Course Syllabus
German Culture Through Literature and Film
Global/World Society
Course Code, Section, CRN: GER 868-701
Term: Fall 2025
Instructor: Stella Gevorgyan-Ninness
Syllabus PDF: GER 868-701-Fall 2025.pdf
The course syllabus will provide you with the course schedule, course objectives, explanations of assignments and assessments, grading policies, and instructor contact information. Please read it carefully. You should have a deep familiarity with the schedule and process of the course.
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Basic Course Information
General Education
This course fulfills the General Education area of Global/World Society: https://bulletin.temple.edu/undergraduate/general-education/#GenEd_Courses
Welcome Message
This course fulfills the General Education area of Global/World Society.
Welcome to German Culture Through Literature and Film! We’ll be spending the semester together in an exploration of the intricacies of contemporary German society. The course will help you attain an increasing ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing. We will be able to read challenging texts, make connections across cultural boundaries and construct arguments through textual analysis.
Meeting Time and Location
online, asynchronous
That means there are no scheduled meeting times, live or online. But there are plenty of interactive opportunities and weekly deadlines.
Emergency Meetings
Students are to register for the TUAlert System to be made aware of University closures due to weather or other emergency situations and follow all additional university-wide emergency instructions. Students can register for this system on the Campus Safety Services website.
Please note that online classes are generally not affected by campus closures.
Instructor Information
My Name: Dr. Stella Gevorgyan-Ninness
Please refer to me as Stella. My pronouns are she/her.
Instructor Biography
I am a linguist interested in the interaction of German, Russian, and Armenian scholars through the circulation of knowledge between Western European, imperial Russian and Ottoman spaces. I completed my Ph.D. at the Otto-Friedrich Universität in Germany. Since 2004, I have been working as an adjunct instructor at Temple University.
My Contact Information
Please reach out to me at any time for assistance with the course or just to chat about the field or navigating university life. The best way to reach me is to send me a message through the Canvas inbox or email me at stgev@temple.edu. I will generally respond within 24 hours, Monday through Friday. Please do not send a follow-up email before 24 hours have passed.
My Office
Mazur 529, Zoom: https://temple.zoom.us/j/7608370572
Student Drop-In Hours
Seeking out individual assistance from the instructor is a normal part of the learning process. I set aside 9:00 to 9:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays for you to come to my Zoom office with no appointment necessary. I also have time on Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:00 -1:30 pm in Gladfelter Hall 946. Or we can meet on Tuesday and Thursdays 3:10- 4:00. We can discuss the course content, your progress on the assessments, your future in the field, or anything else you need to talk about. If my regular Drop-In Hours don’t fit your schedule, please email me to make an appointment. I want to help you succeed!
Purpose of the Course
Overall Purpose
The General Education (Gen Ed) program is comprised of diverse areas of study and practice in which all undergraduate students must undertake coursework. These courses and the Areas they represent provide the place for students to develop academic and professional skills through the context of the course.
This General Education World/Global Society course expands the breadth of your knowledge and skills, adding to the depth acquired in your major. This course emphasizes the critical competencies of critical thinking, oral/written communication, and information literacy. Students in this course will study German society as reflected in its literature and film. We will take up issues of political, economic, social, and cultural importance in readings of fiction and non-fiction and in viewings of feature and documentary films. Students completing this course will learn to identify the major trends in German society today and to evaluate and compare issues and problems in German and American society
NOTE: This course fulfills the World Society (GG) requirement for students under GenEd and International Studies (IS) for students under Core. Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed any of the following: Arabic 0868/0968, Asian Studies 0868, Chinese 0868/0968, English 0868/0968, French 0868/0968, German 0868/0968, Hebrew 0868, Italian 0868/0968, Japanese 0868/0968, Jewish Studies 0868, Korean 0868, LAS 0868/0968, Political Science 0868/0968, Russian 0868/0968, or Spanish 0968.
General Education Learning Goals
Upon successful completion of this General Education course, you will be able to:
• Think critically
• Understand historical and contemporary issues in context
• Understand and apply knowledge in and across disciplines
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing
• Identify and solve problems using scientific and quantitative reasoning
• Function as an engaged citizen in a diverse and globalized world
• Identify, access and evaluate sources of information
• Promote a lasting curiosity
Overview of the Course
GenEd Global/World Society courses explore societies and cultures outside of the United States. These courses take one of two approaches. Some concentrate on a single nation or region, examining in depth its political, social, historical, cultural, artistic, literary, geographic, and/or economic landscape. Others investigate globalization and its effects across nations and regions.
The course is organized around video presentations, discussions, and reading, writing, and research. Students are expected to fully participate in the shaping of the course by contributing relevant information, developing controversial issues, and raising probing questions during the class sessions. The course will help you attain an increasing ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing. We will be able to read challenging texts, make connections across cultural boundaries and construct arguments through textual analysis.
Our work in the class will emphasize different ways of "reading" these texts and films; thinking about their consumption and participation in public culture; and trying to use them productively in dialogue with each other in order to enhance our understanding of a country.
# Credit Hours: 3
Learning Goals
Global / World Society courses are intended to teach students how to:
- Understand the influences (e.g. political, social, historical, cultural, artistic, literary, geographic, economic) on world societies or processes (e.g. globalization) linking world societies;
- Access and analyze materials related to world societies and cultures;
- Develop observations and conclusions about selected themes in world societies and cultures;
- Construct interpretations using evidence and critical analysis; and
- Communicate and defend interpretations.
Course goals: Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Identify and describe different factors (e.g., political, social, historical, cultural, artistic, literary, linguistic, geographic, economic) linking societies and cultures around the globe as seen through literature and film
- Access, compare and analyze literary, film and academic materials related to world societies and culture within the frameworks established in the course
- Develop observations and conclusions about selected themes as presented in literature and film in world societies and cultures
- Construct contextualized interpretations using evidence and critical analysis from selected texts and films
- Communicate and defend interpretations
All materials, activities, and assessments of this course are designed to help you achieve these goals. If at any time you feel that you are not making progress towards one of these goals, please reach out to me. It is my job to help you get there!
The Learning Environment
How Class Will Be Conducted
This is an online asynchronous course with no set meeting times. You can choose when to complete your work throughout the week, but most successful students block off specific times in their schedule to dedicate to the class and log in several times a week.
The course is organized into weekly modules, each containing a combination of readings, multimedia content, and assignments. You can expect a mix of videos, texts, and interactive activities designed to reinforce the material. I will post weekly announcements to keep you on track and informed, and I will check discussion boards regularly to engage with student posts and answer questions. Written or video feedback on assignments is typically provided within one week of the submission deadline. I aim to be present and responsive throughout the course, and you are encouraged to reach out with any questions or concerns at any time.
Even if there are no scheduled meeting times, there will be plenty of interactive opportunities and weekly deadlines. As a seminar style course, you will share ideas, ask questions, and actively listen to your peers in a free and honest exchange of multiple viewpoints. Use the digital tools built into the course to interact with your classmates and me on a weekly basis, with deadlines, just like a face-to-face class.
Like a traditional class, you’ll need to read your syllabus carefully to be aware of all the deadlines and requirements for the course. I hope that the online environment will provide you with way more flexibility to participate on your own schedule than you would find in a traditional classroom.
Classroom Civility
It is important to foster a respectful and productive learning environment that includes all students in our diverse community of learners. Our differences, some of which are outlined in the University's nondiscrimination statement, will add richness to this learning experience. Therefore, all opinions and experiences, no matter how different or controversial they may be perceived, must be respected in the tolerant spirit of academic discourse.
Treat your classmates and instructor with respect in all communication, class activities, and meetings. You are encouraged to comment, question, or critique an idea, but you are not to attack an individual. Please consider that sarcasm, humor, and slang can be misconstrued in online interactions and generate unintended disruptions. Profanity should be avoided as should the use of all capital letters when composing responses in discussion threads, which can be construed as “shouting” online. Remember to be careful with your own and others' privacy. In general, have your behavior mirror how you would like to be treated by others.
For more information, please visit the IDEAL website.
In this course, we will have conversations that some may find challenging and uncomfortable to discuss, so we will prepare as a group and develop agreements about how we can have these discussions in a productive and respectful way, and help us consider viewpoints that may be different from our own. In this class, we want to make space for each student and create an inclusive environment where we respect each other’s different identities, lived experiences, and perspectives. Please do not ever hesitate to reach out to me if I can do something better or differently to support your learning or our collective learning experience.
Materials
Required course materials are available from the Follett Bookstore at Temple University. Please note that the Follett bookstore offers a guaranteed price match for course materials.
For this course, the cost range, including all books, online access fees, expenses, and other materials, is approximately $5-$25.
Required Materials
After the Wall: Confessions from an East German Childhood and the Life that Came Next by Hensel, Jana (2008)
Links to other required readings, videos, etc., will be supplied electronically in Canvas in the appropriate module. These items will be provided to you at no additional cost.
Optional Materials
Other Material on Canvas:
Reimer, Robert, Reinhard Zachan and Margit Simka. German Culture Through Film: An Introduction to German Cinema. Focus Publishing, R. Pullins Co. (chapters on canvas)
Adorno, Theodor, Negative Dialectics
Ayim, May, Blues in Black and White
Böll, Heinrich, “Action Will Be Taken” and “Too Many Trips to Heidelberg”
Borchert, Wolfgang, “The Kitchen Clock”, “The Rats Also Eat”, “The Bread”, “This is Our Manifesto”, “There’s Only One Thing”
Dischereit, Esther, Joemi’s Table
Enns, Anthony, “Post-Reunification Cinema”
Khan, Sarah, The Ghosts of Berlin: Séance with the Stasi
Özdamar, Emina Sevgi. The Bridge of the Golden Horn
Winkle, Sally, “Margarethe Von Trotta's Rosenstrasse”
Films (You can find some films under Course Reserve):
The Bridge
Good Bye, Lenin
The Lives of Others
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum
The Nasty Girl
Rosenstrasse
Afro Germany - Being Black and German
Software or Other Supplies
If you need access to basic software for creating documents, slideshows, or spreadsheets, you have free access to Microsoft 365.
Accessibility
It is important to me that every student has the opportunity to succeed in this course. Please reach out to me if any obstacle is in the way of your success.
Any student who has a need for accommodations based on the impact of a documented disability or medical condition should contact Disability Resources and Services (DRS) located in the Howard Gittis Student Center South, 4th Floor at drs@temple.edu or 215-204-1280 to request accommodations and learn more about the resources available to you. If you have a DRS accommodation letter to share with me, or you would like to discuss your accommodations, please contact me as soon as practical. I will work with you and with DRS to coordinate reasonable accommodations for all students with documented disabilities. All discussions related to your accommodations will be confidential. Students can learn more about the accommodation process and pre-register on the DRS website. Students may register at any time during the semester, but accommodations are not active until you register, so I recommend doing so as early in the semester as possible.
Information regarding accessibility for additional technologies is provided below:
Resources and Support
Sometimes the biggest factors impacting student success are things happening beyond the scope of the individual classroom. Temple provides a wide array of resources both to help you overcome academic challenges and those not directly related to the educational challenges of the course. Please reach out to me if you need help deciding which resources might be right for you.
Undergraduate Research Support
Disability Resources and Services
If you are experiencing food insecurity or financial struggles, Temple provides resources and support. Notably, the Temple University Cherry Pantry is in operation, as well as a variety of resources from the Division of Student Affairs.
Library Resources
Temple University Libraries provide resources to assist Temple students with their class projects and research needs. Visit the Libraries’ website to find millions of articles, books, video, and other resources, both in print and online.
The site also provides tutorials to help you start your research, as well as subject and course research guides to help you identify resources that may be particularly useful for this class.
Contact the library at any stage of the research process. You can chat with a librarian 24/7 or make an appointment with your subject librarian, who can help you explore a topic, craft a research question, and identify and cite sources.
Course Schedule
Table 1 - Week-to-Week Schedule
|
Week 1 Module: Introduction |
Introduction |
|
August 25-29 |
Course introduction: What do we mean when we term something or someone as German? Discussion: Introduction Discussion: Imagine German Culture Syllabus Quiz |
|
Week 2 Module 1 |
What do we mean by the term "German" |
|
September 2-5 |
How do other German-speaking cultures fit into our concept of "German"? Some historical highlights. How Germans talk about themselves: literature and film as cultural texts. Thomas Mann, 'Germany and the Germans,' speech given on May 29, 1945, at the Library of Congress Discussion 1 |
|
Week 3 Module 2 |
The Burden of History |
|
September 8-12 |
Why the title “The Burden of History”? Borchert, Wolfgang, “The Kitchen Clock”, “The Rats Also Eat”, “The Bread”, “This is Our Manifesto”, “There’s Only One Thing” Assignment 1 Film: The Bridge Assignment 2 |
|
Week 4 Module 3 |
The Burden of History (contd.) |
|
September 15-19 |
Film: Rosenstrasse Winkle, Sally, “Margarethe Von Trotta's Rosenstrasse” Assignment 3 |
|
Week 5 Module 4 |
The Unreliability of History |
|
September 22-26 |
Adorno, Theodor, Negative Dialectics (p. 361-368) and Paul Celan Assignment 4 Film: The Nasty Girl Assignment 5 |
|
Week 6 Module 5 |
Private Life vs. Public Perception |
|
September 29- October 3 |
Test 1 Germany’s laws on privacy of information (pp. 1153-1171 and 1180-1202) Böll, Heinrich, “The Dignity of the Individual Shall Be Inviolable” Assignment 6 |
|
Week 7 Module 6 |
Private Life vs. Public Perception (contd.) Family vs Society |
|
October 6-10 |
Film: The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum Assignment 7 Böll, Heinrich, “Action Will Be Taken” and “Too Many Trips to Heidelberg” Discussion 2 |
|
Week 8 Module 7 |
A Culture Haunted by its Past |
|
October 13-16 |
Khan, Sarah, The Ghosts of Berlin: Séance with the Stasi Film: The Lives of Others Discussion 3 |
|
Week 9 Module 8 |
Berlin: More than a City |
|
October 20-24 |
Film: Good Bye, Lenin! Discussion 4 Researching Alexander von Humboldt |
|
Week 10 Module 9 |
Growing Up in German Culture(s): Federal Republic of Germany (FRD) and German Democratic Republic (GDR) |
|
October 27-31 |
Hensel: After the Wall Assignment 8 |
|
Week 11 Module 10 |
Growing Up in German Culture(s): FRD and GDR (contd.) |
|
November 3–7 |
Enns, Anthony, “Post-Reunification Cinema” Test 2 |
|
Week 12 Module 11 |
Minority Discourses: Turkish Germans and Immigration |
|
November 10–14 |
Özdamar, Emina Sevya, The Bridge of the Golden Horn Assignment 9 Film: Ali: Fear Eats the Soul Assignment 10 |
|
Week 13 Module 12 |
Minority Discourses: Jewish Germans |
|
November 17–21 |
Dischereit, Esther, Joemi’s Table Discussion 5: Jewish identity in Joemi’s Table Discussion 6: German identity in Joemi’s Table |
|
Week 14 Module 13 |
Minority Discourses: Black Germans |
|
December 1-5 |
Ayim, May, Blues in Black and White Assignment 11 Film: Afro Germany - Being Black and German Test 3 |
|
Week 15 |
|
|
December 8 |
Review |
|
December 12 |
Final Exam |
Grading & Assessment Guidelines
Grading Scale
|
Percentage |
Letter Grade |
|---|---|
|
93-100 |
A |
|
90-92 |
A- |
|
87-89 |
B+ |
|
83-86 |
B |
|
80-82 |
B- |
|
77-79 |
C+ |
|
73-76 |
C |
|
70-72 |
C- |
|
67-69 |
D+ |
|
63-66 |
D |
|
60-62 |
D- |
|
0-59 |
F |
Course Minimum Grade
A grade of “C-” or better is required in all GenEd courses for you to satisfy a General Education requirement.
I will do my best to warn you if you are in danger of not meeting this minimum, but you should reach out to me if you become worried about not achieving the minimum needed grade.
Assessment Summary
The assessments in this course have been created for two reasons: (1) For you to demonstrate your progress towards the learning goals for the course and receive useful feedback. (2) For you to practice skills and develop ways of thinking that will be of use to you in the future.
|
Grading Item |
Due Date |
Percentage |
|---|---|---|
|
Quizzes/Assignments: |
Wednesdays/Fridays |
10% |
|
Test 1 |
|
20% |
|
Test 2 |
|
20% |
|
Test 3 |
|
20% |
|
Researching Alexander von Humboldt |
|
10% |
|
Final Exam |
|
10% |
|
Participation/ Discussions |
Wednesdays/Fridays |
10% |
Quizzes/Assignments
You need at least 200 words for every assignment.
No outside sources and no AI. As a historian of science, I am amazed how far AI developed since its beginning from code breaking in WWII and machine translation of the 1960s. But at the same time, I am critical of the enormous resources used to produce a couple of AI sentences. They sure sound perfect, but AI training on open access books also makes me wonder about latent biases. AI was trained using books in the public domain. One of the books available is from the quirky lawyer, Lord Monboddo from the eighteenth century. He was an important thinker of the Scottish Enlightenment who also described an eyewitness' encounter with a mermaid. And AI still hallucinates. I want you to look at course material as the experience of individuals narrating historical and cultural events who sometimes unsettle the accepted narrative.
Exams (1-3)
Exams may consist of following parts:
• Identification – students must provide brief explanation (1-2 sentences) of terms, names of individuals or concepts, and their importance for our understanding of the German society. You need to connect them to information learned in the course.
• Short Essay: Social Issues and Cultural Understanding – students write an essay (3-5 paragraphs) analyzing social and political problems as discussed in class. They will also discuss cultural issues related to the topic.
The Information Literacy Project: Researching Alexander von Humboldt (at least 400 words)
This is not a paper on Alexander von Humboldt. This is an assignment to find trustworthy and valuable sources to lay down a groundwork for collecting information about the scholar.
Alexander von Humboldt was one of the most important scholars in the 19th c. Largely forgotten nowadays, he still has a prominent place in German imagination. The newly built Humboldt forum in Berlin carries the name of both brothers, and in its goal of promoting and popularizing scholarship Alexander von Humboldt’s image plays an important role. To understand Humboldt's place in Germany and the world, you need to research different types of sources. Before you start your research, choose one of these topics and find sources specifically for your topic:
- a) Colonial Science
b) Do the roots of environmental science go back to Alexander von Humboldt?
Then proceed to search for sources:
- Find at least three different resources to understand Humboldt as a scholar. That could be books, articles, scholarly journal articles, web pages, documents. A good place to start is the library: https://library.temple.edu/. If you are not sure how to start, this page is useful: https://library.temple.edu/categories/get-started.
- Identify the sources for your research and evaluate them. Are they useful? Trustworthy? How did the writer/producer obtain and use the content?
- Evaluate your sources. Explain which ones you would use in a scholarly paper on Humboldt. If you have a source that cannot be used, reveal the problems of this source.
Before you start and follow these three steps (find, identify, and evaluate), define the scope of your research. When working with sources, encyclopedias are a good place to start, but very often the specific information is missing. Footnotes or endnotes don't always make the source trustworthy. Look for information in the footnotes/endnotes. Also, a good indicator is how simplistic is AvH portrayed. Is the scholar praised for his good work or is he negatively represented? Only positive or negative view oversimplifies the narrative and does not make the source trustworthy.
Final Exam
Final Exam may consist of following parts:
- Identification – students must provide brief explanation (1-2 sentences) of terms, names of individuals or concepts, and their importance for our understanding of the German society. You need to connect them to information learned in the course.
- Short Essay: Embracing the Other Cultures– students write an essay (3-5 paragraphs). This essay will analyze how the knowledge learned in this course advances your understanding of other cultures or your own culture. You need to integrate works used in this course. You could address some aspects of German society or culture as found in a work of fiction or film addressed in this course. You could discuss how contemporary Germany debates its past or mention how the division of Germany still haunts contemporary society or you can research a minority culture and its interaction with the majority culture. You need at least two sources from the course.
Participation/Discussions
The fundamental nature of this class requires that you participate actively and energetically by keeping up with the reading, putting significant effort into your exams and paper, and taking part in class discussions. This means asking questions, taking notes, responding to the comments of others, and being an alert and respectful participant.
Students are at all times responsible for readings and assignments due. If there is an issue which requires you to miss assignments, please contact me sooner rather than later. Make-up work must be arranged in advance and is subject to individual consultation.
More information on each assessment will be provided approximately three weeks before their due date.
When planning your semester, I recommend adding all due dates to your calendar. For the more extensive assessments, I recommend scheduling at least two separate hour-long work/study sessions per week for the two weeks before the due date.
Late Submissions/Missed Exams & Quizzes
Please notify me if you may miss a deadline or an exam/quiz as soon as possible. Please do not delay in informing; as soon as you suspect a problem, let me know. Depending on the timing and the specific assessment, I may ask you to give me a copy of your current draft. Whether you will be given an additional opportunity to complete the assessment will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Class Attendance & Participation
Because this is an online asynchronous course, there are no required meeting times. However, consistent engagement throughout the week is expected and counts as your "attendance" in the course. At a minimum, students should log in at least two to three times per week to view course materials, complete assignments, and participate in discussions. Most assignments will have weekly deadlines, and some activities, such as discussion boards or collaborative projects, may require you to log in more frequently. Staying active and on schedule is essential for your success in the course. You should plan on spending approximately 6-10 hours a week for this online course. It may take more or less depending on your work and learning style. Weekly assignments are usually due on Wednesdays and Fridays by 11:59 pm.
School-Life Conflict
Many unpredictable things can happen over the course of a semester. If you find yourself struggling to balance your education and your other commitments, please reach out to me immediately so that we can work together to build a plan for your success. Some of the resources in the next section may also be of use to you.
Attendance and Your Health
To achieve course learning goals, students must attend and participate in classes, according to the course requirements. However, if you have tested positive for or are experiencing symptoms of a contagious illness, you should not come to campus or attend in-person classes or activities. It is your responsibility to contact me to create a plan for participation and engagement in the course as soon as you can, and to make a plan to complete all assignments in a timely fashion.
Religious Holidays
It is your right to observe religious holidays without impacting your opportunity to learn and succeed in this course. Please reach out to me at the start of the semester so that deadlines can be reviewed in advance of your religious observations. You will still be held responsible for course content and any assignments, but you will not lose points for attendance and participation on days important to your faith.
Caregiver Responsibilities
I have great respect for students who are pursuing their education while responsible for the care of children or other family members. Please contact me if you encounter challenges that require you to miss a class session or if your caregiving responsibilities are interfering with your success in the course. Together, we may be able to find some flexibility to support your learning.
Withdrawal
If you are considering withdrawing from the course after the add/drop date, please don’t make that decision alone! Withdrawing from the course without talking to me first eliminates the possibility of finding a path to success for you. Furthermore, it is extremely important that you consult your academic advisor before withdrawing. They will be able to walk you through how the withdrawal would impact your progress towards your degree and your graduation date.
Please check the academic calendar for the last day to withdraw from a course.
Incomplete
A student will be eligible for a grade of “Incomplete” only if the student: 1) has completed at least 51% of the work at a passing level, 2) is unable to complete the work for a serious reason beyond their control, and 3) files a signed agreement with the instructor outlining the work to be completed and the time frame in which that work will be completed. The student is responsible for initiating this process, and all incomplete forms must be sent to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs prior to the start of study days in that semester.
Please refer to the following for further details: Temple University’s Incomplete Policy. (Policy #02.10.13).
Technology Guidelines
Technology Requirements
To participate in this course, you will need the equipment, software, and internet access necessary to reliably use Zoom and Canvas, as well as “productivity tools” like word processors and slide show creators.
Limited resources are available for students who do not have the technology they need for class. Students with educational technology needs, including no computer or camera or insufficient Wifi access, should submit a Student Technology Assistance Application located in TUPortal and linked from the Dean of Students Support and Resources. The University will endeavor to meet needs, such as with a long-term loan of a laptop or Mifi device, a refurbished computer, or subsidized internet access.
Note that there are technology resources available for students, including on-campus computers available for student use, the Tech Center computer labs and free laptop and battery borrowing at Charles Library, software that is available for free download and other specialty software that may be available for remote access through ITS.
Technical Support
For a listing of technical support services available to Temple University students, see the Tech Support page.
Live Chat or Request Help: help.temple.edu
Phone: 215-204-8000
Email: help@temple.edu
Website: its.temple.edu
Location: The TECH Center, Room 106
Class Recording
Individuals are not permitted to record, copy, publish, or redistribute audio or video recordings of any portion of the session to individuals who are not associated with the University without the express permission of the host/faculty member and of any other meeting participants who are recorded. Distribution without permission could be a violation of various privacy laws, including FERPA, as well as the Pennsylvania Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act, and possibly copyright law.
Attending Zoom meetings using an AI proxy is not allowed.
Privacy and Data Protection
Please see the links below to become familiar with the privacy policies for each of the following:
AI Policies
The use of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft CoPilot, etc.) are not permitted in this class; therefore, any use of AI tools for work in this class may be considered a violation of Temple University’s Academic Honesty policy and Student Conduct Code, since the work is not your own.
Academic Guidelines
Academic Freedom
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. I have the freedom and responsibility to design and facilitate our learning environment to best achieve the promise of the course as outlined in its official description. You have the responsibility to engage with the course in good faith and freedom from mistreatment when your opinion differs from mine. Note that it is not an abuse of this freedom for me to require that you support relevant opinions with clear argumentation and solid evidence. For more on academic freedom, consult the official Temple policy on the matter.
Academic Integrity
Temple University believes strongly in academic honesty and integrity. Plagiarism and academic cheating are, therefore, prohibited. All work you submit for assessment should be your own efforts. For more on this topic, consult the relevant portions of Temple Bulletin and the Student Conduct Code.