University of Waterloo
ISS 220R CHANGING CONCEPTS OF CHILDHOOD
Professor: Dr. Kristina R. Llewellyn
Winter 2012: January 3 – April 2
When: Wednesday 1:00-3:50pm Room: REN 0201
Email: kristina.llewellyn@uwaterloo.ca Phone: 519-884-4400 ext.28631 Office: 0101C
Office Hours: Wednesday 9:30-11:30am and by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Childhood has changed as a social and cultural concept. This course will trace these
changes, examining sociological, psychological, cross-cultural, historical, and political factors.
Childhood is sometimes viewed as ‘natural’ and unchanging. An understanding of childhood
through the study of history and the social sciences teaches us that it is constructed daily and
differently. Class, race, gender, sexuality, religion, and (dis)ability all shape how children and
young people experience life. This course examines past childhoods in North America,
primarily Canada, from the late nineteenth century to the present as a way of gaining insight
into the issues confronted by today’s children and young people. To know for example that
work, both paid and unpaid, has always been part of young people’s experience or that
anxiety around ‘proper’ families has been commonplace means that we can better
understand and plan for what we confront today. Our readings, lectures, small group
activities, and assignments aim to foster a deeper understanding of childhood as a socially
constructed idea. Our examination of representations of children and young people
emphasizes the critical reading of news, film, artifacts, policy, and first person accounts to
ask how parents, doctors, teachers, and experts, amongst others, determined who and what
was ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ regarding childhood. We will juxtapose what adults said about
children and youth and how children and youth experienced their own worlds.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
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Students will be able to recognize that childhood is socially constructed by institutions,
popular culture, adult ‘experts’, policies, and the state
Students will be able to compare and contrast past childhoods with present
conceptions of childhood
Students will be able to define how historical knowledge of childhood changes our
understanding of contemporary child welfare issues and initiatives
Students will be able to describe how childhood has been and continues to be shaped
by gender, class, race, sexuality, religion, and disability
Students will be able to interpret and critique the meaning(s) of childhood represented
in primary and secondary sources
Students will be able to name the elements of a strong research paper and
demonstrate this knowledge by writing a paper on changing concepts of childhood
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REQUIRED TEXTS:
Mona Gleason, Tamara Myers, Leslie Paris, and Veronica Strong-Boag (editors). Lost Kids:
Vulnerable Children and Youth in Twentieth-Century Canada and the United States.
Vancouver: UBC Press, 2010. This text is available at the bookstore.
Additional journal articles and book chapters are available through Course Reserves
https://www.reserves.uwaterloo.ca/ares/. Links are provided for resources available
electronically. Print resources are located in the Renison Lusi Wong Library and may be
borrowed on a 3 hour loan. Primary sources are available using the links provided or are
available through the Childhood Museum housed in LEARN (unless otherwise noted). You
are encouraged to collect readings at the beginning of term so they are available as required.
ASSIGNMENTS AND EVALUATION:
1) Participation
2) The Politics of Childhood Seminar Leadership
3) Museum of Childhood Analysis
4) Introduction for Essay (optional)
5) Changing Concepts of Childhood Essay (+10% without an introduction)
15%
25%
20%
10%
30%
1) Participation (15%)
DEADLINE: Throughout the course
Students are expected to attend class regularly and to be prepared for discussion. The
criteria for evaluating class participation is based on a student's understanding of material,
the ability to foster discussion, demonstration of an understanding of others, and willingness
to engage in seminar activities. Discussion is essential to the development and articulation of
ideas. Discussion, like writing, is hard work, requiring preparation and commitment. It also
takes practice. To be fully prepared for discussion, you should come to class having
completed the readings and at least one of the following:
 Write down ‘golden lines’ from the readings and explain why these quotes were
significant.
 Make note of ‘furrowed brows’ moments from the readings and pose questions about
those sections that when answered may provide clarification.
 Reflect on ‘head scratcher’ ideas from the readings and describe why these concepts
were thought provoking.
 Respond to one or more of the discussion questions provided in the syllabus for that
week’s readings.
We need to work to ensure that the class is a respectful place where quality dialogue with
others is paramount. When you need clarification about course content, please say so during
class. You are probably not the only one in a quandary and you will be helping the group
clarify ideas. If you are having problems in speaking, see me for further participation
strategies. Participation is worth 15% of your overall grade.
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2) The Politics of Childhood Group Seminar Leadership (25%)
DEADLINE: Weeks 4 to 11 inclusive
Conceptions of childhood are imbued with political significance. Definitions of ‘normal’
children and youth, and who defines ‘proper’ childhoods, are sources of social, cultural, and
legal controversy. Whether the issue is obesity rates or violence in society, the child is often
the centre of attention. However, debates regarding children’s moral and physical well-being
are not new. For example, moral panics about youth promiscuity have been pronounced
since the mid-twentieth century. For this assignment, peer groups will lead the class in an
examination of a debate about the current state of childhood as it relates to past conceptions
of children and youth. Each group is responsible for questioning our taken-for-granted ideas
about today’s child by engaging in a critical socio-historical analysis of the topic suggested for
the week (or a topic of the group’s choosing in consultation with me). Each group should
address the following questions:
 Why is this topic a controversy today?
 How are children and youth being represented?
 Who is shaping this conception of childhood and for what purposes?
 What children benefit or are disadvantaged by this representation of childhood?
 How is this political discussion similar or dissimilar to past concerns or debates about
the state of childhood and society?
 How might this issue be reconceptualized to advantage children and youth?
Groups will consist of approximately 5 individuals. The group is responsible for leading the
class through a discussion and/or activity on the topic. Each seminar should be designed to
assist the entire class in creatively highlighting and exploring issues, debates, and questions
that arise regarding the topic in relation to the secondary and primary sources assigned for
that week. The seminar activity will require collaboration amongst group members. You are
required to do additional reading for the seminar. You are encouraged to use a variety of
media to enrich the class (e.g. newspapers, policies, songs, websites, museums, archives,
children’s books, movies, and storytelling). The seminar is meant to be interactive. Your
grade will be based on how well you communicate your critical socio-historical analysis of the
topic in relation to main themes in the readings and your efforts to engage classmates in their
own analysis of the politics of childhood. Each seminar leadership session will be
approximately 45 minutes long and will take place during the second half of each class.
Please adhere to this time limit, leaving time for me to follow-up on queries and discussion.
I will provide more detailed evaluation criteria (a rubric) early in the course. Seminar
leadership is worth 25% of your final grade. Each member of a group will receive the same
grade unless there is a clear indication that one member did not fully participate. You will be
provided with a peer evaluation and self-evaluation form to comment upon the participation of
each group member. I strongly encourage each group to meet with me at least one week in
advance of their seminar to discuss possible activities, resources, and audio-visual needs.
Each class member is responsible for completing the readings to actively engage in the
discussion and/or activity (see note on participation).
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3) Museum of Childhood Artifact and Analysis (20%)
DEADLINE: Artifact and paper posted to the museum in LEARN before February 15th,
2012 (hard copy submitted by the beginning of class)
Note: If you do not wish for your paper to be accessible to others then please submit
the artifact to the museum and the paper to the LEARN drop box.
Throughout the course, we will develop our own museum of childhood. This museum,
housed in LEARN, will contain artifacts about children and youth during the twentieth-century.
Each student is responsible for contributing one primary source/artifact to the museum and
writing a paper that explores the significance of that source to our understanding of
childhood. Your artifact and paper will be posted to the museum in LEARN before February
15th. If you do not wish for your paper to be accessible to others, please submit your artifact
to the museum and your paper to the LEARN drop box.
Primary sources listed as readings for each week are already posted in the museum and
serve as examples of artifacts you may contribute. Primary sources may include: diaries,
pictures, songs, newspaper clippings, oral histories, children’s books, school textbooks,
government records, etc. You may find these sources at public historical websites, within
library history databases, at local and national archives, or in your personal records. The
museum collection will be used for your final essay, so please explore your classmates’
contributions. You will have an opportunity to share your museum contributions with each
other during class. The museum will grow as other classes contribute to it in the future.
Each student will write a two to three page (approx. 500-750 words), typed, double-spaced
paper that analyzes the meaning of his/her artifact for understanding past childhoods. The
paper should briefly describe the source, where it was located, and the reason for its
selection. The paper should then address the significance of the artifact by answering the
following questions:
 What does this particular source tell us about childhood? What does it mean?
 Why is the source important for our understanding of childhood?
 How does the authorship and type of source inform the content?
 How are dominant conceptions of childhood, as represented by your source, similar to
or dissimilar to today’s conceptions of childhood?
To reflect on these responses, you should rely heavily upon the course readings and
lectures. It may be helpful for you to choose a primary source that deals with one of the
major themes in the course. You may choose to use additional readings, but this is not a
requirement. The paper will be evaluated based on the content outlined above. I will provide
detailed evaluation criteria (a rubric) early in the course. A hard copy of the paper should be
submitted at the beginning of class on February 15th (following submission of the artifact and
paper to LEARN before February 15th). This assignment is worth 20% of your total grade.
4) Introduction to Changing Concepts of Childhood Essay (10% OPTIONAL)
DEADLINE: March 7th, 2012 (by the beginning of class with a copy submitted to LEARN
by midnight)
NOTE: If you choose not to submit an introduction then your paper will be worth 40%.
Each student has the option of submitting a one page, typed, double-spaced introduction for
his/her final essay. The introduction should be one paragraph that includes a catchy general
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topic sentence, a subsequent sentence or two that narrows the topic, the question to be
addressed (see options listed below for your final essay), an answer to this question, namely,
the thesis/argument, and an outline of the essay structure or evidence (how you will prove the
thesis). The thesis is the centre of any paper (each subsequent sentence and piece of
evidence relates to the thesis). Before writing this assignment, you will need to have
conducted preliminary research and taken time to carefully construct an effective
thesis/argument. In addition to the introductory paragraph, you are required to provide a list
of resources that you will use for the final essay (both from course readings and additional
research). The assignment will be evaluated on the presence of each element of an
introduction (as outlined above), the persuasiveness of the thesis statement/argument, and
the appropriateness of the sources listed. Essential to any essay is early thinking and writing
of an introductory paragraph and outline. This assignment will assist you in writing a strong
final essay with a revised introduction following my individual feedback. The assignment is
due at the beginning of class on March 7th, with a copy submitted to LEARN by midnight.
This assignment is worth 10% of your final grade. If you choose not to submit an introduction
then your final essay will be worth 10% more.
5) Changing Concepts of Childhood Essay (30% or 40% without an introduction
submitted)
DEADLINE: March 28th, 2012 (by the beginning of class with a copy submitted to
LEARN by midnight)
Students will individually write a paper on one of the following questions:
1. How has the concept of childhood changed and/or remained constant in 20 th century
North America?
2. In what ways have the constructions of childhood and the lives of children been
intimately tied to the concept of nationhood in 20th century Canada?
3. How have peoples’ experiences of childhood been shaped by social location(s) (i.e.
gender, class, race, sexuality, and disability) within 20th century North America?
4. In what ways does our understanding of disadvantaged childhood today benefit from
historical knowledge of children’s lives?
5. You may choose to write and answer your own question. If so, you have to consult
with me prior to March 7th.
The essay will be five to six pages (approx. 1,250 to 1,500 words), typed, and double-spaced.
The format must include an introduction, a well-constructed body with appropriate evidence,
a creative conclusion, and proper citations with a works cited list. You are required to use a
minimum of four secondary readings and two primary sources from the course (including the
museum of childhood, but excluding your artifact). You are also required to use a minimum
of two additional resources based on your research of the topic. The paper will be evaluated
on the appropriateness of your thesis/argument (relating to the question), the thoroughness
of evidence, the relevancy and interpretation of primary and secondary sources, the
organization and logic of content, and, finally, writing clarity and integrity. I will provide
detailed evaluation criteria (a rubric) early in the course. A class lecture early in the term will
be dedicated to researching and writing an essay. The essay is due at the beginning of class
on March 28th. You will also submit the paper by midnight to the drop box in LEARN. The
essay is worth 30% of your total grade (40% if you did not submit an introduction).
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WEEKLY SCHEDULE AND REQUIRED READINGS:
Week 1 – January 4: Introduction to Course Themes and Structure
Guiding Questions: Why do children occupy a central place in society? What does
childhood represent in our society? What is involved in understanding conceptions of
childhood over time? What have been and are different conceptions of children and youth?
What does child welfare look like through the eyes of social scientists and historians?
This week will be an introduction to the course topics and an explanation of course
expectations, including the organization of groups for the seminar leadership assignment.
Week 2 – January 11: The Welfare of Children and Youth in Canada’s Past and Today
Guiding Questions: How does a socio-historical perspective of childhood help our
understanding of and work with children today? Upon what general contours about young
people in Canada’s past do scholars from various disciplines have agreement? How might
we research and write about childhood using a socio-historical lens? What is the difference
between secondary and primary sources? What does it mean to have a ‘knee-high’ view?
How do we use primary sources like memoirs, novels, newspapers, policy papers, oral
histories, and films to understand childhood and children over various time periods?
Secondary Source:
Mona Gleason, Tamara Myers, Leslie Paris, and Veronica Strong-Boag, “Introduction,” in
Lost Kids, pp.1-12.
Ruth W. Sandwell, “Reading Beyond Bias: Using Historical Documents in Secondary
Classrooms,” McGill Journal of Education 38, 1 (2003): 168-186. Available in electronic form
through UW course reserves.
Week 3 – January 18: Tutorial on Researching and Writing an Essay
This week will be a library tutorial and lecture on writing a research paper. You should come
to the class with questions about research and writing.
Guest Speaker:
Ms. Lois Clifford (Librarian, Renison Lusi Wong Library)
Week 4 – January 25: Children and Youth in Families
*Note: This is the first week for student seminar presentations.
Guiding Questions: What does family, especially parental relations, tell us about childhood?
How has family life changed over time? Is the nuclear family a myth? How has the state
shaped family life and thus children’s lives in the Canadian context? How has motherhood
and fatherhood been defined in relation to class, race, religion, and sexuality? What is in the
‘best interests of the child’ regarding family?
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Secondary Sources:
Leslie Paris, “‘The Strange Way We Lived’: Divorce and American Childhood in the 1970s,” in
Lost Kids, pp.175-191.
Cindy L. Baldassi, Susan B. Boyd, and Fiona Kelly, “Losing the Child in Child-Centered Legal
Processes,” in Lost Kids, pp.192-212.
Primary Source:
The Dionne Quintuplet Digitization Project (select Digitized Collection tab along the bottom,
then select any of the museum/library tabs on the left, and choose any of the artifacts listed).
Available at www.city.north-bay.on.ca/quints/digitize/dqdpe.htm
Suggested Seminar Topic:
Emancipation of Minors
Week 5 – February 1: Children and Youth in Schools/Institutions
Guiding Questions: How has the experience of school as an institution, and its teachers,
shaped young people over time? Why have schools and other institutions been so
fundamental in determining the lives of children? What has created the rise and fall of
institutional approaches to childhood? What is the legacy of institutionalization for children
and youth? How do race, disability, and other markers of identity factor into institutional
experiences?
Secondary Sources:
Jean Barman, “Schooled for Inequality: The Education of British Columbia Aboriginal
Children,” in Jean Barman, Neil Sutherland, and J. Donald Wilson, eds., Children, Teachers,
and Schools in the History of British Columbia (Calgary: Detselig Enterprises Ltd., 1995),
pp.57-80. Available in hard copy on course reserve at the Renison Lusi Wong Library.
Veronica Strong-Boag, “‘Forgotten People of All the Forgotten’: Children with Disabilities in
English Canada from the Nineteenth Century to the New Millennium,” in Lost Kids, pp.33-50.
Primary Source:
A Lost Heritage: Canada’s Residential Schools, CBC Archives (select any of the audio or
visual excerpts). Available at http://archives.cbc.ca/society/native_issues/topics/692/
Suggested Seminar Topic:
Aboriginal Education
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Week 6 – February 8: Migration and Adoption of Children and Youth
Guiding Questions: Why have children come to Canada and how have they been
received? How has Canada been both a place of safety and a place of danger for newcomer
and/or migrant children? How has racism and elitism shaped the experience of children and
their families? How have young people lived the feeling of ‘displacement’ over the course of
the century? What policies protect and/or harm migrating children and youth?
Secondary Source:
Marjory Harper, “Cossar’s Colonists: Juvenile Migration to New Brunswick in the 1920s,”
Acadiensis 28, 1 (1998): 47-65. Available in electronic form through UW course reserves.
Karen Dubinsky, “A Haven for Racism?: Canadians Imagine Interracial Adoption,” in Lost
Kids, pp.15-32.
Primary Source:
Sarjeet Singh Jagpal, Becoming Canadians: Pioneer Sikhs in Their Own Words (Madeira
Park: Harbour, 1994) (read at least Section 4, “Getting an Education”). Available at
http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/301/ic/cdc/sikh/section.html
Suggested Seminar Topic:
Open Adoption Records
Week 7 – February 15: Working Children and Youth
*Note: This week we will share our contributions to the Museum of Childhood.
*Note: Deadline for the Museum of Childhood Artifact and Analysis
Guiding Questions: Why do children work for pay? What kinds of work have boys and girls
done? How does work, both paid and unpaid, affect children’s life chances? What has
characterized the regulation and deregulation of children’s work? What is the relationship
among government, economy, culture, and child labour? How has poverty in Canadian
families been lived?
Secondary Sources:
John Bullen, “Hidden Workers: Child Labour and the Family Economy in Late Nineteenth
Century Urban Ontario,” Labour/Le Travail 18 (1986): 163-88. Available in electronic form
through UW course reserves.
Stephen McBride and John Irwin, “Deregulating Child Labour in British Columbia,” in Lost
Kids, pp.230-243.
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Primary Source:
Greg Kealey (editor), Canada Investigates Industrialism: The Royal Commission on the
Relations of Labor and Capital, 1889 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1973), pp.222235. Available in hard copy on course reserve at the Renison Lusi Wong Library.
Suggested Seminar Topic:
Child Poverty
Week 8 – February 22 – Reading Week – No Class
Week 9 – February 29: The Health of the Child and Nation
Guiding Questions: What does the healthy child look like over time? Is recreation and play
a necessity for childhood? What have been threats to children’s health? How has
disadvantage/advantage shaped conceptions of childhood health? What has been the role of
schools, recreation facilities, and other social institutions in improving children’s health? How
is health fundamental to national identity?
Secondary Sources:
Mona Gleason, “‘Lost Voices, Lost Bodies’?: Doctors and the Embodiment of Children and
Youth in English Canada from 1900 to the 1940s,” in Lost Kids, pp.136-153.
Wendy Frisby, Ted Alexander, and Janna Taylor, “Play Is Not a Frill: Poor Youth Facing the
Past, Present, and Future of Public Recreation in Canada,” in Lost Kids, pp.215-229.
Primary Source:
Excerpts from Patrick A. Dunae, ed., The Homeroom: British Columbia's History of Education
Web Site (select Topics, select Programs, read sections/links pertaining to Medical
Inspections of Schools and read Health & Safety Rules (Grade 1 & 2),1936 under Curriculum
Material: Course Outlines & Lesson Plans). Available at: http://www.mala.bc.ca/homeroom
Suggested Seminar Topic:
Childhood Obesity
Week 10 – March 7: Children’s Rights and Social Policy
*Note: Deadline for Introduction for Final Essay (optional)
Guiding Questions: What have children’s rights looked like over time? What is the
relationship between children’s rights and human rights? How are children’s rights shaped by
adults’ rights? What has been the state’s role in protecting children? How have social
policies concerning children’s rights harmed certain young people? Where are the voices of
children and youth in discussions of children’s rights?
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Secondary Sources:
Dominique Marshall, “Reconstruction Politics, The Canadian Welfare State and the
Formation of Children’s Rights, 1940-1950,” in Lori Chambers and Edgar-Andre Montigny,
eds., Family Matters: Papers in Post-Confederation Canadian Family History (Toronto:
Canadian Scholars’ Press, 1998), pp. 135-153. Available in electronic form through UW
course reserves.
Molly Ladd-Taylor, “What Child Left Behind?: US Social Policy and the Hopeless Child,” in
Lost Kids, pp.157-174.
Primary Sources:
The Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child, League of Nations, 1924. Available at
http://www.un-documents.net/gdrc1924.htm
The Declaration of the Rights of the Child, United Nations, 1959. Available at
http://www.un-documents.net/a14r1386.htm
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations,1989. Available at
http://www.un-documents.net/crc.htm
Suggested Seminar Topic:
Youth Political (Dis)Engagement
Week 11 – March 14: ‘Bad Kids’ in Conflict with the State
Guiding Questions: Why have some young people been deemed ‘bad’ by the state over
time? When have youth become a source of trouble? Why does certain youth behaviour
become problem in a given time period? How do gender, class, and race affect notions of
appropriate and/or criminal behaviour? What is the role of adults and the state in producing
‘bad kids’? Has there been a change from juvenile delinquency to youth justice?
Secondary Sources:
Cynthia Comacchio, “Lost in Modernity: “Maladjustment” and the “Modern Youth Problem,”
English Canada, 1920-50,” in Lost Kids, pp.53-71.
William Bush, “James Dean and Jim Crow: Boys in the Texas Juvenile Justice System,” in
Lost Kids, pp.72-94.
Primary Source:
Juvenile Delinquents Act, R.S.C. 1927, c.108. This document will be posted in UW LEARN.
Suggested Seminar Topic:
Bullying
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Week 12 – March 21: Youth, Sexuality, and ‘Normality’
*Note: This is the final week for student seminar presentations.
Guiding Questions: Why has ‘normalcy’ been regarded as a problem? Who gets to
determine what is ‘normal’? What is the relationship among normality, sexuality, and strong
nationhood? What rapid changes in society have been and continue to be connected to fears
of abnormal sexuality? How is sexuality central to notions of ‘good’ young people?
Secondary Sources:
Mona Gleason, “Growing Up to be ‘Normal’: Psychology Constructs Proper Gender Roles in
Post-World War II Canada,” in Lori Chambers and Edgar-Andre Montigny, eds., Family
Matters: Papers in Post-Confederation Canadian Family History (Toronto: Canadian
Scholars’ Press, 1998), pp. 39-56. Available in electronic form through UW course reserves.
Mary Louise Adams, “Constructing Normal Citizens: Sex Advice for Postwar Teens,” in
Robert Adamoski, Dorothy E. Chunn and Robert Menzies, eds., Contesting Canadian
Citizenship: Historical Readings (Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2002), pp.273-292.
Available in hard copy on course reserve at the Renison Lusi Wong Library.
Primary Sources:
Habit Patterns (1954). Available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9QljFO1q-0
Molly Grows Up (1953). Available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--45yAU7NUw
These films will be shown during class.
Suggested Seminar Topic:
Social Media
Week 13 – March 28: Concluding Thoughts and Discussing Final Papers
*Note: This week we will have a potluck of our favourite childhood snacks!
*Note: Deadline for Changing Concepts of Childhood Essay
Guiding Questions: What did you discover about childhood past and present through writing
your final paper? How can your understanding of childhood apply to community-based action
for children’s equality? How might this course shape your interactions, and possible work,
with children?
Secondary Source:
Neil Sutherland, “Postscript,” in Lost Kids, pp. 244-246.
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GRADE NOTIFICATION AND ASSIGNMENT DEADLINES:
Notification of Grades
It is Renison University College policy not to post grades at any time throughout the
academic term in an effort to protect student privacy. Grades will not be reported over the
phone by the main office or the Registrar’s office. Final grades will be available on the
internet by following the instructions at www.quest.uwaterloo.ca.
Assignment Deadlines
Due dates are firm. You are responsible for informing the instructor in advance if you are
unable to complete an assignment by the scheduled date. Missed due dates are only
acceptable in the case of medical problems (with a medical note) and for serious
compassionate reasons. Late submissions, without advance permission, will be given a 10%
reduction in the total possible grade for each 24 hours after the due date. In some cases, it
may be necessary to complete alternate assignments for deadlines that are missed.
Difficulty with assignments is not a sufficient reason for an extension. Any student who finds
himself / herself struggling with an assignment during the term is encouraged to meet with me
as soon as possible to discuss strategies for success. It is important to begin assignments
well in advance of the due date in case of problems.
Accommodation for Illness or Unforeseen Circumstances:
The instructor follows the practices of the University of Waterloo in accommodating students
who have documented reasons for missing quizzes or exams. See
http://www.registrar.uwaterloo.ca/students/accom_illness.html
Travel and Final Examination (Completion of Final Assignment) Policy
For Winter 2012, the established examination period is April 9-21, 2012. The schedule will
be available in February. Students should be aware that student travel plans are not
acceptable grounds for granting an alternative final examination time or final course
assignment date (see http://www.registrar.uwaterloo.ca/exams/finalexams.html).
ACCOMMODATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
The Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPD), located in Needles Hall, Room 1132,
collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for
students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If
you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register
with the OPD at the beginning of each academic term.
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EXPECTATION OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Academic Integrity
In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo
community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility.
Academic Integrity website (Arts):
http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/arts/ugrad/academic_responsibility.html
Academic Integrity Office (UW):
http://uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/
Discipline
A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity [check
www.uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/ ] to avoid committing academic offences and to take
responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an
offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or
about “rules” for group work/collaboration, should seek guidance from the course instructor,
academic advisor, or Renison’s Administrative Dean. When misconduct has been found to
have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71, Student Discipline. For
information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to this
policy www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm. For typical penalties check
Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties,
www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/guidelines/penaltyguidelines.htm.
Grievance
A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has
been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70,
Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4,
www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm
Appeals
A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70 - Student
Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline if
grounds for an appeal can be established. Read Policy 72 - Student Appeals
www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy72.htm.