Accessibility
Language of accessibility policy from Flora de Tournay’s Writing About Writing class OER
Access is a cornerstone of this course’s design and your needs are of the utmost importance to me. Let’s hold space for physical disabilities, mental & emotional health, neurodivergence, illness, injury, grief & loss, and any other needs that I haven’t listed. Let me know how I can best support you and your learning.
If you need support in this or other classes, please reach out to the office of Special Services for Students with Disabilities via email at [email protected]. I’m also happy to help you navigate this process. Additionally, mental health services are available to all students via the Counseling, Health & Wellness Center, which offers confidential peer support and counseling for free.
Attendance
I do not have a formal attendance policy for this class (i.e., as soon as you miss three classes you fail). Attendance counts towards your participation grade, and as such the quality of your work in-class and with classmates is more important than just showing up.
Your health and your family’s health should be your priority. If you are dealing with illness, sick family members, quarantine or isolation, a bad internet connection, increased anxiety, child care challenges, or any other issues, please reach out and we will figure out accommodations.
If some aspect of this class is not working for you, as long as your communications are clear and timely we can and will work together to find a solution.
Late work
In line with the above Attendance Policy, I am super flexible if life happens and you need an extension on any assignment. There is no official grade penalty for late work or missed deadlines. I only require you to notify me by email as soon as you know you need accommodation.
If the due date passes: We can still work together to coordinate submission of work, but as more time goes by the less flexible I can be with grading and even submission. You may lose points the longer work remains unsubmitted with no explanation, or I may decide not to accept the work if it’s late enough in the semester. Email me early on! I want you to succeed.
I will not be sending regular reminders to submit outstanding work. You are responsible for keeping your own calendar.
Office hours
As an adjunct, I do not have an office! As such, office hours are by appointment only.
Please use this booking tool (has my up-to-date calendar availability). Please make sure to include your name, preferred meeting modality, and a brief (couple words, one sentence) reason for meeting. If I can’t meet in the booked time, I will send you a revise request.
Modalities available:
– phone call
– zoom
– in-person (I do work for Queens College and am on campus from Monday through Friday, we can meet in the library or elsewhere)
Topics I would love to talk to you about:
– this class: lecture topics, practicum experience, etc.
– assignments: both to give clarity about upcoming assignments and to provide detailed feedback on submitted ones.
– archives: articles you’re reading, ideas you’re ruminating on, conferences you attended, projects you’re planning.
– jobs: the professional field, networking, advice on resumes/cover letters
AI, plagiarism and academic integrity
Adopted August 2025, with assistance from Scout Zabel. Updated January 2026, with thanks to S.E. Hackney.
The Academic Integrity Policy, as adopted by the CUNY Board in 2011 and amended in 2022, is available to all candidates.
As per the policy: “Academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York. Penalties for academic dishonesty include academic sanctions, such as failing or otherwise reduced grades, and/or disciplinary sanctions, including suspension or expulsion. Academic integrity is at the core of a college or university education. Faculty assign essays, exams, quizzes, projects, and so on both to extend the learning done in the classroom and as a means of assessing that learning…Academic dishonesty confers an unfair advantage over others, which undermines educational equity and fairness. Students who violate academic integrity, or “cheat”, place their college’s accreditation and their own future prospects in jeopardy.”
In addition: “Cheating is the unauthorized use or attempted use of material, information, notes, study aids, devices, artificial intelligence (AI) systems, or communication during an academic exercise.”
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MY CLASSROOM’S AI POLICY is that NO AI MAY BE USED FOR ANY ASSIGNMENT. As such, any AI use by you as the student, including and especially generative chat agents like ChatGPT and similar, is unauthorized and will be treated as “cheating” as per the definition above in the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy. You can review the policy linked above for further unauthorized use examples of AI.
The penalty for using AI in any of my assignments is failing the course. Not the individual assignment but the entire course.
I will not be considering arguments that AI will be integrated into archives or library work in the future – this is a pedagogical policy based on respect for you as learners and respect for me as your instructor. I engage with each of you in good faith, assuming that you are in my class to learn about archives and how to do this job successfully. In addition, I will never use any software to check for AI that also uses AI to do so. I think it’s an unethical and morally bankrupt technology; I won’t be holding you to standards to which I don’t hold myself.
I expect that same good-faith consideration from you: I really strive to meet you all where you are as learners, encourage your growth and engagement with the material, and cheerlead your enthusiasm for the field. If you feel you need to use AI because an assignment is unclear, you are struggling with the readings, or you need more time to finish an assignment, etc., please contact me instead. It is extremely disrespectful and a waste of everyone’s time to make me spend more time grading a robot’s output than it took you to generate it as if it was yours, a real person whose experience I care about in this classroom. Do not do that! You will fail the course. Just reach out to me.
Recording and photography in the classroom
Adopted at Queens College Academic Senate Meeting, November 14, 2024.
Neither photographs nor recordings (audio or video) of all or parts of classes at Queens College may be made without written permission from the course instructor(s).
The Office of Student Affairs and the Office of Special Services may provide for the recording of classes on behalf of a student receiving disability accommodations, missing class due to religious beliefs, or experiencing extended absence due to medical or other exigent circumstances.
The Queens College Classroom Photography and Recording Policy applies to both students and visitors. Students and visitors are not authorized to copy, download, or disseminate authorized recordings and photographs to others. Students in violation of this policy are subject to disciplinary action, and visitors in violation of this policy are subject to removal from the classroom and/or campus.
Respect
Language of respect policy from Guidelines for Classroom Civility and Respect at University of Massachusetts Amherst
Learning and the exchange of ideas may take place in many settings, including the formal classroom. When students and faculty come together, the expectation is always that mutual respect and civility will prevail to ensure that every student has the optimum opportunity to learn and that each faculty member has the best opportunity to teach. Disruptions of any kind affect the atmosphere of civility that is expected and interfere with the opportunity for learning and growth to which both faculty and students are entitled.
Differences of opinions or concerns related to the class should be welcomed if presented in a mutually respectful manner. The challenging of viewpoints is part of the academic experience, but should occur in a manner that opens up dialogue and does not threaten any member of the learning community.
Student behavior or speech that disrupts the instructional setting or is clearly disrespectful of the instructor or fellow students will not be tolerated. Disruptive conduct may include, but is not limited to:
– rude or disrespectful behavior
– unwarranted interruptions
– failure to adhere to instructor’s directions
– vulgar or obscene language, slurs, or other forms of intimidation
– physically or verbally abusive behavior
Syllabus statements
Syllabus statements adopted from PSC-CUNY
Diversity Statement: I consider this classroom to be a place where you will be treated with respect, and I welcome individuals of all ages, backgrounds, beliefs, ethnicities, genders, gender identities, gender expressions, national origins, religious affiliations, sexual orientations, ability—and other visible and nonvisible differences. All members of this class are expected to contribute to a respectful, welcoming and inclusive environment for every other member of the class.
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Safe Zone Statement:I am available to listen and support a confidential space for you to share as needed. I can help you connect with resources on campus to address problems you may face that interfere with your academic and social success on campus as it relates to issues surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity, immigration status, and more. My goal is to help you be successful and to maintain a safe and equitable campus for everyone.
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Name/Pronoun Statement: I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun than what is provided in CUNYFirst. I will make these changes at any point in the semester as soon as you request it–you do not have to have it all figured out on day one.
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More than one-third of CUNY students were born in another country. Many more have immediate family members who were. I am committed to doing everything I can to ensure that every student, regardless of immigration status, is safe in this classroom. The university’s website affirms, “As the nation’s largest urban public university system, CUNY is dedicated to educating and advocating for the immigrant students and families who make up the lifeblood of our city and state.” I will not create or maintain records that could be used by federal agencies to implicate members of our community as undocumented. The Professional Staff Congress (the faculty and staff union) provides important links to free legal support and other resources through the union’s Immigrant Solidarity Working Group. CUNY has an extensive list of legal and other resources to support undocumented students. Students may also consult the “Know Your Rights” information provided by the New York Immigration Coalition.
Writing
Language of writing policy adapted from the Illinois Writers Workshop’s College-Level Academic Writing Expectations
Language and literacy development is a process that takes time and practice, involves adapting to new contexts, and is individualized and nonlinear. Literacy skills—speaking, listening, reading, and writing—may develop at different rates. All students encounter challenges as they acquire advanced academic literacy proficiency due to its complexity and contextual variation. While academic discourse shifts across disciplinary contexts, there are some generalizable features to U.S. academic writing.
Most academic writing in the United States demonstrates features of writer-responsible texts (Hinds, 1987). In writer-responsible texts, the writer takes on responsibility for clearly and concisely conveying ideas to a reader: readers expect writers to do the heavy-lifting. As such, writer-responsible text should demonstrate the following three qualities:
– Unity: all elements of the text contribute to communicating a central idea
– Coherence: all elements of the text are linked and follow a recognizable organizational pattern (e.g., general information to specific, cause to effect, question to answer
– Emphasis: the main points of a text are adequately developed and organized according to their importance
