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UNIVERSITY POLICIES
The Fundamental Standard
Students at Stanford are expected to show both within and without the University such respect for order, morality, personal honor and the rights of others as is demanded of good citizens. Failure to do this will be sufficient cause for removal from the University.

The Stanford Honor Code

  1. The Honor Code is an undertaking of the students, individually and collectively: that they will not give or receive aid in examinations; that they will not give or receive unpermitted aid in class work, in the preparation of reports, or in any other work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of grading; that they will do their share and take an active part in seeing to it that others as well as themselves uphold the spirit and letter of the Honor Code.
  2. The faculty on its part manifests its confidence in the honor of its students by refraining from proctoring examinations and from taking unusual and unreasonable precautions to prevent the forms of dishonesty mentioned above. The faculty will also avoid, as far as practicable, academic procedures that create temptations to violate the Honor Code.
  3. While the faculty alone has the right and obligation to set academic requirements, the students and faculty will work together to establish optimal conditions for honorable academic work.

Examples of conduct which have been regarded as being in violation of the Honor Code include:

  • Copying from another's examination paper or allowing another to copy from one's own paper
  • Unpermitted collaboration
  • Plagiarism
  • Revising and resubmitting a quiz or exam for re-grading, without the instructor's knowledge and consent
  • Giving or receiving unpermitted aid on a take-home examination
  • Representing as one's own work the work of another
  • Giving or receiving aid on an academic assignment under circumstances in which a reasonable person should have known that such aid was not permitted

Violating the Honor Code is a serious offense, even when the violation is unintentional. The Honor Code is included in the Stanford Bulletin (p. 670-671), and you are responsible for understanding the university's rules regarding academic integrity. You should familiarize yourself with the code if you haven't already done so. In brief, conduct prohibited by the Honor Code includes all forms of academic dishonesty, among them copying from another's exam, unpermitted collaboration, representing as one's own work the work of another, revising and resubmitting work for re-grading without the instructor's knowledge and consent, and plagiarism. If you have any questions about these matters, please see me during office hours.

 
PROGRAM IN WRITING AND RHETORIC POLICIES
Attendance Policy
Because PWR courses make use of writing activities, in-class workshops, and small group discussion, your consistent attendance is crucial to your success. If you must miss a class for religious holidays, medical reasons, or valid University-related activities, you must let your instructor know as far in advance as possible of the absence and obtain information about the work you must do to keep up in class. If you miss a class for any other reason (sudden illness, family emergency, etc.), you should get in touch with your instructor as soon as possible and arrange to make up the work missed. If you do not take responsibility for communicating with your instructor about absences, your instructor will contact you by phone or email and issue a warning about your standing in the course. Should you miss a second unexcused class, your work in the class will be seriously compromised, and a continued pattern of absences may jeopardize your enrollment in the class. The best policy, therefore, is to be in class, on time, every day!

Evaluation & Grading Criteria
As I mentioned above, you will receive an assignment sheet for each major essay that describes what you are expected to do and the criteria that will be used to evaluate your work. The general evaluation criteria of the Program in Writing and Rhetoric are described below.
 
Successful writers carefully take into account the rhetorical situation (purpose, audience, persona) in which their writing will function, developing the compositional elements (content, organization, style, and form) in response to the demands and boundaries set by the particular writing task. Rhetorically-aware and effective writing thus cannot be reduced to a formula, but is better conceptualized and assessed as the dynamic play of the writer's choices among the available rhetorical strategies and text features.
 
The descriptions below aim to explore this dynamic through listing and reflecting on some traditional terms of rhetoric and composition.
 
A/Excellent. Writing is of consistently outstanding quality, addressing a complex and significant topic and successfully handling the interaction among topic, audience, purpose, and persona in relation to content, organization, style, and form.
 
Topic-a clearly defined and significant subject, carefully introduced and consistently explored in informative ways
 
Audience-a sophisticated understanding of the readers' values, assumptions, and expectations
 
Purpose-a carefully articulated, achievable aim or aim.
 
Persona-a rhetorical stance and voice that serve the purpose and appeal effectively to the audience
 
Content-sustained arguments that are well-supported with multiple forms of evidence and "good reasons," fully developed with appropriate strategies (and in research-based writing demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of and ability to use, evaluate, and integrate a wide range of source materials)
 
Organization-a clear and imaginative structure or pattern that provides coherence, leads the audience from idea to idea, clarifying relationships and connections, and shows a mature awareness of genre
 
Style-varied and forceful sentences, purposeful and apt diction, and appropriate and carefully-nuanced tone that expresses the personality (ethos) of the writer and engages the audience
 
Form-strong control of the conventions of academic discourse: format, syntax, paragraph structure, punctuation, mechanics, diction, documentation; the control is strong enough to allow the writer to push the boundaries of the conventions in imaginative and effective ways.
 
B/Good. Writing is of consistently good quality, addressing an appropriate and significant topic and competently handling the interaction among topic, audience, purpose, and persona in relation to content, organization, style, and form.
 
C/Adequate. Writing is of satisfactory quality, addressing an acceptable topic and adequately handling the interaction among topic, audience, purpose, and persona in relation to content, organization, style, and form.
 
D/Weak. Writing is of poor quality, addressing a vague or unwieldy subject and inadequately handling the interaction among topic, audience, purpose, and persona in relation to content, organization, style, and form.
 
NP/Failing. Writing does not respond to the assignment or is not submitted on time.

Policy on Grade Disputes
If you have a complaint about this PWR course or wish to question a grade on an assignment, please write me a memo explaining the problems you are having with the course, the reasons for your dispute, and so on. Then meet with me to discuss your dispute. You may want, for example, to ask me to read an assignment again, reconsidering your work in light of points you have made about it. Many misunderstandings or problems can be worked out in such a meeting. If you wish to pursue a complaint or dispute, make an appointment to see the Associate Director of PWR. He will advise you on any further course of action.

Policy on Dual Submissions
The same paper may not be submitted for a grade in more than one class.

Policy on Plagiarism
Students are responsible for living by the Honor Code and for maintaining honesty in scholarship. Work submitted for a course must be the student's own (or a group's work, if students have collaborated on an assignment). The use of someone else's words or ideas without acknowledgement and as your own contradicts PWR goals and principles. As such, PWR will take reasonable precautions to prevent it and all measures prescribed by the Stanford Judicial Affairs Office for remedy and redress.

Policy on Academic Integrity/Appropriate Use of Sources
All written work submitted to PWR classes may be sent by the PWR instructor to one or more databases for the noncommercial purpose of checking the writer’s use of sources. These databases check student writing against published works and other submitted student writing to ensure academic integrity, specifically that words and ideas have not been borrowed without appropriate citation.
 
RESOURCES

The Stanford Libraries and Archives:

The Stanford Libraries and Archives will be crucial to student success in PWR courses, so students should begin familiarizing themselves with these resources early in the quarter. The new on-line library research tutorial should be completed by students as part of their work in PWR1. "W.G.'s Funky Tour of Green Library," developed by PWR instructor Wendy Goldberg and available on-line at http://www.stanford.edu/~wendyfay/tour.html provides a detailed guide of Green Library. Green Library also offers an on-line tour of the library, available at http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/green/greentourphoto.html. Students can use the Library Research site for an overview of library resources and the PWR student's starter page as a guide for beginning their own library research.

Museums:

The Cantor Center for the Visual Arts, located on Lomita Drive at Museum Way, is an excellent source for comprehensive information on exhibits and standing collections, as well as on how to contact docents and curators.

Tutorial Services:

• The Stanford Writing Center: The Stanford Writing Center assists students with writing in all academic contexts. The Center emphasizes support for first- and second-year students writing for PWR, IHUM, and Stanford Introductory Seminars. Ultimately, the Writing Center serves all Stanford undergraduates through one-to-one and group tutorials, workshops, and seminars. The Stanford Writing Center is located in Building 460 (Margaret Jacks Hall), Room 020. The Center's phone number is 723-0045. 40-minute appointments are available on-line. For more information on the Stanford Writing Center, tutoring, and events, visit their website.

• Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC): The UAC offers undergraduate students peer tutors in writing, chemistry, biology, human biology, physics, math, economics. Peer tutors are available for drop in study sessions and questions from Sunday through Thursday, 7pm to 11pm all over campus. To see a description of the tutor program, including specific location and times for tutors, please go to the tutor homepage, or, for further information, contact Lynn Freeman . Tel: 723-8551.

• Academic Resource Center Study Hall (ARC): Stern North Dining Hall. ARC academic tutoring is run in conjunction with the UAC tutoring system. It is most frequently used by, and oriented toward, athletes but is available to any Stanford undergraduate. ARC is open Sunday through Thursday nights from 7:30-9:30. Contact Verity Powell or Lynn Freeman with any questions.

• Department Of Linguistics/English For Foreign Students (EFS): EFS courses are open to both undergraduate and graduate students each quarter. To reserve a course space, students must submit their schedules to the EFS office by the first Tuesday of the quarter. The EFS program can also provide students with a list of tutors ("fee arrangements must be made independent of the English for Foreign Student program"). For further information, contact Cristy Juencke, tel: 723-1310; or contact EFS Director Beverley McChesney.

• The Center for Teaching and Learning Oral Communication Program. The Oral Communication Program, located on the fourth floor of Sweet Hall, can help students interested in improving oral presentation skills. Students who would like coaching on oral presentations, job talks, conference papers, etc. are invited to contact CTL to find out about lab hours or to arrange a special consultation with Doree Allen, Tom Freeland, or a speech consultant. Call Doree Allen at 725-4149 or see the website.

Counseling Services:

• Cowell Student Health Center Counseling And Psychological Services (CAPS): 723-3785 (all hours). CAPS sponsors a range of workshops and support groups, including help for students diagnosed with writing phobias.

• The Bridge: 723-3392 or drop in (563 Salvatierra Walk). Peer counselors at the Bridge are available to talk to students any time. The Bridge sponsors a variety of workshops and support groups.

Other Writing & Non-Writing Related Resources:

  • The PWR Undergraduate Advisory Board (UAB), which meets once each term, provides advice to the Director and Associate Director of PWR. Students are invited to bring concerns or ideas about PWR to the UAB. You can contact the UAB through the PWR website.
  • The PWR website offers you access to information about your instructors, the writing curriculum and requirements, as well as a valuable series of writing resources. For links on topics as varied as “Reading to Write,” “Research,” and “Professional Writing,” go directly to the student resources site.
  • Fellowship, Grant, and Research Resources abound at Stanford. We encourage students to consider making their research projects as true to life as possible. Many campus organizations have developed specific aids for undergraduates seeking fellowships and grants in their areas of interest. Bringing together information on research grants, internships, opportunities and awards, the Undergraduate Research Programs Office (URP) is the campus nexus for students interested in becoming personally involved in the exciting quest of a research project. Students also might directly visit the Haas Center for Public Service or their website and the Overseas Resource Center.
  • The Student Disabilities Resource Center is the primary resource for students who have a disability that may necessitate an academic accommodation or the use of auxiliary aids and services in a class. Students who have a disability that may necessitate an academic accommodation or the use of auxiliary aids and services in a class must initiate the request with the Student Disability Resource Center. The DRC will evaluate the request along with the required documentation, recommend appropriate accommodations, and prepare a verification letter dated in the academic term in which the request is being made. Students should contact the DRC as soon as possible; timely notice is needed to arrange appropriate accommodations. The DRC is located at 123 Meyer Library (MC 3094). Call 3-1066 (or 5-1067 TTY) and/or consult the DRC website.
  • Sexual Harrassment Office. The Sexual Harassment Office is located in Building 310, Room 201. Call 723-1583, email harass@Stanford.edu, or see the website. Students concerned about harassment, whether to themselves or to others, should contact the SHO at once.

Tech Resources: