Per University Policy, attendance is expected at all class sessions. When an absence does occur, the student is responsible for the material covered during the absence. When possible, the student should notify the instructor in advance of an anticipated absence. Dr. Burns will grant make-up privileges (when possible) to students for properly verified absences due to illness, emergency, or participation in an official University activity; and such absences will not militate against students in classes in which attendance is used directly in determining final grades. Attendance at weddings, funerals, and birth/adoption of a baby/child are all wonderful life experiences; however, they do not constitute an excused absence. It is the student's responsibility to initiate plans for make-up work and to complete it promptly. If in the instructor's judgment the duration or number of absences renders make-up unfeasible, the instructor may contact the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Department Chairperson to determine an appropriate action.

When enrolling in a weekend format course, please remember that one weekend equates to 5 weeks of a regular semester-long course. Attendance and participation are critical in mastering the course content. Additionally, this course requires several group assignments and in-class group activities. Missing class will impair your ability to contribute in the team environment, and is unfair to your teammate(s).

It is the student's responsibility to be sure that all course prerequisites have been met. If they have not completed all course prerequisites, the student must drop the course. If the course is not dropped, the student will not receive hours toward graduation for taking the prerequisite course(s) a later time. An exceptions may be approved after consultation with the course instructor, the student's advisor, and the School Chairperson, and only upon the final approval of the the Chair. In some instances, an Academic Waiver Request, requiring additional approvals, may be required. All exceptions must receive receive final approval before the first day of class.

Many announcements will be posted to this class website, so please check the site frequently.

If you have a documented disability and wish to receive academic accommodations, please contact the Coordinator of the Office of Disability Services (6583) soon.

I assume that students will honor the tradition of academic honesty. Per Eastern's Student Conduct Code IA, plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class. Should incidents of suspected classroom cheating or plagiarism occur, University policy as defined on page 54 of the 2006-2007 Undergraduate Catalog will be followed with the incident being reported to the student and to Judicial Affairs. For more information on what is and isn't plagiarism, please visit this site.

Late points, 10% per day or 5% if turned in after class time on the due date, will be deducted for all assignments turned in late regardless of the reason. Assignments turned in more than one week late will not accepted. Dr. Burns will not be responsible for papers turned in late or improperly.

Several assignments will be submitted electronically for this course. All electronic submissions must be emailed to Dr. Burns at mdburns@eiu.edu no later than 4 pm on the assigned date, unless otherwise noted. You must send the Word documents in rich text format (.rtf), and check that I have emailed you confirmation email within 24 hours. All assignments MUST be submitted as one file, not separate files for the paper, appendices, references, etc.