Course Policies

Welcome to WMNST 001.

This course uses a variety of media to enhance your learning experience, so please read over these points to ensure that you are prepared to begin this virtual endeavor:

1. WMNST 001 does not meet face-to-face. This is a completely online course, and requires all communication to be electronic.


2. It will be your responsibility to check your email and the class weblog at least once a day. You will likely need to check email more than once a day, particularly when working on group projects.


3. You will not be taught to use the technology in the class, but I will provide some guidance for you as you learn to use the course website.


4. Online classes require much more individual work than face-to-face classes. This class will make up for the absent face-to-face time with reading and responding on the course website. Expect to read and write at least a couple of hours a week more than you would in the equivalent face-to-face version of this class.


5. Successful students in online classes are typically self-motivated and eager to ask questions as they come up. They are good at working and accomplishing tasks on their own. They are comfortable reading and digesting textual information without the auditory feedback that regular classes provide. If you need one-on-one, face-to-face contact with an instructor, this may not be the class for you.


6. You are responsible for access to a computer and the Internet. You should also make sure that your Web browser (for example, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, or Netscape) is up-to-date and functions properly. You will also need to have access to your email, through Penn State's ANGEL system or another that allows you to send and receive attachments reliably and conveys a professional ethos.


7. You must have a functioning email address at the start of class.


8. You must sign up for a new account and complete registration on the course website.

If at any time you have questions about the course, please let me know.

Posting & Commenting on the Formal Discussion Blog

Making a Discussion Blog Post:

Your blog post should be an attempt to start a conversation around an issue introduced in the lesson's readings. Draw on the assigned readings to introduce an issue or topic and then situate that particular topic within a broader current context. Aim the discussion in a certain direction by posing critical questions that steer responses towards a manageable piece of the debate, rather than posing a general question that is too vague.

Grading Policy

In order to receive a passing grade for this course, you must complete all assignments. There are no extensions for deadlines and I do not accept late papers. If you have a question or concern about a grade that you receive on a piece of work, first please read my comments carefully, weigh them against the assignment requirements, and if you are still unsure you may compose a thoughtful letter detailing the specifics of your objection(s) and forward to me as an attachment. Your reasons should be specific and supported by references to the grading criteria (below), to the expectations of the assignment, and to specific details from your work. All grade related questions must be addressed no more than one week after the grade has been awarded to you.

Academic Integrity

I expect that each of you will generate your own work, and will reference any information, idea, images, and/or wording that is not your own. It is always necessary to acknowledge another person's information, idea, image or wording in a document that you produce. When you do not do so, you prevent the reader from further exploring the topic, and you commit intellectual theft, or plagiarism.

Netiquette is important when emailing your instructor and your fellow students.

Follow the guidelines that are listed below for all email sent in this class:

1. Be clear. Use standard English and do not abbreviate. Spell check, revise and edit your messages before sending them. Use appropriate subject lines that reflect the content of the message.
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Your performance in this class will be partially evaluated on your ability to utilize certain technologies to enhance your online voice. Employing multiple technologies, such as hyperlinks, can often strengthen your argument and bolster your credibility. I encourage you to use hyperlinks in your posts, particularly in your Formal Discussion Blog posts. To make a hyperlink (a link within a body of text that refers to another document):

1. Simply insert the following html tag into your post:<a href=""></a>


2. Next, you insert the url (the site's web address to which you are linking) between the quotation marks.


3. Finally you insert the text that you want displayed as the hyperlink between the ><.

For example, suppose that you want to direct fellow students to the front page of both cnn and reuters news, where there are two different articles that support a point you are making about gender socialization in small children. Your blog post may look like this:

How to decipher if a cite is reputable:

1. Check the URL closely.

•  Is this a personal page, a government page, a commercial page (this can be discerned from the domain address- .gov .com .edu)

2. Scan the site for legitimacy.

•  Who wrote the site, what are their credentials and how current is the info

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Avatars for your user profile

Each of you will be required to use an avatar (a small image, drawing, artwork, photo, etc) in your user profile. If you do not select an avatar in the first week, I will choose one for you and you will be very, very sorry. There are no restrictions in choosing your avatar, so feel free to post something that reflects your own personality. Your image should be in a specific digital format (.jpg, .gif, .png work best) and should have dimensions of around 85 x 85 so that it is not distorted when it is displayed.