Course Syllabus

 

Eating Cultures

Human Behavior 

SPAN 837, sections 701 and 702

CRN: 58937 and 58994
Fall 7B 2025
Instructor: Erica F. O'Brien, PhD

Meeting times: This is a fully asynchronous course, meaning that there will be no class meeting times. However, assignments are due weekly on Fridays and Sundays at 11:59pm, with the exception of the final exam, which is due on Wednesday, December 10, at 5:00pm. 

Syllabus doc

 

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.

  

Basic Course Information

General Education

This course fulfills the General Education area of Human Behavior. 

GenEd Human Behavior courses address the relationships between individuals and communities. Courses may focus on the relationship between individuals and communities in general or may engage those relationships from specific perspectives (such as art, music, education, religion, economics, politics or education), or look at them within specific themes (such as food & eating, crime, crisis, sexuality, or adolescence).

Human Behavior courses are intended to teach students how to:

  • Understand relationships between individuals and communities;
  • Understand theories or explanations of human behavior used to describe social phenomena;
  • Examine the development of individuals' beliefs, behaviors, and assumptions and how these affect individuals and communities;
  • Apply one disciplinary method to understand human behavior or explain social phenomena;
  • Access and analyze materials related to individuals, communities or social phenomena; and
  • Compare and contrast similar social phenomena across individuals or communities.

 

Welcome Message

Welcome to Eating Cultures! In this course, we observe how our eating habits are inmpacted by factors such as our cultural background, socioeconomic class, social norms and pressures, and the influence of all types of media, especially social media. You don't have to be a cook, a foodie, or a nutrition major to be in this course - I guarantee each and every one of us in this class has a multitude of memories and experiences around food, eating and body image that will make valid, interesting contributions to our class discussions. For example, what was that one food or drink item you saw over and over in tv commercials as a kid, and begged your parents to buy? What cereal mascot was your favorite? What commercial jingle could you just not get out of your head? When was the first time an ad, celebrity, or social media influencer made you feel like there was something you needed to "fix" about your body? 

All these things and many others will come up in our class discussions, leading us to think more deeply about the ways our eating habits, food choices, and body image are molded by our familial and cultural models, our peers, unattainable societal standards, and our immediate environment.  No matter your major, race, sexuality, gender identity, or food preferences, we have so many shared experiences around foodand eating, and I am looking forward to getting to know all of you through this lens of shared experience. 

 

Meeting Time and Location

This is a fully asynchronous class, meaning that we have no class meetings. Modules and class materials will be available every Monday by 8:00am, and I will also set due dates for assignments and send reminders via Announcements on Canvas. Please be sure to regularly check your Temple e-mail, Canvas annoucements, and your assignment feed. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to e-mail me or drop into my office hours on Zoom (or e-mail me to schedule an appointment that best works around your schedule).

 

University Alerts/Emergency Closures

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.

 

 

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Instructor Information

Instructor: Erica F. O'Brien, PhD 

Dr. Erica O'Brien

Please refer to me as Erica. My pronouns are she/her.

 

Instructor Biography

I am from Northeast Philadelphia, and currently reside in South Philadelphia with my husband and two children. I am a true Temple Owl - I started undergrad at Temple in 2003 as an English major due to my love for literature. Interested in Spanish, I took Spanish I my first semester to fulfill the mandatory lanuage requirement. I loved it, decided to declare it as a minor, then later as a double major, then I came back to Temple in 2010 as a masters/PhD student. In the masters/PhD program, I had the opportunity to teach undergraduate Spanish language classes, and then eventually began teaching Eating Cultures in 2015. It is my favorite Gen Ed course to teach because even though we read scholarly texts and consider more in-depth questions, problems and ethical dilemmas linked to food and eating in this course, it is quite easy to connect these things to our everyday lives, even in the small, mundane experiences we don't think very much of, like buying a snack on campus, going out to a meal with friends, or doing a quick shoppig trip at the Fresh Grocer. You will be surprised at how many of these "mundane" memories you can recall when you take a minute to consider them. I look forward to the ways in which each of you will contribute to the class discussions simply by sharing your own opinions, ideas, memories and experiences. 

 

My Contact Information

Please reach out to me at any time for help with any questions, doubts or issues with the course, or if there is anything on your mind.  The best way to reach me is to email me at erica.obrien@temple.edu. I will generally respond within 24 hours during the week, and by or before Monday on weekends or holidays. 

 

My Office:

Please access my office hours or any meeting we schedule via this Zoom link: https://temple.zoom.us/j/4376688665

 

Student Drop-In Hours

Seeking out individual assistance from the instructor is a normal part of the learning process. I set aside the hours of 8:15pm to 10:15pm on Mondays for you to be able to meet with me via Zoom with no appointment necessary. We can discuss the course content, your progress on the assessments, 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!

 

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Purpose of the Course

Overall Purpose

 This General Education Human Behavior 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 (via our consideration of class readings and videos, and peer and professor questions and comments), oral/written communication (via our VoiceThread video responses, presentations, and written Discussion Board comments) and information literacy (via research for presentations, updated information on course topics, scholarly and academic articles) while delving into the joys, comforts, commonalities, despairs, disappointments, and inequities that being eaters and consumers of food and media in the United States and in the world can awaken within us. 

 

Overview of the Course

You are what you eat, they say, but what, precisely, determines our eating habits and what, exactly, do they say about us? How do these habits influence our relations with others in our communities and beyond? Eating is an activity common to all human beings, but how do the particularities and meanings attributed to this activity vary across different times and places? Using literature, visual media, cookbooks, food-based art, and advertisements as our starting point, we will examine how food perception, production, preparation, consumption, exchange, and representation structure individual and communal identities, as well as relations among individuals and communities around the globe. Our focus on this most basic of needs will allow us to analyze how food conveys and limits self-expression and creates relationships as well as delimits boundaries between individuals and groups. Materials will be drawn from a wide range of disciplines including, but not limited to, literary and gender studies, psychology, anthropology, history, sociology, and economics. NOTE: This course fulfills the Human Behavior (GB) requirement for students under GenEd and Individual & Society (IN) for students under Core. Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed English 0837 or Spanish 0937.

 

Credit Hours: 3

 

Learning Goals

Gen Ed Program Goals: Upon successful completion of this General Education course, you will be able to…

Critical Thinking: Think critically.

Contextualized Learning: Understand historical and contemporary issues in context.

Interdisciplinary Thinking: Understand and apply knowledge in and across disciplines.

Communication Skills: Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

Scientific & Quantitative Reasoning

Civic Engagement: Function as an engaged citizen in a diverse and globalized world.

Information Literacy: Identify, access and evaluate sources of information.

Lifelong Learning: Promote a lasting curiosity.

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!

 

 

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The Learning Environment

How Class Will Be Conducted

Because our class will not have any meetings, each weekly module will contain a brief video lecture talking about the topic(s) our readings and viewings for that week cover. Typically I will also share images, reading excerpts, and clips from films, tv shows, commercials or YouTube/social media videos in my lectures that will be necessary to understand and respond to VoiceThread or Discussion Board questions.  Quizzes will be built on Canvas, containing a mix of multiple choice, short-answer and essay questions. Each of our 3 quizzes will cover the materials seen in class up to that point. The Final Exam will also be built on Canvas, but will be more cumulative in nature, also featuring a mix of multiple choice, short-answer, and essay questions. 

 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. You are expected to read/watch the weekly texts, videos and lecture before responding to Discussion Board questions/comments and VoiceThread videos. Assignments are expected to be turned in by their indicated Friday and Sunday due dates at 11:59pm, and any late assignments will be graded with reduced points according to the late policy on Canvas. Late final exams and group presentations (or a student's portion of the presentation) will not be accepted. 

 I will post weekly Canvas announcements to keep you on track and informed, and I will check Discussion Boards regularly to engage with student posts and answer questions. Written feedback on assignments is typically provided within two weeks 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.

 

 

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 address things like racism, sexism, imperialism/colonialism, gender identities, sexual orientation, religion, political polarization, and other issues that some may find challenging and uncomfortable to discuss, so please be mindful to word your comments, opinions, ideas, questions, and debates in a productive and respectful way. Having a diverse body of students with widely varying backgrounds, beliefs, and life experiences exposes us to and allows us to 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

All course readings and viewings will be provided on Canvas, within the weekly module to which they correspond. Some additional required readings and viewings are included in the professor's weekly Zoom lectures. Students need not make any additional text purchases. 

*Content warning: please be aware of the possibility that some of the media we observe in class (texts, ads, music, videos, movies, etc.) may contain sexual/graphic/sensitive content, as we will contemplate texts, advertisements and customs around food and disordered eating as they are expressed in the present. It is suggested that you reflect on why certain metaphors, imagery, language, etc. were chosen. What might the source be trying to convey, or communicate about our society? Was the extreme depiction necessary? Why or why not? These questions will be a part of our class discussions.

 

Required Materials:

To actively participate and be successful in this course, all students MUST have access to a computer with a working microphone and camera, as well as a stable internet connection. To access and post VoiceThread videos, you will need a device that you can record yourself both visibly and audibly from, and be able to upload videos and other media. The weekly modules, materials, and Discussion Board also need to be accessed from Canvas, so this is something to keep in mind when using other devices, as it may present a challenge to access Canvas, post or upload content from a tablet or phone. 

 

 

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.

Student Success Center

University Libraries

Undergraduate Research Support

Career Center

Tuttleman Counseling Services

Disability Resources and Services

Wellness Resource Center

Student Health 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.

This library guide developed for our course will be used for finding and accessing current research about the topics in class as needed for Group Presentations, VoiceThread and Discussion Board responses, and some responses on quizzes and the Final Exam. [Delete: Link to your library guide if there is one.]

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.

 

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Course Schedule

  1. TENTATIVE* CALENDAR BY WEEK, subject to change (this information is also available on Canvas  on the module for each week):

 

  • WEEK 1 (10/14-10/19): Introduction to the course
  • Reading: “Meat,” Virgilio Piñera (3 pgs.).
  • Reading: Havana Salsa, Introduction, Viviana Carballo (4 pgs.).
  • Reading: “Epilogue: Why Gastronarratives Matter,” María Paz Moreno (6 pgs.).
  • Reading: “Why We Eat What We Eat and Why We Worry About It,” Paul Rozin (23 pgs.).
  • Assignments:
  1. Watch Erica’s lecture for week 1.
  2. Discussion board participation questions, week 1: Respond with text comments to Discussion Board participation questions 1 and 2 (due Sunday 10/19 at 11:59pm). No peer responses due for these questions this week. 
  3. Post a video on the Discussion Board introducing yourself to the class on the “Class Introductions” thread (due Saturday 10/18 at 11:59pm – extended for Fall Wellness Day).
  4. Then, find a classmate you have something in common with (major, hometown, interests, etc.) or whose post you enjoyed and reply with a text comment letting them know (due Sunday 10/19 at 11:59pm).
  • Friday, 10/17: Fall Wellness Day

 

  • WEEK 2 (10/20-10/26):
  • Reading:The New York Times, “An Animal’s Place,” Michael Pollan (17 pgs.).
  • Assignments:
  1. Post video on VoiceThread in response to Erica’s questions for week 2 by Friday, October 24th at 11:59 p.m.
  2. Post response video on VoiceThread in which you respond directly to the video of one classmate by Sunday, October 26th at 11:59 p.m.
  3. Class Topics Presentation 1, The Ethics of Eating Animals: recorded presentation due on Discussion Board by Sunday October 26th at 11:59pm (members of presenting group only).
  4. Watch Erica’s lecture for week 2.
  5. Discusson Board participation questions week 2: Respond with text comments to Erica’s question(s) on the Discussion Board (due Friday October 24th at 11:59pm); then respond to at least one classmate’s reply with text comments expressing agreement, courteous disagreement/debate, additional info or follow-up questions (due Sunday October 26th at 11:59pm).

 

  • Monday, 10/20: Last day to add (with instructor permission) or drop a 7B course.

 

  • WEEK 3 (10/27-11/2):
    • Video Clip: “Sazón,” Celia Cruz (YouTube).
    • Reading: English translation of lyrics.
    • Reading: Isabel Molina-Guzmán, “The Cultural Legacy of 'Negrita'” (Visible magazine).
    • Assignments:
  1. Post video on VoiceThread in response to Erica’s questions by Friday, October 31st at 11:59 p.m.
  2. Post response video on VoiceThread in which you respond directly to the video of one classmate by Sunday, November 2nd at 11:59 p.m.
  3. Watch Erica’s lecture for week 3.
  4. Class Topics Presentation 2, Food in Music, Literature and Art: recorded presentation due on Discussion Board by Sunday November 2nd at 11:59pm (members of presenting group only).
  5. Discussion Board participation questions week 3: Respond with text comments to Erica’s question(s) on the Discussion Board (due Friday October 31st at 11:59pm); then respond to at least one classmate’s reply with text comments expressing agreement, courteous disagreement/debate, additional info or follow-up questions (due Sunday November 2nd at 11:59pm).
  6. Quiz 1 due by Sunday, November 2nd at 11:59pm.

 

 

  • WEEK 4 (11/3-11/9):
    • Reading: “Native Food and Male Emotions: Alimentary Encounters between White Travelers and Their ‘Others’ in Nineteenth-Century Colombia,” Mercedes López Rodríguez (13 pgs.).
    • Reading: “The Columbian Exchange,” Rebecca Earle (9 pgs.).
    • Reading: “Feeding Hard Bodies: Food and Masculinities in Men’s Fitness Magazines,” Fabio Parasecoli (18 pgs.).
    • Assignments:
  1. Post video on VoiceThread in response to Erica’s questions by Friday, November 7that 11:59 p.m.
  2. Post response video on VoiceThread in which you respond directly to the video of one classmate by Sunday, November 9th at11:59 p.m.
  3. Class Topics Presentation 3, Masculinity in Men’s Food and Fitness Advertising: recorded presentation due on Discussion Board by Sunday November 9that 11:59pm (members of presenting group only).
  4. Watch Erica’s lecture for week 4.
  5. Discussion Board participation questions week 4: Respond with text comments to Erica’s question(s) on the Discussion Board (due Friday November 7th at 11:59pm); then respond to at least one classmate’s reply with text comments expressing agreement, courteous disagreement/debate, additional info or follow-up questions (due Sunday November 9th at 11:59pm).
  6. Food Autobiography due Sunday November 9th at 11:59pm.

 

 

  • WEEK 5 (11/10-11/16):
  • Reading: “Cooking Lesson,” Rosario Castellanos (9 pgs.).
  • Reading: “Sense of Place and Gender in Rosario Castellanos’s ‘Cooking Lesson’,” Elizabeth Montes Garcés (10 pgs.).
  • Reading: “The Feather Pillow,” Horacio Quiroga (4 pgs.).
  • Reading: Rewriting Womanhood: Feminism, Subjectivity, and the Angel of the House in the Latin American Novel, 1887-1903, “Introduction: The Pervasive Obstacle: The Angel of the House,” Nancy LaGreca (p. 5-12).
  • Reading: “Domestic Divo?: Televised Treatments of Masculinity, Femininity and Food,” Rebecca Swenson (16 pgs.).
  • Reading: “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” Laura Mulvey (13 pgs.).
  • Reading: “Food, Culture, and Gender,” Carole Counihan (18 pgs.).
  • Assignments:
  1. Post video on VoiceThread in response to Erica’s questions by Friday, November 14th at 11:59 p.m.
  2. Post response video on VoiceThread in which you respond directly to the video of one classmate by Sunday, November 16that 11:59 p.m.
  3. Class Topics Presentation 4, Gender Performance in Cooking Media: recorded presentation due on Discussion Board by Sunday November 16th at 11:59pm (members of presenting group only).
  4. Watch Erica’s lecture for week 5.
  5. DB participation questions week 5:Respond with text comments to Erica’s question(s) on the Discussion Board (due Friday November 14th at 11:59pm); then respond to at least one classmate’s reply with text comments expressing agreement, courteous disagreement/debate, additional info or follow-up questions (due Sunday November 16th at 11:59pm).
  6. Quiz 2 due by Sunday November 16th at 11:59pm.

 

  • WEEK 6 (11/17-11/23):
    • Reading: “Wild Honey,” Horacio Quiroga (6 pgs.).
    • Video Clip: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (YouTube).
    • Reading: The Paris Review, “Eric Carle and the Art of Fiction” (website link).
    • Reading: On Evil, Thomas Aquinas (excerpts regarding the sin of gluttony, 4 pgs.).
    • Reading: “Not Just ‘a White Girl’s Thing’: The Changing Face of Food and Body Image Problems,” Susan Bordo (12 pgs).
    • Reading: “De-Medicalizing Anorexia: A New Cultural Brokering,” Richard A. O’Connor and Penny Van Esterik (4 pgs.).
    • Assignments:
  1. Post video on VoiceThread in response to Erica’s questions by Friday, November 21st11:59 p.m.
  2. Post video response on VoiceThread in which you respond directly to the video of  one classmate by Sunday, November 23rd at 11:59 p.m.
  3. Watch Erica’s lecture for week 6.
  4. Class Topics Presentation 5, Portrayals of Disordered Eating in Popular Media: recorded presentation due on Discussion Board by Sunday November 23rd at 11:59pm (members of presenting group only).
  5. DB participation questions week 6:Respondwith text comments to Erica’s question(s) on the Discussion Board (due Friday November 21st at 11:59pm); then respond to at least one classmate’s reply with text comments expressing agreement, courteous disagreement/debate, additional info or follow-up questions (due Sunday November 23rd at 11:59pm).
  6. Quiz 3 due by Sunday November 23rd at 11:59pm.
  • Monday, 11/24- Sunday 11/30: Fall Break and Thanksgiving Holiday: no classes held.
  • Monday, 12/1: Last day to withdraw from a 7B course.

 

  • WEEK7 (12/1-12/7):
    • Reading: “Food Justice: What’s Race Got to Do with It?,” David Billings and Lila Cabbil (10 pgs).
    • Reading:The Huffington Post, “‘White People Food’ Is Creating an Unattainable Picture of Health,” Kristen Aiken (website link).
    • Reading:The Wall Street Journal, “The Food That Helps Depression,” Elizabeth Bernstein (2 pgs).
    • Assignments:
  1. Watch Erica’s lecture for week 7 (Food deserts in Philadelphia, Brown’s Grocery, Blackish).
  2. Class Topics Presentation 6, Race, Class, and Food Access: recorded presentation due on Discussion Board by Sunday December 7th at 11:59pm (members of presenting group only).
  3. Post video on VoiceThread in response to Erica’s questions by Sunday, December 7th11:59 p.m. No peer response VoiceThread videos for this week.
  4. Participation week 7: Respond with text comments to Erica’s question(s) on the Discussion Board (due Friday December 5th at 11:59pm); then respond to at least one classmate’s reply with text comments expressing agreement, courteous disagreement/debate, additional info or follow-up questions (due Sunday December 7th at 11:59pm).
  5. Final exam due no later than Wednesday, December 10th by 5pm.
  • Tuesday, 12/9: Study Day

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Grading & Assessment Guidelines

 

Grading Scale

 Grade Percentage Breakdown

Percentage

Letter Grade

93.5-100

A

90-93.49

A-

87.5-89.99

B+

82.5-87.49

B

80-82.49

B-

77.5-79.99

C+

72.5-77.49

C

70-72.49

C-

67.5-69.99

D+

62.5-67.49

D

60-62.49

D-

59.99 and lower

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 it is every student's responsibility to keep track of their grades in the Canvas gradebook, and 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.

Table 3 - Final Grade Calculation

Grading Item

Due Date

Percentage

Weekly Discussion Board participation questions

 typed text responses to the professor's DB posts due every Friday by 11:59pm; typed text responses to the response of one classmate of your choice due every Sunday by 11:59pm 20%

VoiceThread video responses 

 video responses to the professor's VoiceThread prompts (titled "Erica's questions for week (#)") due every Friday by 11:59pm; video responses to the response of one classmate of your choice due every Sunday by 11:59pm %20

Food Autobiography

Sunday October 26 at 11:59pm

15%

Group Presentation 

 every Sunday by 11:59pm (see sign-up sheet for your group's particular due date)

20%

Quiz 1

Sunday, November 2 at 11:59pm

5%

Quiz 2

Sunday, November 16 at 11:59pm

5%

Quiz 3

Sunday, November 23 at 11:59pm

5%

Final Exam 

Wednesday December 10 at 5:00pm

%10

 

Late Submissions/Quizzes: 

Life gets in the way for all of us from time to time. Please notify me if you have an illness or other urgent matter or valid reason that may cause you to miss an assignment or deadline as soon as possible. Please do not delay in informing me; as soon as you suspect a problem, let me know. 

Late Assignments:  In the absence of a valid, excused reason or emergency, all late Discussion Board posts, VoiceThread videos, or quizzes will be graded according to the following scale:

Any time the day after the due date: -3 points

Any time 2 days after the due date: -4 points

Any time 3 days after the due date: -5 points

Any time 4 or more days after the due date: not accepted, will receive a grade of 0.

*Any submissions after 11:59pm will be counted as the next day.

Late group presentations (or a student's portion of the presentation) and final exams are not accepted, and will receive a grade of 0.

 

Class Attendance and 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 assignments, such as discussion boards and VoiceThread videos,  or collaborative projects, like the Group Presentation, may require you to log in more frequently. Staying active and on schedule is essential for your success in the course.

 

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.

 

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). 

 

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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

 

Privacy and Data Protection

Please see the links below to become familiar with the privacy policies for each of the following: 

 

Statement on the Use of Generative AI in This Course

NOTE: The use of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, 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. The use of unauthorized AI tools for any assignment will result in a 0 for that assignment. Repeated use of these tools will result in a grade of F for the course.

 

 

 

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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.

 

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