We will create a culture of learning and growth in the classroom by entering conversations open to expanding our previous beliefs. We will be open-minded toward all facets of the course. We will be receptive to new ideas, different viewpoints, or opposing perspectives. We will remain open to discourse. We will approach disagreements with maturity in order to facilitate our intellectual growth.
We will try our best to complete readings and other assignments so that when we come to class, we are prepared to have meaningful discussions. We will come to class willing to participate by either contributing to conversation, asking questions, or actively listening to others.
We will encourage a positive learning environment by being respectful of everyone’s opinions and thought processes while participating in class discussions. We will respect others by listening while they are speaking or sharing work and by letting them finish their ideas. We will strive to speak kindly and offer constructive criticism during peer review and discussions. We will respect both the boundaries and capabilities of each person in the course.
We will respect the privacy of other students in the class. We will maintain confidentiality in regard to both our peers’ writing and any personal information they share. We will refrain from judging other people’s stories and experiences.
We will read Mary’s comments on our writing and one another’s feedback on our work. We will ask questions when we need clarification about criticism, and will do our best to incorporate feedback into our revisions.
We will not tolerate hate speech, including but not limited to homophobia, sexism, racism, transphobia, ableism, and religious intolerance. We will avoid slurs, insults, microaggressions, charged language, and inappropriate tone. We will assume good intention (even if the impact is harmful) and allow room for one another’s learning in instances when we accidentally cross a line.
We will only use electronic devices in class for reading, taking notes, or activities related to the class. We will allow for interventions that support our individual learning styles and our embodied experiences in the classroom, including the use of tools for sensory overwhelm, requests for information to be repeated when we zone out, or stepping out of the classroom when we need to self-regulate. We will be allowed to eat snacks in class so long as we can do so without disrupting class activities.