Layne - Fall 2012 - Bush School of Government and Public Service

In addition to leading discussions based on assigned readings, each of will be required to comment
upon, and critique, the draft paper of one of your classmates following the oral presentation
thereof. In academic conferences it is standard procedure to have a discussant critique the papers
of the panelists. That is the model here. A good discussant clearly highlights BOTH the
strengths and weaknesses of the paper in terms of its argument, evidence, and writing. The
purpose of the discussant’s comments is to help the author during the revision process.
Late Assignments:
*Failure to turn-in an assignment on time will result in an automatic lowering of the grade
for that assignment by one full letter grade for each 24 hour period between the due date
and the date the assignment is turned in. Example: a one date late A assignment would
become a B. This policy will apply to all late assignments unless there is documented good
cause for failure to submit an assignment on time.
*To obtain credit for this class, all course requirements must be fulfilled. Failure to
complete all course assignments will result in a grade of F.
Procedure for Appealing Grades:
If you are believe a grade does not fully reflect the quality of your work and you wish to appeal the
grade, you must submit to me a written statement -
not exceeding 2 pages in length - setting forth with
specificity the reasons you believe that your grade
should be revised. After reviewing your written
statement, I will make an appointment to discuss the
matter with you. After we meet, I will make a
decision on your appeal.
Academic Integrity:
The Bush School is committed to the development of principled leaders for public service. The
commitment to "principled leadership" is a further expansion of the Texas A&M student honor
code that states: “An Aggie will not lie, cheat or steal nor tolerate those who do.” Each student
in this course must comply with this code in all work submitted for a grade and will be held
accountable accordingly. Anyone who is not prepared to adhere to this standard should
immediately withdraw from this course.
Specific attention is directed to the requirement to avoid plagiarism, or the appearance of
plagiarism through sloppy citation. As commonly defined, plagiarism consists of passing off as
one's own ideas, words, writings, etc, that which belong to another. In accordance with this
definition, you are committing plagiarism if you copy the work of another person and turn it in as
your own, even if you have the permission of that person. It does not matter from where the
material is borrowed --a book, an article, material off the web, another student's paper– all
constitute plagiarism unless the source of the work is fully identified and credited. It is important
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