NeuroEthics Home

 

 

 

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Earning your grade:

 

  • Attendance (200 pts; 8 @ 25 each) Based on your attendance and contribution to class discussion, evidence of preparedness for class.  Students earn 25 points per class.
  • Written Assignments (350 pts; 7 @ 50 each) You will be required to prepare a written assignment before every class. This assignment must be submitted at the beginning of class. Late assignments will not be accepted.
  • Reflective Writing (175 pts; 7 @ 25 each).  In class written assignments.
  • Journal (400 pts) Students will be asked to prepare a journal during the course. The objective of this assignment is for students to explore their interests though individual exploratory queries and to assemble, review and refine assignments that were prepared for class.  Details of the journal entries will be posted on the web page. The journal  is due Apr 19.
  • Student Position papers (200 pts)  Detailed instructions will be posted on the web page.  Students will prepare two position papers (2 pages single spaced, ~1250 words) on a Neuroethics topics of their choice.  You will submit a draft for review on April 19 (25 pts each). The final papers (75 pts each) are due in class May 3.

Grade Scale:

        A 90-100 %

        B 80-89 %

        C 70-79 %

        D 60-69 %

        F < 60 %

        S (Satisfactory) requires a C- for Bio 350 and B- for Bio 550

        Note: The grade scale may be curved at the end of the semester at the discretion of the instructor.

Late assignments. 10% of the total points will be deducted for each week the assignment is late. Assignments will not be accepted if handed in more than 2 weeks after the due date.

Attendance: Discussion and debate are essential components of this class, therefore, students are expected to attend all classes except for a documented university business, medical emergency etc.  Documentation must be submitted if you are absent and it is best to inform the instructor in advance if possible if you will need to miss class.   

S/U Option: Students must meet all requirements of the course.  A grade of B- is required to receive an S for Bio540.

Withdrawals: It is your responsibility to withdraw from the course by March 9. The instructor will not automatically drop you from the course for failure to attend class or to complete exams or assignments.

Incompletes, academic misconduct, and make-up work:  Incompletes will be given only if a student has completed assignments through March 9 and is precluded from completing the course by a documented illness or family crisis.  Make-ups of assignments for excused absences must be discussed with the instructor within one week of the due date of the assignment. There are no provisions for extra credit work.  Students found guilty of academic misconduct, shall be subject to disciplinary action. 

Important dates:

 

Apr 19 Journal 2

            Draft of Position Papers

 

May 3   Finals Week Symposium: Position Papers

 

PLAGIARISM: Students found guilty of plagiarism have engaged in academic misconduct and shall be subject to disciplinary action. The penalty for plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct (as defined in the Student Code of Conduct) is failure of the course: no exceptions. The current University definition of plagiarism can be found at http://www.nmsu.edu/%7Evpsa/SCOC/misconduct.html .  It reads as follows:

 

“Plagiarism is using another person’s work without acknowledgment, making it appear to be one’s own.  Any ideas, words, pictures, or other intellectual content taken from another source must be acknowledged in a citation that gives credit to the source. This is irrespective of the origin of the material, including the Internet, other students’ work, unpublished materials, or oral sources.  Intentional and unintentional instances of plagiarism are considered instances of academic misconduct. It is the responsibility of the student submitting the work in question to know, understand, and comply with this policy.If no citation is given, then borrowing any of the following * would be an example of plagiarism.:

 

an idea or opinion, even when put into one’s own words (paraphrase)

a few well-said words, if these are a unique insight

many words, even if one changes most of them

materials assembled by others, for instance quotes or a bibliography

an argument

a pattern of ideas

graphs, pictures, or other illustrations

facts

all or part of an existing paper or other resource

 

* This list is not meant to include all possible examples of plagiarism.”

 

Even with a citation, failure to put quotation marks around direct quotations also constitutes plagiarism, because it implies that the writing is your own.   Material should either be paraphrased or clearly designated as a quotation.   Note that replacing words with synonyms, changing verb tense or other minor alterations do not qualify as paraphrasing.

 

OTHER:

 

GUIDELINES FOR CLASS DISCUSSION: During the semester, many opinions will be voiced in the class. You may strongly disagree with some of these, or you may find them amusing. Outbursts can be misinterpreted or counterproductive to meaningful and thoughtful debate. Therefore, it is important that you exercise self-discipline and self-control, and treat all members of the class with the courtesy that you are entitled to receive in turn. The key words are: respect and courtesy. Please turn off cell phones and beepers while in class.       Thank you!

 

SYLLABUS MODIFICATION: The instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus during the semester as considered necessary to enhance the quality of the instruction, to meet the needs of students in the class and to achieve course objectives. Any changes to the syllabus [or to the course schedule] will be announced in class and you are responsible for being aware of them.

 

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:   Additional information is available at http://www.nmsu.edu/~ssd/

  • If you have or believe you have a disability and would benefit from any accommodations, you may wish to self-identify by contacting the Student Accessibility Services Office (SSD) Office located at Corbett Center (phone: 646-6840).
  • If you have already registered, please make sure that your instructor receives a copy of the accommodation memorandum from SSD within the first two weeks of classes.  It is your responsibility to inform either your instructor or SSD representative in a timely manner if services/accommodations provided are not meeting your needs.
  • If you have a condition which may affect your ability to exit safely from the premises in an emergency or which may cause an emergency during class, you are encouraged to discuss any concerns with the instructor and/or the SSD Coordinator.

 

EQUITY:  Feel free to call Gerald Nevarez, Director of Institutional Equity, at 505-646-3635 with any questions you may have about NMSU's Non-Discrimination Policy and complaints of discrimination, including sexual harassment.

 

ADA:   Feel free to call Diana Quintana diquinta@nmsu.edu, Director, University Disability Services, at 505-646-6840 with any questions you may have on student issues related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  All medical information will be treated confidentially.

 

XEROX and/or BACKUP all assignments before submitting them to the instructor.

 

SAVE xeroxes of all graded assignments and exams from this course at least until you have received your final grade.

 

BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT HEAD:  The Department Head is Dr. Marvin Bernstein (646-3611). His office is in the Foster 275.  Ms. Gloria Valencia and Ms. Lucille Casas are Biology office staff.