Psychology 3224A-001 (Online for 2020-21)
Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
3 lecture/discussion hours; 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Laura Batterink
Office: Western Interdisciplinary Research Building, Room 6124
Phone Number: 519.661.2111, ext. 85409
Office Hours: Friday, 11-12 (held on Zoom), or by appointment
Email: lbatter@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Avital Sternin
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: asternin@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Tuesday, 2:30 – 3:30 PM online
Course Delivery Format: Virtual Blended (1 hour synchronous, 2 hours asynchronous content)
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Required: Marie Banich & Rebecca Compton. (2018). Cognitive Neuroscience. Cambridge University Press.
Physical copies of the text are available through the Western bookstore, or you may also purchase an e-copy of the text at this link:
On most weeks, additional readings will be required and they will be posted on OWL in PDF format (see Lecture Schedule).
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
- To familiarize students with the human mind as a phenomenon whose biological basis can be studied in scientific research; to explore and appreciate the limits of current scientific knowledge in the field.
- To provide a comprehensive overview of the methodology, research findings, theories, and contentious issues in the study of cognitive neuroscience.
- To encourage the reading of primary source material on research in cognitive neuroscience; to encourage critical thinking and discussion of contentious issues.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
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Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
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Explain major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience |
Pre-recorded “mini” lectures Assigned textbook readings Assigned primary article readings Synchronous Q&A sessions with instructor
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Quizzes Final exam
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Describe the basic anatomical/functional systems of the human brain, including sensory, motor, language, executive function, memory systems |
Pre-recorded “mini” lectures Assigned textbook readings Assigned primary article readings Synchronous Q&A sessions with instructor
|
Quizzes Final exam
|
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Define key concepts that characterize cognitive neuroscience as a field of scientific inquiry |
Pre-recorded “mini” lectures Assigned textbook readings Assigned primary article readings Synchronous Q&A sessions with instructor
|
Quizzes Final exam
|
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Apply basic research methods in psychology to investigate cognitive neuroscientific questions. Identify relevant neuropsychological mechanisms/issues and apply to real-world contexts. |
Assigned primary article readings Synchronous group work and group assignments Written review paper
|
Group assignments Written review paper Quizzes Final exam |
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Critically analyze published research, including methodology, results and conclusions in the field of cognitive neuroscience/neuropsychology |
Assigned primary article readings Synchronous group work and group assignments Written review paper
|
Group assignments Written review paper
|
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Articulate some of the central questions and issues in contemporary neuropsychology/cognitive neuroscience |
Data blitz presentation Assigned primary article readings Synchronous group work and group assignments Written review paper
|
Group assignments Written review paper Data blitz presentation |
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Clearly communicate cognitive neuroscientific material and principles to a scientifically literate audience |
Data blitz presentation Synchronous group work and group assignments
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Group assignments Data blitz presentation |
5.0 EVALUATION
This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty.
Note that grades will NOT be rounded. My advice to students is to leave a “margin of error.” If you “need” a certain grade to graduate or to apply to a particular program, you should ensure you do well enough that your desired grade will not depend on one exam question. Deal with problems early, not at the end of the semester. If your grade is much lower than you hoped, talk to me or the TA as soon as the problem is apparent. There’s nothing I can do at the end of the term to help you.
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western's grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
Course performance will be evaluated based on the following sources:
- Quiz 1– 15%
- Quiz 2 – 15%
- Written Mini Review – 20%
- Final Exam – 35%
- Participation in Synchronous Class Discussions and Small Group Assignments - 10%
- Data Blitz Presentation – 5%
The dates of these assessment components are as follows:
Quiz 1 Oct 6
Quiz 2 Nov 10
Mini-Review Dec 4
Data Blitz Presentations Dec 7
Final Exam TBA – scheduled by Office of the Registrar
All students should be familiar with the basic neuroanatomy of the central nervous system upon entering the course. However, the lectures will review basic terminology and major features of the brain and associated tissues.
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
PowerPoint Notes will be posted on OWL, either before or after each day's lecture. Textbook readings refer to the course textbook, Cognitive Neuroscience (5th ed.). Additional required readings not found in the course textbook and journal articles will be posted on the OWL website.
|
Week |
Date |
Topic |
Readings to Complete Prior to Class |
# of textbook pages |
Synchronous Group Work |
|
1 |
Sept 15 |
Course Introduction Review of brain anatomy |
Chapter 1 (1-18, 26-36) |
39 |
Escape (the Zoom)Room Neuroanatomy Game
|
|
2 |
Sept 22 |
Methods of Understanding the Brain |
Chapter 3 |
29 |
Methods Worksheet + Research Scenarios Activity |
|
3 |
Sept 29 |
Brain Development, Neuroplasticity and Critical Period Effects |
Chapter 15 (pp. 455-468 [up to developmental disorders]; 476-485 [up to aging[)
Read one of the following 3 articles (as individually assigned). Fill out Journal Article Worksheet (posted under Resources in OWL) and bring to class. Articles posted on OWL.
Group 1 & 2: Bedny et al., 2011, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
Group 3 & 4: Gaetz et al., 2018, Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology Group 5 & 6: Bavelier et al., 2000, The Journal of Neuroscience
|
23 |
Modified Jigsaw + Class Discussion |
|
4 |
Oct 6 |
In Class Quiz 1 |
Quiz will be held synchronously and will take up to 2.5 hours |
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|
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5 |
Oct 13 |
Object recognition The “what” ventral visual stream
Spatial cognition and the “where” dorsal ventral stream |
Chapter 6; Chapter 7 (pp 199- 201, 210-214 (space and action)
Group 1: Sahraie et al., 2010, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
Group 2: Heywood et al., 1987, Journal of Neurology
Group 3: Zeki et al., 1999, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
Group 4: Schenk et al., 2000, European Journal of Neuroscience
Group 5: Jakobson et al., 1991, Neuropsychologia
Group 6: Riddoch et al., 2008, Cognitive Neuropsychology
|
35 |
Present a Patient: Clinical Case Presentations
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|
|
Oct 20 |
Attention |
Chapter 10 (up to p. 328 Processing of Unattended Stimuli) |
|
|
|
6 |
Oct 27 |
Long-term Memory Amnesia and Memory Disorders |
Chapter 9 (everything except working memory section pp. 287-291)
Read one of these two articles (as individually assigned). Complete “Preparation Worksheet for In-Class Debate,” posted on OWL under Resources, prior to class. Please bring written figure descriptions to class. Articles posted on OWL.
Group 1,3,5: Hannula & Ranganath, 2009, Neuron
Group 2,4,6: Urgolites et al., 2018, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
|
33 |
Class Debate: The role of the hippocampus in implicit memory |
|
4 |
Nov 3 |
Reading Week No class held |
|
|
|
|
|
Nov 10 |
In Class Quiz 2 |
Quiz will be held synchronously and will take up to 2.5 hours |
|
|
|
7 |
Nov 17 |
Language processing; aphasia and language disorders
For students wishing to participate in the optional peer review process for the Mini-Review, a draft of your paper is due on Nov 20.
|
Chapter 11.1 – 11.3, part of 11.4) (pp 224 – 241)
Read one of these two articles (as assigned individually). Fill out Journal Article Worksheet (posted under Resources in OWL) and bring to class. Be prepared to explain your article to your classmates. Articles posted on OWL.
Group 1,2,3: Chang et al., 2010, Nature Neuroscience
Group 4,5,6: Levy & Wilson, 2019, Cerebral Cortex
|
17 |
Modified Jigsaw + Class Discussion |
|
9 |
Nov 24 |
Sleep and Memory Consolidation
|
No readings from course textbook.
Fundamentals of cognitive neuroscience, 2nd ed (Gage & Baars), Chapter 12 -- Sleep and levels of consciousness (posted on OWL) Pages 393-426 Only.
Read both of these articles (second is only a single page). Fill out Journal Article Worksheet (posted under Resources in OWL) for the Fuentemilla article only.
Fuentemilla et al., 2013, Current Biology
Rudoy et al, 2009, Science |
33 |
Journal Club
|
|
10 |
Dec 1 |
Consciousness
Mini Review Due Friday This Week – Dec 4.
Data Blitz Presentation (pre-recorded) must be posted to youtube by midnight on Dec 7
|
Chapter 14 Gazzaniga posted on OWL (pp. 618-655)
Read one of these articles (as individually assigned). Fill out “Consciousness Article Worksheet” posted on OWL and bring to class.
Group 1: Coleman et al., 2007, Brain
Group 2: Gibson et al 2016, Ann Neurol
Group 3: Sharon et al., 2013, Plos One
Group 4: Yu et al., 2013, Neurology
Group 5: Perrin et al., 2006, Archives of Neurology Group 6: Naci et al., 2014, PNAS Group 7: Naci et al., 2013, JAMA |
37 |
Present a Patient: Clinical Case Presentations
What does it mean to be conscious? How can we measure consciousness in the vegetative state?
|
|
12 |
Dec 8 |
Final Data Blitz Presentations
|
No assigned readings but come to class prepared to ask questions!
The class will be divided into small groups ahead of time. Each small group will be assigned a different 1-h timeslot. We will watch the prerecorded presentations ‘live’ together. After each presentation, the presenter will answer questions live.
Data Blitz Presentation must be posted to youtube no later than midnight the day before class. Please come to the class session with your powerpoint slide available. |
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TBA |
Final Exam |
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8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2020-2021 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute lecture notes, wiki material, and other course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
General Class Policies
Quizzes and Exam
The quizzes and final exam will cover materials from pre-recorded lectures (videos) as well as all readings, including journal articles. Both quizzes and the exam will include multiple choice questions, short-to-medium answer questions (e.g., fill-in-the-blanks, definitions, or questions that require a short- to medium- length written response), and/or label-the-diagram questions. Quizzes will not be cumulative. The final exam will be cumulative but weighted more heavily with material covered since Quiz 2.
The quizzes will be held from 1:30 – 4:00 PM EST, on the dates outlined in the syllabus. This is the same timeslot that was originally scheduled for the course. Please contact me as soon as possible if this timeslot does not work for you.
The quizzes and exams will take place online and will be open-book. Question ordering and answer choice will be randomized, and each question will be timed. The next question will advance automatically after a set interval, even if you have not answered the last question. In addition, the exam format will be “linear” – you will NOT be allowed to return to a question you have already answered. I realize that this format is unpopular with many students, because you can’t change your mind once you have answered a question. However, this feature is necessary in an online environment to discourage peer collaboration during the exam and to ensure the integrity of individual student answers, given that in-person assessment is not feasible this semester. Please do not ask me to change my mind about this decision – it is final.
You are expected to work individually on the quizzes and exams. To ensure the integrity of the quizzes and exams, they will be conducted via Zoom (see section below for more information). In addition, timing and response patterns will be analyzed. Use of earphones is not permitted during the exam. If you need to get up during the exam for any reason (e.g. bathroom break), please ask for permission before doing so.
Use of Zoom for Quizzes and Exams
Tests and examinations in this course will be conducted using Zoom. You will be required to keep your camera on for the entire session, hold up your student card for identification purposes, and share your screen with the invigilator if asked to do so at any time during the exam. The exam session will not be recorded.*
More information about the use of Zoom for exam invigilation is available in the Online Proctoring Guidelines at the following link:
https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/onlineproctorguidelines.pdf
Completion of this course will require you to have a reliable internet connection and a device that meets the system requirements for Zoom. Information about the system requirements are available at the following link:
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us
* Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a nickname to login to Zoom, please provide this information to the instructor in advance of the test or examination.
Policy on Missed In-Class Quizzes (In the Case of Self-Reported Absences and Academic Consideration for Missed Work)
No make-up quizzes will be scheduled in this course. If you have received academic consideration for an absence, or have submitted a self-reported absence form, your final exam will be reweighted more heavily to account for the missed quiz. The reweighting will be done such that specific questions representing the material from the missed quiz will count more heavily towards your final grade. Note that questions on the final exam may be more challenging than those on the in-class quizzes, so students should carefully consider the implications of missing a scheduled in-class quiz.
Mini Review
A written mini-review is due December 4 by midnight. The mini-review should take the form of a written scholarly essay of ~1200-1400 words (not counting references), which critically analyzes and discusses a topic of current controversy within cognitive neuroscience, or that summarizes and discusses an exciting development in the context of the existing literature. A selection of appropriate topics will be provided, but students may also design their own topic (with the prior agreement of the course instructor). Further instructions will be posted on OWL. You will be required to independently research your topic and synthesize the material into a scholarly critique, citing references to support your arguments. Your mini- review should be submitted electronically to OWL. Turnitin will be used to check for plagiarism. A late penalty of 10% of the assignment’s value per day (2 of the 20-point total value) will be applied to papers submitted after the deadline.
Data Blitz Presentations
Also known as “lightning talks,” a datablitz is a series of exciting, fast-paced, very short presentations. Our final class period will consist of a datablitz event, which will provide an opportunity for you to share something interesting learned over the course of researching and writing your mini-review. It usually works best to focus on a single exciting finding, rather than attempting to summarize your entire topic. Your presentation should be no longer than 3 minutes long and contain only a single slide. The data blitz presentations will be posted to youtube for your classmates to watch. Additional instructions will be posted on OWL. Because the presentations will be shown “live” in class, if fail to post your presentation to youtube by the specified deadline, a late penalty of 50% will apply.
Course Readings
Course readings not included in the main textbook will be available to students via OWL.
Email Policy
I will respond to your email within 2 business days (Monday – Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM). If you haven’t heard from me within 2 days, please feel free to send another message. Please include the course reference number in the subject line (Psych 3224).
Small Groups
At the beginning of the course, you will be assigned to a small group of 3-4 students. Your group will be the same from week to week. You will complete assignments during synchronous class time in your small group. At two points in the semester (approximately 1/3rd through the class and at the end), you will be asked to complete peer and self-ratings of team members on criteria related to preparation, effort and overall group citizenship. Ratings are used to adjust the final group grade for each student, using an autorating system. This is to encourage full participation and effort in this component of the course, and also to flag any potential problems relatively early on. You can also use your small group outside of the class time as a study group. The hope is that your small group will be able to support you in your learning of all aspects of the course material.
Synchronous Online Interactions
Most weeks will involve 1 hour of synchronous instructor Q & A, class discussion and group work, as specified in the Class Schedule. Depending on the week, a scientific journal article may be assigned in addition to reading from the textbook. Students are expected to come to class prepared for the in-class group work by carefully reading the article prior to class. Additional details for each week will be provided on OWL.
The grade for this component of the course will be assessed by the following: worksheets to be turned in to the TA (completed either prior to class or during class, depending on the week), and in-class participation. For this component, your lowest weekly grade will be dropped from your overall grade. Therefore, if you miss only one week of synchronous class time, you do not need to worry. No other make-up opportunities will be provided (no exceptions).
At the beginning of each synchronous lesson, we will go over any questions that students have on the pre-recorded lectures. You may ask a question either by speaking or by using the chat function in Zoom. You may upvotes classmates’ existing questions if you have the same question to give that question priority.
All of the synchronous learning sessions for this course will be recorded. The data captured during these recordings may include your image, voice recordings, chat logs and personal identifiers (name displayed on the screen). The recordings will be used for educational purposes related to this course, including evaluations. The recordings may be disclosed to other individuals participating in the course for their private or group study purposes. Please contact the instructor if you have any concerns related to session recordings. As a security measure, only participants using their UWO credentials will be permitted to access the class. If, for privacy reasons, you wish to use pseudonym, please contact the instructor for pre-approval.
Participants in this course are not permitted to record the sessions, except where recording is an approved accommodation, or the participant has the prior written permission of the instructor.
Online Etiquette
Some components of this course will involve online interactions. To ensure the best experience for both you and your classmates, please honour the following rules of etiquette:
- please “arrive” to class on time
- please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)
- please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material
- to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise
- please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable
- unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting
The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following:
- If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.
- Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.
- Self-identify when speaking.
- Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).
General considerations of “netiquette”:
- Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.
- Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.
- Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.
- Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.
Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.
Policy on Missed In-Class Quizzes (In the Case of Self-Reported Absences and Academic Consideration for Missed Work)
No make-up quizzes will be scheduled in this course. If you have received academic consideration for an absence, or have submitted a self-reported absence form, your final exam will be reweighted more heavily to account for the missed quiz. The reweighting will be done such that specific questions representing the material from the missed quiz will count more heavily towards your final grade. Note that questions on the final exam may be more challenging than those on the in-class quizzes, so students should carefully consider the implications of missing a scheduled in-class quiz.
