Term Papers:  Each student will write a term paper.  You may choose a wetland type or wetland system (e.g., southern bottomlands, mangrove swamps, Atlantic cedar swamps, boreal peatlands, Gulf coast salt marshes, etc.), or a function (e.g., nutrient biogeochemistry, floodwater abatement, ecology of a species or community interactions) or a management topic (e.g., influence of water level fluctuations/hydroperiod on bird use, creation of wetlands from scratch, use of the hydrogeomorphic approach to assessment, etc.).  A separate handout will describe this more fully (format, style, etc.).  You must have your paper topic approved by the instructor by September 27.  The paper is due on November 20.   

Presentation:  During the last half of the semester, each student will give a class presentation on a wetland topic.  Your presentation topic needs to be different from your term paper topic.   For this assignment, you will need to find several papers on the topic, prepare a bibliography and distribute it to the class, deliver a lecture on that topic, and provide a reference to (if available in electronic format) or a photocopy of a particularly good or interesting paper.  I will give you more detail on this in another handout.  Your presentation topic needs to be approved by the instructor by October 4.  A schedule for student presentations will be worked out later in the semester.

Lab:  For the first few weeks, labs will meet from noon to 5 or 5:30.  They will consist of field trips to local wetlands.  After that, labs will meet during the regular scheduled time and will essentially be extended lecture periods.  For the trips, waterproof footwear would be desirable – mid-calf are fine, hip boots even better (chest waders are not needed).

Students with Disabilities:  Students with a disability are entitled to “reasonable accommodations” under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Those in need of such accommodation should notify the instructor and make appropriate arrangements with the SDSU Office of Disability Services, Box 2805, Binnewies Hall 145, 688-4504.

Freedom in Learning:  Students are responsible for learning the content of any course of study in which they are enrolled. Under Board of Regents and University policy, student academic performance shall be evaluated solely on an academic basis and students should be free to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in any course of study. Students who believe that an academic evaluation is unrelated to academic standards but is related instead to judgment of their personal opinion or conduct should first contact the instructor of the course. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may contact the department head and/or dean of the college which offers the class to initiate a review of the evaluation.

Academic Dishonesty:  The Department policy on cheating/plagiarism is as follows:

Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences

Academic Dishonesty Policy

(Revised Nov. 2000)

                The Department and the University have taken a strong and clear stand regarding academic dishonesty.  We believe that it is unethical and unprofessional to present work done by others in a manner indicating that the student/s is/are presenting material as his/her original ideas or work; such activity is academic dishonesty.  Plagiarizing or knowingly assisting others in plagiarizing on tests, quizzes, problems, assignments, research papers, theses, dissertations, or other academic activities is unacceptable behavior.  All academic work completed by students is expected to be the original work of that individual student, unless permission is specifically granted beforehand by the faculty member for some form of team effort or other format.  If students are unsure if a particular activity may be regarded as a form of academic dishonesty they should consult the faculty member before undertaking such an activity.

      The University has a policy on academic honesty, procedures for academic grade and dishonesty appeals, and sanctions for such activities (see Student Code).  The Student Code has different procedures for undergraduate and graduate students.

 

The Department policy described in this handout is intended to attempt to address perceived academic dishonesty violations between the faculty member/s and student/s before Student Code procedures are implemented.  This is done because under Student Code procedures the minimum penalty for academic dishonesty is Disciplinary Probation.  These added Department steps (Steps 1, 2, and 3 of the Undergraduate Student and Graduate Student Procedures) should not be construed as an attempt to circumvent the Student Code system; both students and/or the faculty member have the option to go directly into that system.  The Department procedures portion of this policy are only available to a student one time; any second perceived offense will immediately follow the Student Code procedures.

Undergraduate Student Procedure

1.                    When a student/s is/are determined to have broken the Academic Dishonesty Policy, he/she will be notified verbally by the faculty member involved as to the problem and sanction selected.  This is similar to procedures 02:02:01:03 and 02:02:01:04 in the Student Code.  The faculty member will do this immediately after the perceived violation occurs.  Sanction options available to the faculty member are as follows:

a.                    provide the student/s a grade of zero or some other score on the test, quiz, problem, assignment, or other academic endeavor involved;

b.                   provide the student/s a grade of “F” in the course;

c.                    request that the student/s withdraw from the course;

d.                   request that the student/s change the grading for the course to an “audit”; or

e.                    immediately refer the case to the Student Code procedures.

The sanction selected is at the discretion of the faculty member, based on the seriousness of the situation.

2.                    If the student/s agrees to the sanction proposed by the faculty member the process is completed.

3.                    If the student/s does not agree to the sanction proposed by the faculty member, he/she has the right to appeal the faculty member’s decision.  This Informal Phase Appeal should be made directly (both verbally and in writing) to the faculty member involved within 5 class days of notification or within 7 calendar days of notification, if the incident is at the end of the semester.  The faculty member may then modify or leave unchanged the sanction proposed in step 1.  A copy of the student’s written appeal and the faculty member’s written response will be sent to the Department Head so that a confidential record to protect the student/s and the faculty member is established.  The student/s written appeal and faculty member written response will be secured in the student’s file until graduation or he/she leaves the program; if no further perceived violations have occurred these materials will be purged from the student’s file.

4.                    If the student/s is/are still dissatisfied with the decision he/she can appeal to the Department Head.  This Informal Phase Appeal should be made verbally.  The Department Head will utilize this verbal appeal and the written student appeal and faculty written response described in step 3 to reach a decision.  (These are steps 02:02:01:05, 02:02:01:06, and 02:02:01:07 in the Informal Phase Appeal process described in the Student Code).

5.                    If the student/s and faculty member agree with the Department Head’s decision, the process is completed.  Up to this point, no one other than the student/s, faculty member, and Department Head has been made aware of the situation.

6.                    If the student/s or faculty member is/are dissatisfied with the Department Head’s decision they can enter the Formal Phase of the Student Code process (Student Code 02:02:02).  It is the responsibility of the faculty member and student/s to be aware of the procedures and penalties involved.

Graduate Student Procedure

1.                    Same as Undergraduate Student Procedure step 1, except that the student’s advisor and/or Advisory Committee may be involved (see Student Code 02:05:01:02, 02:05:01:03, and 02:05:01:04).¹

2.                    Same as Undergraduate Student Procedure step 2, except that the student’s advisor and/or Advisory Committee may be involved (see Student Code 02:05:01:02, 02:05:01:03, and 02:05:01:04).

3.                    Same as Undergraduate Student Procedure step 3, except that the student’s advisor and/or Advisory Committee may be involved (see Student Code 02:05:01:02, 02:05:01:03, and 02:05:01:04).

4.                    If the student/s is/are still dissatisfied with the decision he/she can verbally appeal to the Graduate Dean.  (These are steps 02:05:01:05, 02:05:01:06, and 02:05:01:07 in the Informal Phase Appeal process described in the Student Code.)

5.                    If all agree on the proposed sanction at this point, the process is completed.  Up to this point, no one other than the student/s, faculty member, Graduate Dean, and possibly the student’s advisor and Advisory Committee has been made aware of the situation.

6.                    If the student/s, faculty member, advisor, or Advisory Committee are dissatisfied with the Graduate Dean’s decision they can enter the Formal Phase (Student Code 02:05:02) of the Student Code process.  It is the responsibility of the student/s, faculty member, and student’s advisor and Advisory Committee to be aware of the procedures and penalties involved.

¹The student’s advisor and/or Advisory Committee may be included because items other than class work could be involved.