Requirements and Suggestions
How to take the course (in a nutshell):
Show up. Attendance is mandatory every week. Do the work and
the assignments. Do the readings and come prepared to ask questions. Turn work
in on time. Contribute to the discussions. Check the course website for the
latest information about assignments and activities.
Evaluation
Students must demonstrate satisfactory achievement of course
objectives through fulfillment of course projects and by contributing to class
discussions and critiques.
Grading
35% Integrated Research Studies (7% each x 5): essay, sculpture,
visualization, archi-structures, perceptual
studies
35% Final Project
20% Final Scholarly research paper (10 page properly cited
and footnoted in The Chicago
Manual of Style)
10% Participation in class
Letter grade equivalents for the course are as follows:
A=4.0, A-=3.67, B+=3.33 B=3.0, B-= 2.67, C+= 2.33, C=2.0 C-=
1.67, D+=1.33, D=1.0,
F=0.0
Participation: you
are invited, encouraged, and expected to engage actively in discussion,
reflection and activities.
Class Attendance Policy
As an enrolled student, you have made a commitment to this
class and your attendance is a significant part of that commitment. Attendance
will be taken at every class. An absence is considered excused if the student
has informed the course instructor by phone, email or in person before the
beginning of the class and the excuse is considered reasonable by the
instructor. All students are required to be on time and in attendance for each
and every class. Students arriving to class more than 10 minutes late may be
counted as absent. Two (2) unexcused absences will result in a reduction
of one entire letter grade.
Adherence to deadlines is expected. It is the individual student's
responsibility to keep track of deadlines and to present the work to the class
and instructor on the specified dates. 15% per day will be subtracted from late
assignments.
If you are concerned about your creative trajectory or your
grade at any point during the semester, please do not hesitate to contact your
Instructor and schedule an appointment during office hours.
Academic Honesty
Statement On Academic Integrity
Class Specific
Collaboration and discussion about class projects is actively
encouraged, and is in no way considered cheating. This is a studio course, and
personal ownership of information is not deemed to be appropriate. Original writings (properly footnoted), images, sculptures, visualizations,
archi-structures, perceptual studies, and designs are
required except where indicated otherwise. Projects are expected to
reflect personal endeavor, but may also be collaborative in nature when the
nature of the collaboration is clearly indicated.
Academic Integrity
Student-teacher relationships are built on trust. For
example, students must trust that teachers have made appropriate decisions
about the structure and content of the courses they teach, and teachers must
trust that the assignments that students turn in are their own. Acts, which
violate this trust, undermine the educational process. The Rensselaer Handbook
of Student Rights and Responsibilities defines various forms of Academic
Dishonesty and you should make yourself familiar with these. In this class, all
assignments that are turned in for a grade must represent the student’s own
work. In cases where help was received, or teamwork was allowed, a notation on
the assignment should indicate your collaboration. Submission of any assignment
that is in violation of this policy will result in a penalty of a grade of F
given for failure in the course and also further disciplinary action as
outlined in the Handbook of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
Addressing Academic Dishonesty
at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Intellectual integrity is critical to the foundation of all
academic work. Academic dishonesty, therefore, is considered a serious matter
and will be addressed as such. As defined in the current Rensselaer Handbook
of Student Rights and Responsibilities, examples of academic dishonesty
include, but are not limited to: academic fraud, collaboration, copying, cribbing,
fabrication, plagiarism, sabotage, and substitution. Additionally, attempts to
commit academic dishonesty, or to assist in the commission or attempt of
such an act, are also violations of the academic dishonesty policy. If found in violation of the academic dishonesty policy, students
may be subject to two types of penalties. The instructor administers an
academic (grade) penalty of F, and the student may also enter the Institute
judicial process and be subject to such additional sanctions as: warning,
probation, suspension, expulsion, and alternative actions as defined in the
current Handbook of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
Required Materials
• An active RCS account.
• Approximately 7 to 10 dvds
• Other materials on a project basis
• You may be making a number of manifestations of your work
on and off campus. The costs vary, but be prepared to
incur at least $25 in fabrication/material costs.
Electronic Communication
Email: All students are expected to have an active
electronic mail account, and should check mail at least four times a week for
class information. Some essential class information is communicated by email
only.
Work Habits
Always back-up your work frequently; that is, every time you
make something you think is worth keeping. Systems crash when least
expected and you could lose all your work. It is a good idea to
make three backups (on different media), as storage media are sometimes
unstable. Always save onto your own media or into your account as files left on
hard drives will be removed.
Also, please keep in mind the highly addictive aspects of
working with computers. Many people lose track of time and later wonder why
they have severe back, neck and eye problems. It is a good idea to take a
rest every 15 to 20 minutes. Look up or beyond your computer or, better
still, at a long distance to relax your eyes. Take a walk or
stretch. Fatigue can lead to frustration. Stay in touch with your body's
needs.
Try not to harm or deface any equipment in any way or lose
files and folders belonging to our class or other classes.
For problems in the studio please be specific in your email
and contact: engine-l@lists.rpi.edu
Please follow the guidelines for working in each studio very
carefully, as you will be held personally responsible for problems you incur.
At all times please keep the lab clean after each use.