General Education, Global Awareness (old Gen Ed) The General Education outcomes include Thinking Skills (critical thinking, problem solving, and analysis) and Communication. These are defined and illustrated in the MU Undergraduate Catalog. Virtually all written compositions and oral presentations in this course would be acceptable evidence for Communication in the Language & Literature block. Depending on the specific assignment, any of the three thinking skills might be an appropriate outcome as well. For example, quizzes and tests are likely <strong>to</strong> test one or more of the three thinking skills and could thus be used as artifacts. All language courses, including this one, count as G courses (Global Awareness), of which you need 3 in order <strong>to</strong> graduate. This course does not count as an I (information literacy) or W (writing across the curriculum). PDE Standards Information for Prospective Teachers of <strong>German</strong> This course is not included in the <strong>German</strong> BSE, although it (or its equivalent) is a prerequisite <strong>to</strong> intermediate <strong>German</strong>. The second-‐semester course of that level, <strong>GER</strong> 2202, is officially included in the BSE major. Similar <strong>to</strong> <strong>GER</strong> 2201-‐2202, the intro course <strong>GER</strong> 1101 offers instruction that helps prepare students for all of the PDE content standards for <strong>German</strong>. The standards stipulate practice activities at the Advanced level, however. Introduc<strong>to</strong>ry <strong>German</strong> is a beginning of that process in that it teaches the same skills, but on a Novice level. MU Policy for Excused Absences Regular and punctual class attendance is expected. Documented excuses because of illness, serious mitigating circumstances, or absences because of official university representation will be accepted by all faculty, thus permitting you <strong>to</strong> make-‐up missed tests and/or assignments in a reasonable manner at the instruc<strong>to</strong>r’s discretion. In courses where classroom participation is an integral component (such as this one), your attendance is essential and may influence your final grade. If applicable <strong>to</strong> your course, the instruc<strong>to</strong>r will explain that relationship when giving criteria for evaluation during the first week of class. Academic Integrity Policy From the online MU catalog: “Students are expected <strong>to</strong> do their own academic work. Dishonesty in academic work, including cheating, academic misconduct, fabrication, or plagiarism is unacceptable. Faculty are expected <strong>to</strong> instruct students in ways of avoiding these forms of academic dishonesty. Faculty are also responsible for assessing and reporting all charges of academic dishonesty <strong>to</strong> the Office of the Provost. See policy listed at: http://mansfield. edu/academic-‐affairs/resources-‐for-‐faculty/forms-‐and-‐procedures/ under “Academic Integrity Policy.” Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. You have plagiarized when you represent someone else's words or ideas as your own. If you plagiarize in this class, your offense will be reported <strong>to</strong> the Provost's Office. You are also plagiarizing if, for instance, you copy material from an Internet source and present it as your own, without crediting the original source. As noted above, translation engines, although very convenient, actually can represent a form of academic dishonesty. If you write large sections of or even entire assignments, compositions, or papers in English first and simply run them through an online translation engine, you have not actually written the text in <strong>German</strong> and are thus submitting work that is not your own. Besides, the results of these engines are often quite poor. Another point <strong>to</strong> consider is that overuse of translation engines is quite evident <strong>to</strong> your instruc<strong>to</strong>r, who knows your actual language level and can quickly observe that the translation engine has provided vocabulary and constructions that you have not yet mastered. The bot<strong>to</strong>m line is that it is always best for your own learning and most academically ethical <strong>to</strong> write directly in <strong>German</strong>. Of course you may use a dictionary (online or print) and—in limited quantity—translation engines and other <strong>to</strong>ols now available. But they should be considered resources and adjuncts <strong>to</strong> your
own writing process, not the major source of the <strong>German</strong> you submit as your own. Special fac<strong>to</strong>rs that may affect your learning Any students with documented psychological or learning disorders or other significant medical conditions that may affect their learning should work with William Chabala in our Counseling Center (143 South Hall/ Phone: 662-‐4695; e-‐mail wchabala@mansfield.edu <strong>to</strong> provide me with an appropriate letter so that I may serve their particular needs more effectively. If you have an exceptionality that requires class or testing accommodations, Mr. Chabala will work with us <strong>to</strong> identify and implement appropriate interventions.
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