• My name is Dr. Angelique Smith and my pronouns are she/her. You can call me Dr. Smith – using my correct title and pronouns is one way for you to communicate respect for me and the work we will be doing together. I look forward to doing the same for you. I can’t wait for us to get started!
• Welcome everyone. My name is Dr. Farhoud Ahmad, but you can call me Farhoud (fah-ROOD) or Dr. Ahmad (ah-MAHD) – I’m comfortable with either. I use he/his and they/them pronouns.
• Hello! My name is Yalitza Rodriguez, and I will be your instructor for Intro to Legal Studies. I use she/her/ella pronouns, and you can call me Professor Rodriguez.

• Student Hours (in-person or virtual): 233 Sargeant Hall or via Zoom | 617-573-8222 | MWF 10-11 a.m. | jsmith@suffolk.edu
  I welcome you to contact me outside of class and during student hours. You may email me, call my office, or contact the department and leave a message. (Harnish & Bridges, 2011)
• In almost all cases, the best way to get help is to ask as soon you know you need it. Contact me or stop by my office in [department office], which is open from [time period] every day and is filled with people whose job it is to help you.
• My student hours are [days and times] on Zoom (link). Drop in for help – it’s what I’m here for. Asking for help is GOOD! It shows that you are aware of what you need and that you are able to take control of your life and education, even if it’s just to say, “I have no control over my life and education! Help!”
• If you don’t understand the course material, tell somebody as soon as possible! You can contact me at [email address] and I’ll try to get back to you as soon I can. That may not be the same day but know that everything will be alright anyway. (Cheney, 2019)

• The prerequisites for this course are ACCT 322 and ISOM 210. Your success in this course is very important to me, and I selected these prerequisites to be sure that you have the content knowledge and skills I think you need to be successful in this course. However, I’m open to offering an exemption if we both agree that other learning experiences have given you the same preparation. Reach out to me at jsmith@suffolk.edu with the subject line “ACCT 430 Exemption” and please include some information about what has prepared you for this course.
• This course is an entry-level college class. As such, I assume that every student is entering with the writing and literacy competencies promised by high school administrators and our university’s admissions policy. However, since these skills have been assessed by ever-changing regulatory state tests, there are many kinks in the system. In truth, we are all at various levels of achieving mastery of the written language. If you are concerned with your particular level of expertise, please take a look at my Student Hours for more information and additional skills-based support. (Heidebrink-Bruno, 2014)

• This course is intended to provide a basic foundation in the methods and applications of biostatistics and is geared toward students whose fields of study include a substantial statistical or quantitative component. Ideally, this course is the first in a two-part sequence (the sequel being PHP 1511/2511: Applied Regression), designed to provide students in the public health, biological, and life sciences with broad-based exposure to modern methods of biostatistical inference, in addition to an understanding of underlying mathematical principles and motivations. Applications to real data from a variety of studies in public health and clinical research are used throughout the course to illustrate the materials, but the emphasis is on the principles of inference and the underlying theory. (Chrysanthopoulou, 2018)
• There are a myriad of reasons to take any course. Let me offer just two reasons to take this course. First, this stuff matters. The U.S. imprisons more people per capita than nearly any other nation in the world. The second reason to take this course is that this stuff is hard. Hard in the sense that the topics we will discuss represent persistent and fundamental challenges for our society. But hard also in the sense that these issues pose questions for social scientists that are very difficult to answer. Taking this course will provide you with an understanding of the politics and policies associated with race and the criminal justice system. Such knowledge alone will be valuable to you as citizens in a democracy that has and will continue to struggle with issues of justice and equality. Further, by understanding how social scientists approach these difficult issues, this class will teach you skills and modes of reasoning that will be useful to you in your academic career and beyond. (Testa, 2017)

• You do not need to buy any textbooks for this course. We will be using many web resources from databases subscribed to by the Sawyer Library and books on reserve at the Sawyer Library (your tuition dollars at work!) If you would prefer to have a personal copy of a book for ease of access or if you’d like to annotate it, of course, you’re welcome to do so. (Cheney, 2019)
• This is an online course, so computer technology is central to much of what we are doing. If you don’t have a laptop, please take advantage of the laptop rentals at the Sawyer Library. Don’t forget to bring your ID!
  You are not expected to be a computer whiz, though. Some students come to my online courses with an extensive background in computing, and others know just enough to open a browser window. You are only expected to be open and willing to learn.

  You can find the materials for this course on Blackboard. To access Blackboard, you will need access to the internet and a supported web browser. (Cheney, 2019)

Grades are based on a scale of 100 points and are distributed among major assignments as follows:

• Participation on a weekly basis: 30 points
• Group summary and question based on reading: 10 points for group work, 5 for individual contribution
• Short essay paper: 10 points
• Proctored exam: 25 points
• Final analytic paper or project: 20 points
• Grading scale:
  • A: 90–100
  • B: 80–89
  • C: 70–79
  • D: 60–69
  • F: 59 points or below

Participation: Students are expected to participate by responding to the instructor’s questions as well as to ask questions or comment on the responses of their classmates…etc.

• From Toward Cruelty-Free Syllabi:
  I tend to think about late work as having two types: The type that isn’t really going to matter to anybody that it’s a bit late (soft deadlines) and the type that it actually does matter (hard deadlines).
  Your homework assignments, for instance, are mostly useless to you if done after the deadline because they’re keyed to a particular moment in the course progression. Thus, I’m not likely to give you credit for late work, because the value of most of the homework assignments relies on them being done on time. Don’t be afraid to discuss this with me if something extraordinary has come up.
  With evaluation drafts of papers, I’m perfectly happy to let you have a two-day grace period on the paper if you’re prepared for the presentation time, which has to be on that day because it’s a group activity in class. If you’re going to want to use the grace period, please just let me know beforehand.
  The portfolio does not have a grace period. I wish it could. But the problem is that I have to get all the portfolios read in a really short amount of time so that I can turn your grades in by the deadline the university imposes on me.

  If you need significantly more time with an assignment, please come talk to me and tell me what’s up. We can probably figure things out. My concern will always be for your progress and for your ability to participate in the course. I can’t do for any one student that I wouldn’t do for the others because that violates the basic fairness of a course, but fairness doesn’t have to mean that everybody does everything at exactly the same time if it will hurt no one for you to receive an extension. (Cheney, 2019)

• If school is canceled because it is unsafe to travel, we will probably continue to work online and stick to the syllabus. Please check Canvas for activities and assignments to be completed. Unless we lose power for an extended period of time or for some other unforeseen circumstance, it doesn’t make much sense for us to adjust the syllabus too much. If class is canceled, I will share any updates via email and the Announcements page in Canvas. You can always contact me if you’re not sure what our plans are. (Cheney, 2019)

• My plan for right now is to record our online synchronous class sessions and upload them to Blackboard. My thinking here is that these recordings will give access to students who aren’t able to attend our synchronous sessions for any reason. I think the recordings will also help you if you want to review something we talked about. The recordings will only be shared with students that are enrolled in this course and I will delete them at the end of this semester.

  I’m going to send out a brief survey at the beginning of the semester to get to know you all better. One of the questions will invite you to share how you feel about being recorded. I want to know how you feel and I want to make sure that everyone feels that they can participate fully in the course.

• I work with our Office of Disability Services (located at 73 Tremont St., 9th floor, 617-573-8034) a lot. They’ll share official accommodation plans with me, but I strive to create an accessible course for all students, regardless of whether your access needs have been documented. If I’m not meeting your access needs, let me or the ODS know and we’ll do our best. I want this course to be a community of learners and communities that take care of their members. If we can do things to make it easier for you to learn and participate, please tell me. You can even leave an anonymous note at my office if you want ([office location]).
• Please let me know of any life circumstances that may affect your participation in this course. These may be personal, health-related, family-related issues, or other concerns. The sooner I know about these, the earlier we can discuss possible adjustments or alternative arrangements as needed for homework, exams, or class. (The Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences Writing Institute, n.d.)
• You may experience stressors that can impact both your academic experience and your personal well-being. These may include academic pressure and challenges associated with relationships, mental health, alcohol or other drugs, identities, finances, etc. If you are experiencing concerns, seeking help is a courageous thing to do for yourself and those who care about you. If the source of your stressors is academic, please contact me so that we can find solutions together, or you can reach out to the Division of Student Success. For personal concerns, Suffolk’s Counseling, Health, and Wellness Center offers several resources and services. (University of Michigan Student Life, 2020)
• Basic Needs Statement: We learn as whole people. To learn effectively you must have basic security: a roof over your head, a safe place to sleep, enough food to eat. If you’re having trouble with any of those things, please talk with me or with the Office of Student Affairs. Together we can work to make sure those needs are met. (Schendel, 2020)

• Teaching is a joy for me because I care about the material, the ongoing process of discovery, and the experience of expanding the ranks of those who think and care about the material I love. My central goal, therefore, is not to “cover material” but to help you enter a community of knowing. This goal guides my choices as an instructor. You will experience a variety of learning activities in the class. When dealing with some basic information, I will lecture. But in my lectures, I will always strive to encourage you to think by posing questions, pointing out ironies, or tackling controversial issues. Yet even the best of lectures can only accomplish so much. Most learning that is meaningful and lasting happens when the learner helps to make knowledge; that is, by solving problems, defending positions, applying information to new situations, teaching others, etc. This means that although my role is unique as the one who frames, organizes, and assesses our learning, I am not the only teacher in the room!

• Everyone is welcome here and everyone can learn and do well in this class. I have done my best to remove the guesswork from your learning and make it memorable for you. I will invite you to share your own histories and experience with photography and build upon that knowledge.

  In this class, all of us will share about our lives (including me). Through this sharing, we will build trust with one another and learn from our differences. This is a brave space. We are not here to be perfect. We will make mistakes. We are here to learn. (Pacansky-Brock, 2022)

• Advice from past students:…
• [Instructor]’s 7 Tips for Success: I design my class to ensure that all students can succeed. I believe in you!… (Pacansky-Brock, 2022)

• Suffolk University students are “expected to practice ethical behavior in all learning environments and scenarios, including classrooms and laboratories, internships and practica, and study groups and academic teams. Cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, use of unauthorized electronic devices, self-plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, and other types of academic misconduct are treated as serious offenses that initiate a formal process of inquiry, one that may lead to disciplinary sanctions.” (Suffolk University Student Handbook, n.d.).
  Examples of plagiarism include:
  – Resubmitting a paper or project your completed for another course
  – Omitting key elements of a proper citation.
  – Copying an article or blog post written by someone else and submitting it as your own work.
  – Having someone else complete an assignment or assessment for you, whether or not they are compensated for their work.
  The honor code is something that is very personal to me as both a teacher and a scholar. If you have any questions about what constitutes academic misconduct or cheating, please feel free to come talk to me, especially if your other schools did things differently.
• I designed this course so that you will have opportunities to revise and resubmit work, ask for and receive extensions, and ultimately, build on your knowledge and skills so that you can succeed in this course. I have added more assessments of your learning for fewer points so that you don’t feel as much pressure and can honestly share your learning and level of understanding with me. I believe that you can be successful in this course, and I hope you do, too, so that you can learn without feeling that you must resort to cheating or plagiarism.
  Plagiarism occurs when someone presents another person’s words as their own. Sometimes this occurs intentionally, such as when someone purchases or copies another person’s work and submits it, or unintentionally, such as when another person’s words are not cited correctly. Please don’t let this scare you – I know that mistakes can happen, and if I have any concerns about your work, I will talk to you first to make sure I understand what happened before anyone else gets involved. Learn more about the university’s academic misconduct policy and how the university resolves incidents of academic misconduct.

  I expect you to engage in ethical academic conduct at all times, including when you are completing assignments and assessments off-campus or in study groups outside of the classroom. If you’re feeling stressed or worried about your performance in this course, please come talk to me as soon as possible. I admire people who can ask for help – it means that you can take control of your life and your education. If you have questions about what constitutes cheating or plagiarism, please know that you can come talk to me without any judgment. You can also explore this resource from Purdue OWL that covers frequently asked questions about plagiarism.

• Bain, K. (2004). What the best college professors do. Harvard University Press. (Available in the CTSE Lending Library)
• Central Michigan University. (2020). Learner-centered syllabus. Curriculum & Instructional Support. Web.
• Collins, T. (1997). For openers…An inclusive course syllabus. In W. E. Campbell & K. A. Smith (Eds.), New Paradigms for College Teaching (pp. 79-102). Interaction Books.
• Davidson, C. I. & Ambrose, S. A. (1994). The new professor’s handbook: A guide to teaching and research in engineering and science. Anker Publishing. (Available in the CTSE Lending Library)
• Eyler, J. R. (2018). How humans learn: The science and stories behind effective college teaching. West Virginia University Press. (Available in the CTSE Lending Library)
• O’Brien, J., Millis, B. J., Cohen, M. W., & Diamond, R. M. (2008). The course syllabus: A learning-centered approach. 2^nd ed. Jossey-Bass. (Available in the CTSE Lending Library)
• Richmond, A. S. (2016). “Constructing a learner-centered syllabus: One professor’s journey.” IDEA Paper #60. IDEA Center, Inc.
• Sulik, G. & Keys, J. (2014). “Many students really do not yet know how to behave!”: The syllabus as a tool for socialization. Teaching Sociology, 42(2), 151-160.
• Wilson, J. H. & Wilson, S. B. (2007). The first day of class affects student motivation: An experimental study. Teaching of Psychology, 34, 136-138.