To create a healthy academic environment in class, I conduct any course based on the following ideas: as soon as you enter my classroom, you become part of an academic community. As a member of this community, your responsibility as a student (and mine as a teacher) is to build the strength of that community. A free exchange of ideas is essential in our attempt to do so. Therefore, you may say or write anything you wish, as long as your comments are (1) related to the topic under discussion, (2) supported by facts and opinions, (3) directed to the idea, not to the person expressing it, and (4) meant constructively to add knowledge and truth to the discussion.

I also conduct this course based on the honor code. This code stipulates that when independent work is required--for instance, on essays, exams, and quizzes--each of you does that work within the boundaries I set. See the English Department's Statement about Honesty for clarification of how the honor code applies to your written work. For exams and quizzes, each of you will refrain from using the assistance of textbooks, notes, and other students to help you complete the work. Failure to adhere to this code will cause a breach in the environment I wish to foster, and it will result in your receiving an "F" for the course. For further information, please consult your student handbook.