Academic Dishonesty/Cheating/Plagiarism
Prairie View A&M University is dedicated to a high standard
of academic integrity among its faculty and students. In becoming
part of the Prairie View A&M University academic community,
you are responsible for honesty and independent effort. Disciplinary
action will be taken against any student who alone or with others
engages in any act of academic fraud or deceit.
Some examples of academic dishonesty/cheating/plagiarism include,
but are not limited to: using another person’s ideas without
giving proper credit; making up supporting material by either
inventing a source or pretending to have consulted one without
actually having done so; making up research results without having
conducted the research, etc. Representing someone else’s
ideas as your own constitutes plagiarism. You therefore need to
give credit to any source of information used as part of an assignment
by either orally quoting your source, and/or identifying your
source in the body of your paper. Ignorance of plagiarism is no
excuse, so be sure to ask me if you suspect you may be bordering
on plagiarism for any assignment in this course.
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will automatically
result in failure of this course (no second chances given!). It
only takes one act of academic dishonesty to fail the entire course.
Courtesy
Since everyone in this section will be giving graded speeches,
it is essential that full courtesy is awarded to your classmates.
Never walk into the room late on a speech day without listening
at the door to make sure the speaker has not already begun. If
someone is speaking, wait until they are finished before entering
the room.
Intentional class disturbances–which may distract another
classmate or a class lecture or discussion—that blatantly
disrupt course study or a speaker’s concentration (for example:
distracting discourse, keeping your cell phone on during class,
accepting a cell phone call during class, text messaging, or listening
to personal audio) will result in a penalty of absence from the
class being recorded for those involved in the distracting behavior.
Cell
Phones
As a courtesy to your teacher and to your class mates, please
make sure at the beginning of each class period that your cell
phones are turned off.
General Speech Requirements
Any written assignments, including speech outlines, must be typed.
Please use a legible font and keep the font size to 12 point (the
size of the font used here). The margins should be one (1) inch,
and the text should typically be double-spaced. Papers and outlines
must conform to either the APA or MLA style (for your convenience
a sample style sheet has been included in this syllabus).
The bulk of your grade in this class will derive from the three
main speeches you will deliver. You will be expected to be present
and prepared on your assigned speech day. The speeches we will
focus on are extemporaneous so you should use note cards. I recommend
using 3”x5” or 5”x7” note cards instead
of regular typing paper which can be distracting and difficult
to handle while giving a presentation.
You will be required to have a printed copy of your speech outline
and bibliography in complete sentence form on the first day of
speeches. You will outline the Introduction, Body, Conclusion,
and Transitions. Be sure to include a General and Specific Purpose
Statement and a Thesis Statement. Late topics, outlines, and bibliographies
will result in a lowered speech grade. Speeches running thirty
(30) seconds over or under the time limit will also receive a
penalty.
Assignments
All assignments must be typed or word-processed and turned in
on time. Late or handwritten work will not be accepted.
24-7 Rule and Grade Records
When graded materials are returned, you must wait 24 hours before
discussing your grade with me. This is to allow you to think calmly
about the grade and your performance and to formulate a rational
basis for discussion. You will also only have seven days in which
the grade is open for discussion. After these seven days have
passed, you can no longer discuss the grade.
You are responsible for keeping all graded work until the end
of the semester in case there is any question about grades or
whether or not an assignment has been turned in. If you question
a grade, or whether your grade has been recorded, you need to
be able to provide me with the original, graded assignment.
If you are not doing as well in the course as you had anticipated,
please come talk to me so that we can discuss how you might improve
your performance on the remaining assignments. Just telling me
that you need to make a certain grade doesn’t help—you
must do the work to attain the grade. When final grades are submitted
at the end of the semester they are indeed final and not up for
negotiation. Only errors in grade calculation or record keeping
can result in a grade change once grades are submitted.
Student Academic Appeals Process:
Authority and responsibility for assigning grades to students
rests with the faculty. However, in those instances where students
believe that miscommunication, errors, or unfairness of any kind
may have adversely affected the instructor’s assessment
of their academic performance, the student has a right to appeal
by the procedure listed in the Undergraduate Catalog (pp. 49-51)
and by doing so within thirty days of receiving the grade or experiencing
any other problematic academic event that prompted the complaint.
American Disabilities Act (ADA)
Students with disabilities who believe they may need an adjustment
in this class are encouraged to contact the Office of Disabilities
services at (903) 857-2693/2694 as soon as possible. Once you
receive a letter of adjustment from the office, please make an
appointment with me to discuss appropriate adjustments for this
class.
Grades
| First
Speech |
15% |
|
90-100=A |
|
| Second
Speech |
20% |
|
80-89=B |
|
| Third
Speech |
20%
|
|
70-79=C |
|
| Midterm
Exam |
15% |
|
60-69=D |
|
| Final
Exam |
20% |
|
Below
60=F |
|
| Impromptu
Speeches/In-class Assignments |
10% |
|
|
|
Class Schedule
(PDF version of syllabus)