Course Syllabus

POEC 5308: Ethics, Culture and Public Responsibility

(Syllabus is subject to adjustment as we proceed.)

Murray J Leaf UT Dallas

Office: GR 3.128 M 7-9:45pm
Tel: 972 883 2732 CN 1.206
mjleaf@utdallas.edu
Fall 2006
Office hours are one hour before class and by appointment.
There are no prerequisites or co-requisites.

This course considers the principle schools of ethical thought in the world's major cultural
traditions, the interactions between personal behavior and cultural groups/norms, and their
implications for administrators.

A central question in discussions of ethics is whether there can be a “situational ethic” or whether
ethics must always involve following fixed rules. Another is whether ethics is compatible with pluralism
or multiculturalism. This course provides a general consideration of major schools of ethical thought,
the interactions between personal behavior and cultural groups/norms, and the implementation of
public responsibility. Topics to be considered include tensions between personal and collective goals,
the nature and limits of tolerance, and the role of institutions such as the family, government,
business, churches and interest groups.

The format is seminar-discussion, focusing on readings dealing with the ethics of administrative
positions of public trust through time, through history and across cultures. We will have two take-
home examinations and two papers. The first paper will be a proposal, which will be presented in class
and discussed. The second will be the final paper, ideally but not necessarily based on the original
proposal. What we will find is that underneath the enormous cultural, historical, and situational
differences that separate the writers we will study, there appears to be one major recurrent question
and one main answer. The recurrent question is whether one can have ethical values that respond to
different circumstances and different situations, or whether ethics, to be ethics, must involve a set of
absolute rules to be followed no matter what. The one major answer is that despite the seeming
attractiveness of clear and fixed rules, once you think about it enough you realize that ethics can only
be situational. The most basic principles of ethics cannot be iron rules of behavior of the form “Always
do Y” or even “In circumstance X you follow rule Y” but rather much more like, “To deal with a
situation properly and effectively, you have to place yourself in the positions of each of those involved
and ask what principles they might have acted on that all the others involved would feel bound to
accept.” The implication is that to make proper ethical judgments about a situation you must first be
able to analyze it empirically. This is not necessarily easy but there are very definite ways to do it,
which will be described.

Readings not on the web will be in the bookstore. ALWAYS BRING THE READINGS TO CLASS. The
readings are not voluminous, but they are serious. You should plan on reading them before class but,
usually, feeling that you do not understand them very well. In class you will understand them better.
If then read them again after the class, within a day or two, you will understand them better yet and
they will probably stick.

I will try to make recordings of the class discussions and post them here so they can be downloaded.
The format is dvf which are Sony voice files. Windows Media Player should play them. If not, it should
say it needs a plug in, and go get it when you say it can. If this does not happen, this appears to be a
site that lets you download the Sony plugin for the WMP and install the plugin yourself:
http://www.sony.jp/products/overseas/contents/support/download/dl-ic128-01.html

For accreditation, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools requires all courses at UTD to
state specific “Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes.” For this course, the objectives are:

Objective 1. To provide a general consideration of principle schools of ethical thought, the interactions
between personal behavior and cultural groups/norms, and the implementation of public responsibility.

Objective 2. To show how ethical theories are related to law.

Objective 3. To enable students to analyse actual decisions from one or more ethical perspectives.

This should not be understood as precluding the more general objectives of all graduate courses,
namely to read and master the material, learn the kind of critical thinking that it requires, and to
understand how one can conduct research on these topics.

Required Textbooks and Materials

BOOKS

Protagoras by Plato, Stanley Lombardo, Karen Bell. Publisher: Hackett Pub Co; (March
1992) ISBN: 0872200949

Grube, G. M. A. Trans., Plato Five Dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo -- by
G.M.A. Grube (Translator); Hackett Paperback 6.95 @ Amazon. ISBN 0-915145-22-7 The
second edition (newly out) is also ok. ISBN: 0872206335

Kant, E. 1964. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Harper Collins (Used) ISBN :
0061311596 (Be sure to get the Paton translation.)

Mill: Utilitarianism. George Sher (Editor); Hardcover. Price at Amazon is $3.95 ISBN:
087220605X

The Moral Writings of John Dewey (Great Books in Philosophy) by John Dewey, James
Gouinlock (Editor) ISBN: 0879758821

Goffman, E. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Anchor Book.ISBN 0-385-09402-7

9.56 @ Amazon

Suggested Course Materials

Dstoyevsky The Grand Inquisitor Paperback Hackett Publishing. $4.95@Amazon ISBN 0-
87220-228-3

Date and Topic (numbered heads indicate separate topics):

Aug 21. Introduction

A major theme of the course is that there are two main models of ethics and what ethical
systems. I will describe them today. In that context I will also discuss Roman law. There are two
reasons for beginning with this. The first is that it is in Roman law that we first see the major opposed
views of ethics that we will track through the readings in this course, essentially the opposition
between situational ethics and absolutist ethics. The second is that in practice, most ethical problems
we have as people with public responsibilities arise in relation to law, and these two models are both
present in the law and applicable to the problem of interpreting and applying it. For many of you this
will be new material. For a somewhat more systematic summary of what I describe in class, click
here.

1. Chief Seattle’s speech of 1854, on the nature of a public trust. There is an inauthentic
speech and an authentic speech. Be sure you have the authentic one. He is talking about ethics
and culture, not ecology. http://www.webcom.com/duane/seattle.html

For recording of first meeting, click here.

Aug 28. Traditional Asian Administrative Ethics.

2. Chinese Ethical Thought: Confucianism versus Legalism. These are radically opposed to one another.
Ask yourself what American or Western positions each of them corresponds to. What are our versions of
each of the major ideas stated?
Confucius: The Analects. The role of the official, and the place of education in preparing for it.
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/CHPHIL/ANALECTS.HTM

Han Fei Tzu: Legalism. http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/hanfei.html

3. Indian Ethical Thought: the Bhagavad Gita: Karma Yoga Yoga means the Yoga of Action. The relevant
section on the web as of 30 Aug 2003 is from the beginning down through the paragraph :

"'Therefore, without being attached always perform the action to be done. Practicing action without being
attached, a person attains the supreme. By action Janaka and others attained perfection. You also
observing what the world needs should act."

This is highly compressed reasoning. Read it deliberately and try to imagine the scene and situation, then
ask what in your own life it corresponds to.
http://www.san.beck.org/Gita.html

Recording of Class discussion

Sep 4. Labor Day Holiday.

Sep 11. Western Foundations: Plato and Socrates versus the Sophists.

The conflict between Sophism and the Socratics, relativism and absolutism (as presented in Plato’s
dialogues).
These readings introduce the first Western versions of the two perspectives that make up the main
themes of the course: the conflict, or choice, between an absolutist ethics and situational ethics. In
these dialogues, Protagoras and Meno represent the position of the Sophists, who argue for situational
ethics and, by implication, democracy. Socrates, as you should be able to see, argues for absolutist
ethics and, by implication, authoritarianism. Plato, as the author of the dialogues, was a staunch
supporter of Socrates. It was not the custom at the time to represent the views of one's opponents
fairly. In this case, however, Protagoras was a very famous Sophist and his views were very well
known, and Plato appears to his represent his views and those of Socrates in a relatively balanced
way. The Apology, Crito, and Phaedo are pure Socrates and in them Plato makes the case as
favorable as he possibly can.
4. The Protagoras is in Off Campus Books and also on the web at

http://eserver.org/philosophy/plato/protagoras.txt

The Meno, Apology and Crito are in Plato Five Dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo --
by G.M.A. Grube (Translator); Paperback 6.95 @ Amazon. The Phaedo is also highly recommended.

Recording of class.

Sep 18. Medieval Absolutism: The Aristotelian Tradition and Aquinas.

Platonism gave rise to Aristotelianism, and both of these were absorbed into the broad Hellenistic
synthesis that dominated Mediterranean intellectual life from about the second century B. C. Judaism
as we now know it, Christianity, and Islam all developed in this context and all absorbed Socratic ideas
to some extent. In Christianity and Judaism, the main initial leanings were toward Plato. In Islam,
which preserved and built upon far more of Greek and Hellenistic science, they were toward Aristotle.
The Emperor Justinian declared himself a protector of Christianity and closed down Plato's Academy in
385 AD -- the last pagan university in Europe.

By the time of Aquinas, the major centers of learning were in the Islamic areas of southern Europe,
north Africa, and the middle east. The European (Catholic) church was in conflict with the rising
European cities. The cities were increasingly interested in science and promoting trade, and the
obvious people to trade with and to learn the latest science from were in the Islamic areas. Aquinas
represents the opening to this attitude within the Catholic Church. In philosophical terms, it was
phrased as dispute between Platonism and Aristotelianism. Aquinas' great work, the Summa
Theologica, attempts in an Aristotelian manner to establish a single, complete, and monolithic
philosophy that includes both all knowledge and all law. It defines, literally, a place for everybody and
everybody in their place. There has never been a more consistent application of the basic
Platonic/Socratic vision of a universe obeying just one absolutely clear ethical system before or since.
It continues to be influential in two main areas. It is still viable theology in the Catholic tradition, and it
continues to serve as an exposition of one of the important versions of the idea of "natural law."

5. Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologica. Natural law and the hierarchy of authority. This is a
beautiful website that lets you expand and contract the work according to its logical construction.
The full Summa is far too large to read. The important thing is not really to read the whole thing,
however, but to see how it is organized and how this applies to our concerns. The website does
an excellent job of bringing this out on the screen, showing the kind of thinking that Aquinas
must have been doing when he composed it. This is the ultimate attempt to make all law and all
ethics seem to follow as one single system from one set or premises. Understand the hierarchy
of principles Aquinas is arguing for and click back and forth between the levels to see how this
works in the argument. For class, print out the list of all four parts (that is, just the page and a
half summary), then in the Second Second Part go to justice and then to question 57 Articles 1
to 4, Question 58 article 1-12, Question 59 articles 1 to 4, question 60 articles 1-4, and Question
61, article 1 and print them out. Go up and down the chain a few times; the point is to see how
completely hierarchical the argument is. In class we will mainly concentrate on his idea of law:
where it comes from and what it consists in. http://www.newadvent.org/summa/

Sep 25. The Foundation of Modern Skepticism and Situational Ethics: Kant. (This might take
more than one session.)

Skepticism arose when the scholars of Plato's academy, a couple of generations after his death,
turned the Socratic method on Socrates own assumptions, asking questions like “What is the essence
of essence?” or What is the definition of definition? The result was that the assumptions could not
hold and Socrates' supposed absolutism gave way to a new version of the original Sophist position it
was aimed at rejecting. Skepticism has continued as the main alternative to the Socratic tradition ever
since. In the second century A D it received its first major comprehensive formulation in the work of
Sextus Empiricus, from which we get the term "empiricism," the method of experience. Empiricism in
turn was reframed by Galileo as the method of experiment, and this continues to be the foundation of
the modern physical sciences. Matters of law, thought, and mind, however, remained without a
foundational skeptical analysis until Emanuel Kant. Kant is often treated in the philosophical literature
as an idealist, although a particularly difficult one. Kant's own statements, however, make it absolutely
clear that he saw himself in the Skeptical tradition, building on David Hume. As Aquinas' work is the
foundation of modern absolutist ethics, Kant's is the definitive foundation of modern situational ethics.

Kant’s starting point is the observation that in general acceptance the only that is good in itself is a
good will. Everything else is good contingently. The next question is what makes a good will, and the
answer to this is that it is one acting out of reverence for the law, or duty. The next question how do
what know what this is, and the answer is based his view of reason--which is exactly what makes this
a metaphysics of morals rather than, in his terms, an anthropology of morals. Trace out the pieces of
the argument and see how they relate to one another.

The key ideas to dig out of Kant's argument are how he distinguishes between something good in
itself and something good for what it leads to, what he means by a good will, "judgment," duty,
universal law and the role of reason in moral judgment. The other main point to note is that it is an
empirical argument. He is not talking about morality "out there" somewhere but rather analyzing our
own basic assumptions. Does what he says get at what you, most fundamentally, already recognize?
As a guide to following Kant's argument, look at the Fall 2003 final exam questions (below).

6. Kant, E. 1964. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Harper Collins (Used)

Recording of 13 Feb 06, last half: Beginning of Kant.

Oct 2. Modern Absolutism (of a sort): Utilitarianism and Positivism.

While Mill is sometimes identified with modern liberalism, in fact he is much closer to modern
libertarians. He is not arguing for a situational ethic. It is, rather, a new although very odd version of
the absolutist approach. The widely cited essay “Utilitarianism” makes this clear. Can you see it? (Is
the key question for ethics what is right, or is it who decides what is right?)

7. Mill: Utilitarianism. (There are also several places where this is on the web.)

Recording of First Half-Kant from Universal Maxim.

Recording of Second Half-Mill

Oct 9. Pragmatism.

In the early part of the 19th century there were enormous advances in what was becoming the social
and behavioral sciences and law, stimulated mainly by Kant and Adam Smith. By the middle of the
century, however, especially after the often abortive liberal revolutions of 1848, there was an anti-
democratic and anti-scientific reaction, revolving mainly around the alternatives presented by Marxism
and positivism. The positivist side the leaders were Auguste Comte (who invented the term), Mill, and
Herbert Spencer. In its European version (starting with Comte), positivism was openly authoritarian
and anti-democratic. In its British version, it was quieter about its anti-democratic aspects and
focused on being pro-capitalist or pro-powerful. Either way, it was the opposite of what Kant and the
Skeptics had argued for and for while succeeded in obscuring their views. A major reaction to
positivism in turn was American pragmatism, begun initially by O W Holmes, William James, C. S.
Peirce, and others at Cambridge. Later, John Dewey and George Herbert Mead became major
spokesmen. You should be able to see Dewey and Mead reject Mill (and Aquinas, of course) and
return to Kant.
8. The Moral Writings of John Dewey (Great Books in Philosophy) by John Dewey, James Gouinlock
(Editor) ISBN: 0879758821 13.68 @ Amazon. Read the following selections: Instrumentalism,
Intelligence and Morals, the Nature of Principles, The Irreducible Plurality of Moral Criteria, Morality is
Social, and The Method of Social Intelligence.

9. Also: George Herbert Mead. "Social Consciousness and the Consciousness of Meaning",
Psychological Bulletin 7 (1910): 397-405.

10. Also if there is time: Dostoyevsky The Grand Inquisitor

This may seem an odd reading. The purpose is to let you see how many different and seemingly
unpredictable ways the same basic positions can be presented. Dostoyevsky is arguing against the
“West” and for what he regards as a truly “Russian” ethical perspective, in which he identifies being
Russian with being an Orthodox Christian. But as you read it, look at the specific positions he
identifies as Western and Christian and ask who they remind you of. Who, in the story, reminds you of
Mill and who of Kant? The most interesting material is the introduction by Guignon. The excerpts from
Dostoyevsky himself are much less clear.

Recording of class discussion.

Midterm take-home on work up to here. (Click here.)

Oct 16. Begin Law and Ethics

This section introduces the last component of the course: the relationship between ethics and law.
For modern administrators, especially in the West, most of the important and difficult ethical issues
you face will be closely involved with questions of law: when to comply, whether to comply and how to
comply. We do more and more with law, and law is moving into newer and newer areas. Because of
this administrators are almost always faced with having to adjust to, apply new legal requirements that
involve the threat of facing legal action. When their efforts are not readily accepted they commonly
lead to lawsuits or even criminal charges, that in turn reflect back upon the law itself. If you want to
handle this situation constructively, or perhaps even to survive it, you had better understand how it
works from a legal perspective. The modern position begins with Holmes. Pound continues the same
development. As you should be able to see, they speak for the Skeptical, not the absolutist,
perspective.

11. Law—Holmes, O W. 1887. The Path of the Law. 10 Harvard Law Review 457.

12. Roscoe Pound. A Survey of Social Interests.

Recording of Class 13 Mar 06. dvf.

Oct 23. Midterm due. The New Deal and labor law, changing views of right to contract and
to organize.

13. National Labor Relations Act and National Labor Relations Board (right to organize and bargain
collectively). This is an example of a single piece of national legislation establishing a whole branch of law
and an administrative apparatus to implement it. The act can be read and downloaded from the National
Labor Relations Board site at http://www.nlrb.gov/nlrb/legal/manuals/rules/act.asp Read carefully at least
the Introduction and look over the rest, noting what the sections pertain to. Then, to see how it is
implemented, look at the front page of the same NLRB US Govt. site: http://www.nlrb.gov/ Got to "Site
Map" and look especially at the "Structure" section. Click on the subsections for "Board" and "General
Council." Understand how it implements the Act. Also in the NLRB site, you can go to "Cases" and look
them over. For class we will discuss the K. O. Steele case, just because it is in Texas
http://www.nlrb.gov/nlrb/shared_files/weekly/w2927.htm#Steel.

See also the NLRB page at lawmemo.com, an employment law firm, at:

http://www.lawmemo.com/emp/nlrb/default.htm

Labor magazine: http://sweatmag.org/

Look over the article topics to help yourself imagine the conditions the NLRA was aimed at changing.
Also, just for fun, read the article titled The Fast Track to a Great Social Security System.

As a bonus, here is much meatier NLRB transcript of a case involving a cousin of mine, Selma Rattner.
She inherited Paragon Paint from her father, and evidently was unable to deal with it and hated it. The
workers were stuck. Click here.

Recording of class discussion.

Oct 30. Paper proposals due. A proposal is simply a short statement of what you propose to
write on and what you expect to find. One page is generally enough. We will discuss the
proposals together in class. Bring two copies.

14. Goffman, E. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life 9.56 @ Amazon

From about 1880 to 1935, the ever-moving pendulum of public attention swung back to the skeptical
tradition, led by pragmatism in the United States and closely allied traditions descending mainly from
Wilhelm Wundt, Gestalt psychology, and sociological jurisprudence in Europe. After then, however, and
over the period of World War II, positivism was again resurgent, mainly in the form of what was called
Logical Positivism and the German positivist sociology of Max Weber. In the 1950s, Erving Goffman
was one of the first to make a clear (but quiet) return to the pragmatic tradition. The Presentation of
Self is both a new form and a particularly clear application of what the Mead and Dewey had described
as symbolic interactionism.

Nov 6. Civil and Human Rights.

15. Human Rights. Universal Declaration of Human Rights

http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
The full interactive Helsinki Accords Final Act http://www.hri.org/docs/Helsinki75.html

16. Persecution and the right to escape it--Asylum and immigration.

The Matter of T. (Sri Lanka.)

15. Civil Rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission—law and cases.

http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/vii.html Remember that this is only one section of the Act. If you can,
read the rest.

17. Discrimination attorney site: http://www.discriminationattorney.com/

Look over the topics and read the article on winning a 1.35 million dollar claim. See it as an illustration of
the way legislation has created incentives to use courts to develop law.

Nov 13. Affirmative Action and Diversity. We will concentrate mainly on higher education and on
the Grutter opinion (the Michigan case--last item. From my perspective, this is a perfect illustration of
an area in which any general rule you try to write or apply will not work, and there is no choice for an
ethical administrator but to fall back on what will make the best possible sense in the situation and
hope that if your decision is challenged the courts will eventually have to agree.

Timeline of affirmative action and UT Austin's enrollment history. Related URL's are:
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/affirmativetimeline1.html
And
http://www.utexas.edu/academic/oir/statistical_handbook/02-03/students/s04b/

The College Board & Diversity: www.collegeboard.org/diversity/

Another interesting source: http://www.diversityweb.org/

A site for research into issues of diversity and affirmative action in California,” the Affirmative Action and
Diversity Project: http://aad.english.ucsb.edu/

The U of Michigan Case in perspective--two papers about the Michigan case:

http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/highered/ad/mich_white_paper.pdf

http://www.nixonpeabody.com/linked_media/publications/ELPA_06232003.pdf

Finally, the opinion of the Court, written by Justice O’Conner, on the Grutter case. This is the case
concerning law school admissions, in which the court held that race could be considered. Click here. You
can also find it with Google, just enter Grutter v Bollinger.

Recording of discussion of Matter of T and Affirmative Action (06).

Nov20. Disabilities. Tentative Topic: We will discuss the Schiavo case from the point of view of the
differing perspectives on including that of those concerned with disabilities rights. A central issue is
the way we define "death" and what it means with respect to your legal rights. Richard Scotch will
make a presentation and lead the discussion.

For the second half of the class, we will make up the final exam questions. Submit possible questions
before class. For the list of possible questions submitted so far, click here.

18. A very short notice that sets up the issues of the Shiavo case in plain language is:
http://www.notdeadyet.org/docs/schiavostatement032005.html
Another statement representing the position of the same group, debating with the attorney for
Michael Shiavo, is: http://www.terrisfight.org/coleman.html
The Texas "Futile Care Law" :
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/docs/HS/content/htm/hs.002.00.000166.00.htm
A little overview on About, with links:
http://civilliberty.about.com/cs/humaneuthinasia/a/bgTerry.htm

If you are interested in the education issues, the reading was the Introduction and Chapter 4 of
Jumping the Queu. Click here I apologize for the roughness. I had to scan and edit it to put in a form
that I could post, and have not had enough time to make it neat. I have left in some page heads from
the original to refer to when we discuss it, but could not set up pages in a way that will be uniform.
Also I have doubtless not caught all the computer's mis-identifications of letters.
Recording of class (05). msv file

Nov 27. Patriot Act, Review and Conclusions. This is the last class day. Finals and papers will
probably be due Monday the 31st. If I am not in my office, slide the papers under the door. email a
digital copy or provide one on disk. If I have to scan the paper, I might very well have to assign an
incomplete until I can get to it.

19. The Patriot Act.

http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html
Look it over. You will see it is a long list of specific changes to other acts. To get a sense of what they
mean look first read section 2 (Severability) then at section 902. Then look at the act it amends,
particularly US Code 1802:Chapter 36:SC1:Section 1802.

FBI access to web communications. Again look at the Patriot Act. This time read Title II down
to at least Section 502, but focus on 204. Then read the Foreign Surveillance and
Intelligence Act section that 204 refers to: Section 402 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
of

1978 (50 U.S.C. 1842 and 1843) . Also look at the definition of foreign power in 1801. Note that
terrorists are now equated with foreign governments. It makes a kind of sense, but what is the
danger?

There is an overview of FISA at http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/fisa/

This includes a link to an ACLU press release you should read, beginning "In a first-ever ruling...'
concerning a ruling of the FISA court. The link is in the fifth bullet at the beginning of discussion.

Grading Policy

The weighting of the assignmennts in the final grade is 30% or the midterm, 30% for the final, and
40% for the paper. For details of the paper assignment, including guidelines for avoiding plagiarism,
click here.

Course & Instructor Policies

Since the exams will be takehome, I cannot think of any possible reason to fail to hand it in on time.
There are no “extra credit” or make-ups.

No Field Trips

The following statements are standard for all syllabi and come from general UTD rules. They are required
in response to accreditation critiria of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the
orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and each student
organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and
activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to
Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.
 The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and
established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of
Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student
Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and
regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are
available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she
is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and
administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such
conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such
conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the
value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that
degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her
scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for
enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or material that is not one’s
own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism,
collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to
disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is
unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for
details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism
and is over 90% effective.

Email Use

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues concerning
security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official
student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff
consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the
university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding and the
security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be
used in all communication with university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T.
Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses. These
dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures must be
followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words,
I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not
receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the
university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.
 In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of
academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter
with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter
called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and
evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the
respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written
response provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the
grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean
of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals
Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals process
will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where
staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the
semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be
resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to
complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the
incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Services

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to
those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office
hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.;
and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary to
eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove classroom
prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind.
Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral
presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students with mobility impairments
may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university may need to provide special
services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation.
Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members to verify that the student has
a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the
professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the travel
to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property
tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.
The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the
absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam
or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the
absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed
exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or
assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a
religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable
time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a
ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer
or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor
will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or designee.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.