class for any reason -- excused or unexcused -- are still responsible for the work that was due and/or assigned on that date. A student's final grade may be lowered by the proportion of unexcused absences. Thus, a student with a final grade of B (75%) with a record of 10% unexcused absences would get a C+ (90% of 75% = 67.5%).

Students who miss two classes in a row, or a total of three classes over the semester, will by default receive an automatic F (regardless of work completed to that point). (I am willing to consider well-documented circumstances that might justify an exception.)

Late arrivals, early departures, lack of participation or preparation, or disruptive behavior may count as absences at the instructor's discretion (you will be warned once before any absences are applied).

If you are absent from class without an approved excuse on a day when a major assignment is due -- perhaps because you stayed up all night working on a paper and are too tired to attend class -- the assignment will be counted an extra day late. (You might as well go to bed without finishing the paper, come to class so you don't fall farther behind, and then turn in the paper the next morning.)

5.1.1. Emergency Absences
Those who miss class due to an unplanned emergency should submit an "Absence Form," with proper documentation, as soon as possible.

For each class that you miss, download the word processor version of my "Absence Form" (available at http://jerz.setonhill.edu/teaching/AbsenceForm.doc). After you initiate this contact, we will start working out whether or what kind of assignments would be appropriate. (I ask that you resist the impulse to ask me to e-mail you a summary of what you missed. I welcome the chance to help you get caught up, but please consult the syllabus and a classmate's notes first, and then bring any specific questions to me.) For some classroom activities, such as listening to peer oral presentations, there may be no appropriate make-up assignment. (See 5.2 Participation.)

5.1.2. Scheduled Absences
Those who miss class due to a scheduled activity must plan to complete all make-up assignments before the missed class. This means that you must submit an acceptable "Absence Form" (see above) at least 2 weeks before the missed class.

If there is insufficient time for us to agree upon an acceptable suggestion for making up missed work, or if an approved make-up assignment is late or unsatisfactory, then I may record the absence as unexcused.