Policy on Civility and Comportment in the Classroom

The classroom experience is the heart of liberal education, and as such is the most important aspect of 你的 火博体育大学 education. Presumably if you did not agree, you would not be attending Skidmore. The 教师 of the 政治科学系 takes this understanding as the basis of our educational efforts. 这是一种尝试 to honor the centrality of the classroom experience that we offer this department policy on civility and comportment.

如《 学生手册, 你的 presence at 火博体育大学 is contingent upon 你的 acceptance of, and full adherence to, the 火博体育大学 Honor Code. This honor code is distinct from the oath you take when writing a paper or taking an exam—it is in fact much more all-encompassing 并要求.

The Code includes the following statement: "I hereby accept membership in the 火博体育大学 community and, with full realization of the responsibilities inherent in membership, do agree to adhere to honesty and integrity in all relationships, to be considerate of the rights of others, and to abide by the College regulations." Elsewhere, the Code also calls all Skidmore students to "conform to high standards of fair play, integrity, and honor."

What does it mean to do act honestly, with integrity, and according to high standards of fair play, particularly in the classroom? In our view, it includes, minimally, 以下几点:

1. No student shall lessen the learning experience of others in the classroom by arriving 上课迟到.
2. No student shall lessen the learning experience of others in the classroom by leaving the classroom 在上课期间, except for true medical emergencies.
3. Cell phones must be turned off during class.
4. No student shall disrupt the learning experience of others in the classroom by talking to a neighbor, writing notes to other students, reviewing one's mail, reading the newspaper, completing homework for other classes, or playing with the laptop computer, 在上课期间.
5. No student shall disrespect other Skidmore students, professors, or the housekeeping staff by putting feet on the desks or other furniture in the classroom, or by leaving trash, food, or recyclables in the room at the end of the class session.
   
   While we will hold all students to these minimal expectations, we also have some suggestions for those who seek to go beyond the bare minimum of civil classroom comportment to become the type of mature, responsible, active learners who are an asset to any classroom 整个社会. 其中包括:
6. Every student should take copious and meaningful notes both on assigned readings and 在课堂上. Note-taking is an important skill. 如果你还没有 possess it, you should acquire it.
7. Every student should take some time to review the notes that he or she has taken on the day's assigned reading before each class meeting. 你会惊讶地发现 more invested and engaged in the class you will feel if you go into the classroom 准备充分.
8. Disruptions in class can be a significant impediment to learning, and no member of the Skidmore community—including 教师 and students—should tolerate them. 因此每一个 student should take responsibility for holding his or her peers and classmates to both high academic standards and high standards of civility. 如果你身边的人 are chatting, passing notes or otherwise detracting from the overall quality of 你的 classroom experience, don't let them get away with it.
9. Individual 教师 members in the 政治科学系 will determine the level of sanctions for disruptive behavior.