Our class community is…
- an inclusive environment in which everyone in our diverse community can learn
- a place that will challenge us intellectually and possibly personally. I am committed to working with you on these challenges
- a place for people of all abilities and backgrounds. Please talk to me about how I can support your success and reach out to the relevant offices at OU
- one piece of your broader life. Any student who has difficulty with basic needs (food, a place to live, etc.) and believes this may affect their performance in the course is urged to notify me, if you are comfortable in doing so. This will enable me to provide any other resources I may possess or direct you to other resources on campus.
- building community and learning during a global pandemic and economic depression
Class Compact
- As your professor, I pledge to be honest with you, and I hope that you do the same for me as well as your peers. (Please keep in mind that lying to affect your grade — whether the lying involves cheating, lying about the reasons for missed work, lying about attendance at an event, or any other form of lying that could affect your grade — is a violation of the Academic Integrity rules at OU.)
- As a learning community we share a responsibility to each other to do our work to the best of our ability and to learn from and listen to each other.
- Derogatory comments based on race, sex, gender, religion, ability, sexual orientation, and other identity positions prevent us from learning. They have no place in our community.
- Knowing and applying the names and pronouns students wish to use are crucial to developing a learning environment that fosters safety, inclusion, and personal dignity.
Class Participation is more than agreeing/disagreeing
Since we will all be members of a learning community this semester, diligent preparation and enthusiastic class participation is essential. Completing the weekly assignments (lecture videos, readings, websites) before participating in discussion and annotations.
We will be a community for a semester! Let’s all reflect on the ways in which we can contribute to constructive rather than destructive class dynamics. We can disagree without personal attacks, and we can support and help each other when someone finds course material confusing or has questions.
What happens in class stays in class
Lecture recordings and other recordings from the course are the intellectual property of the individual faculty member and may not be shared or reproduced without the explicit, written consent of the faculty member. In addition, privacy rights of others such as students, guest lecturers, and providers of copyrighted material displayed in the recording may be of concern. Students may not share any course recordings with individuals not enrolled in the class or upload them to any other online environment.
Likewise, our Private Class Blog and annotations using Hypothesis are private. Anything people write on the blog or in annotations cannot be posted anywhere else or shared with anyone else (online or otherwise). You may share links to other websites or media people post (such as a link to a cool digital archive or a photograph of a cultural heritage site), but only without disclosing the discussion of the items or the context in the course.
Gender neutral & gender specific language
Academics no longer use the pronoun “he” to apply universally to all persons, nor do we use the term “man,” when we are referring to humanity or people in general. In our writing, when we are making generalizations we should use gender neutral pronouns, such as “they.” In class and in our writing, we should always use the pronouns that people choose for themselves: zie/hir, they/their, she/her, he/him, etc. If you don’t know someone’s pronouns, please default to “they.”
Respect and Inclusion
Please read the sections above carefully; students who do not abide by the class principles may be asked to leave the course. Behavior that does not adhere to the principles in online assignments, office hours, or other course contexts aside from class meetings may result in lower grades or formal disciplinary measures.
Land acknowledgment
Long before the University of Oklahoma was established, the land on which the University now resides was the traditional home of the “Hasinais” Caddo Nation and “Kirikirʔi:s” (audio available when opened in Chrome) Wichita & Affiliated Tribes. We acknowledge this territory once also served as a hunting ground, trade exchange point, and migration route for the Apache, Comanche, Kiowa and Osage nations. Today, 39 tribal nations dwell in the state of Oklahoma as a result of settler and colonial policies that were designed to assimilate Native people. The University of Oklahoma recognizes the historical connection our university has with its indigenous community. We acknowledge, honor and respect the diverse Indigenous peoples connected to this land. We fully recognize, support and advocate for the sovereign rights of all of Oklahoma’s 39 tribal nations. This acknowledgement is aligned with our university’s core value of creating a diverse and inclusive community. It is an institutional responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the people, culture and history that make up our entire OU Community.