Disability Resources:

If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and the Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union, 412-648-7890 / 412-383-7355 (FTY), as early as possible in the term. Disability Resources and Services will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.


Academic Integrity:

Cheating/plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students suspected of violating the University of Pittsburgh Policy on Academic Integrity, noted below, will be required to participate in the outlined procedural process as initiated by the instructor. A minimum sanction of a zero score for the quiz, exam or paper will be imposed.


E-mail Communication Policy:

Each student is issued a University e-mail address (username@pitt.edu) upon admittance. This e-mail address may be used by the University for official communication with students. Students are expected to read e-mail sent to this account on a regular basis. Failure to read and react to University communications in a timely manner does not absolve the student from knowing and complying with the content of the communications. The University provides an e-mail forwarding service that allows students to read their e-mail via other service providers (e.g., Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo). Students that choose to forward their e-mail from their pitt.edu address to another address do so at their own risk. If e-mail is lost as a result of forwarding, it does not absolve the student from responding to official communications sent to their University e-mail address. To forward e-mail sent to your University account, go to http://accounts.pitt.edu, log into your account, click on Edit Forwarding Addresses, and follow the instructions on the page. Be sure to log out of your account when you have finished (for the full E-mail Communication Policy, go to: http://www.bc.pitt.edu/policies/policy/09/09-10-01.html).


Diversity Statement:

Students, faculty, and guests represent diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences which enrich our research and educational environment. Individuals of all races, colors, ancestries, genders, marital status, familial status, ages, backgrounds, beliefs, ethnicities, gender identities and expressions, national origins, religious or political affiliations, sexual orientations, abilities, and other visible and nonvisible differences are welcomed in this class. We urge all to be mindful in this classroom and to feel responsible for creating a space that is intellectually rigorous and is a respectful, welcoming, and inclusive environment for everyone. No demeaning or discriminatory behavior will be permitted. If you feel uncomfortable, please feel free to approach me during or after class to discuss the situation.

In this class, we will have the chance to indicate the name that we prefer to be called and, if we choose, to identify pronouns with which we would like to be addressed. Please approach me if you have such preferences and I will do my best to address and refer to all students accordingly and support classmates in doing so as well. I will endeavor to use gender-inclusive and nondiscriminatory language in all course communication and materials. Your suggestions for how to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or other student groups are encouraged and appreciated. Our faculty is committed to communication from students without judgement. In addition, if any of our class meetings conflict with your religious events, please let me know so arrangements can be made.