Participation and Attendance

The best way to learn and grow is to be open and reflective.  Don’t be discouraged about speaking up if you recognize behaviors that you’ve done or attitudes that you’ve expressed that have been dehumanizing.  We can practically guarantee that you will recognize not only yourself in these examples, but also those whom you love.  NO ONE IS IMMUNE FROM THESE BEHAVIORS.

With that in mind, we encourage you to be honest about your reactions to the material.  Learning this type of information isn’t merely about memorizing material.  It entails some wrestling with ideas, having doubts about the integrity of your instructor, and overall, considerable resistance.   At times, it can feel like a refreshing journey of enlightenment! 

Remember the overall aim of the course is to learn about and embrace human complexity.  We all need to work toward making the classroom environment one in which all students feel regarded as humans as we face some challenging material.  There is no question that some of your experiences can prove disorienting in the initial weeks of the semester, but for the most part, things get better with time for most students.

Yet another aim is to try out our learning and to do so by participating in the number of experiential exercises or discussions during class.  Your participation is very important to making the course a success.  Coming to class on time and attending every class is very important to this requirement.  One absence is “forgiven,” while additional absences will mean a deduction of 8 points from your overall grade per class   Attendance and participation will count 20 points toward your final grade. 

It is the responsibility of the student, not the instructor, to make up for material missed in his or her absence.