North Seattle Community College
Humanities Division
Spring Quarter 2015
English 101.02
Course Syllabus Addendum: 04/10/2015
Attendance and Late Policy (as adopted by the class through popular vote):
In addition to the 20% attendance policy already described in the syllabus, the following policies are hereby adopted:
 Each student is granted three absences without penalty. The penalty for each absence thereafter will be minus 5
participation points.
 Each student is granted four free late arrivals without penalty. The penalty for each late arrival thereafter will be
minus 2 participation points.
Code of Conduct (as drafted by the class and adopted through popular vote):
As a means to facilitate an optimal learning environment and encourage each and every member of this class to achieve at
their fullest potential, we hereby agree to abide by the following ground rules during in class discussions, activities, and
peer-review:
 Dare to ask questions and strive to be humble and open minded. Be open to examining and revising your own
ideas in response to the ideas of others. Be supportive and respectful so as to create an environment where
everybody feels safe to raise questions and share their thoughts.
 Practice active listening by giving speakers full focus and attention. Actively take notes and use eye contact and
body language that signals interest and encouragement.
 Encourage the expression of diverse opinions and perspectives, and embrace constructive disagreement as not a
win or lose competition, but as a way to explore complex ideas and build shared understanding.
 Strive to cultivate a classroom environment in which it is safe to make mistakes and laugh at ourselves, as this is
the environment most conducive to learning.
 Cultivate a team mentality that is guided by respect and the golden rule. Also, consider what you can contribute
to our shared goals as a class by, for example, preparing questions in advance of class to spark and fuel thoughtful
discussion.
 Carefully avoid negativity, as negativity can drain energy from a class and sabotage the learning environment.
This involves staying focused on ideas, and avoiding both verbal and non-verbal expressions of disapproval
and/or ridicule.
 When giving feedback to your fellow students, be as constructive and detailed as possible, with the goal being to
build each other up at every opportunity.
 Be open to the various learning styles and levels of knowledge. When you don’t know something, see it as an
opportunity to ask a question. When you do know something, see it as an opportunity to enhance discussion so as
to deepen your own knowledge and spread more knowledge to the rest of the class.
 When sharing, strive to project your voice, to stay on point, and be mindful of our time constraints. The instructor
may interrupt speakers if we’re running low on time or if the conversation is going off track and/or causing
confusion. Knowing when to interrupt involves striking a delicate balance, so this item remains open for
reflection and review throughout the quarter.
 Everybody has the option to decline to speak if called upon, though by and large students should strive to be
prepared to share their thoughts during in class activities and discussions.
 Groups should be mindful of group roles that help to create positive and efficient group dynamics. Each group
has the freedom to define and assign their own roles and responsibilities, and each group should stay open to
alternating roles and responsibilities on a regular basis.
 We should all try to hold each other accountable to this code of conduct, and we should all take opportunities to
encourage each other to engage and participate so that we stand the best chance of accomplishing our shared
learning goals this quarter.
These policies are enacted from this day forward. This addendum should be attached to the original syllabus and
considered an extension thereof.