Policies

After a student has withdrawn from or failed a class three times, that student may not enroll in the class a fourth time until certain conditions have been met.  The student will need to pass (with a C or higher) a prerequisite to that class in order to re-enroll.  This is the case even if the student has already successfully taken that prerequisite in the past. 

For example, if a student withdraws from or fails W131 three times, he will need to enroll next in W130 and successfully pass that class in order to enroll in W131 again.  If a student withdraws from or fails W130 three times, she will need to enroll next in W031.  If a student withdraws from or fails the same 300-level class three times, he will need to enroll in a 200-level class.  If a student withdraws from or fails the same 200-level class three times, she will need to enroll in a 100-level class. 

(12/2010)

The English department has a general policy of discouraging the classroom use of laptops and hand-held computing or electronic devices, including cell phones, subject to the discretion of the individual instructor.

(2/10)

The Department of English requires students to attend class.  The department recognizes that occasional absences from class may be unavoidable.  However, academic success depends on the awareness of the sequence and deadlines of class assignments, preparation for class, and participation in class, whether as an attentive listener and note-taker or as an active discussant of the content and methodology of the course. More than three absences is excessive.  The department expects each student to know the attendance policy, to accept its provisions, and to be responsible for all work assigned and for material covered during any absence.

The English department has a general policy that attendance begins the first day of class, subject to the discretion of the individual instructor. Students who enroll in a course after the first day may be counted absent for initial classes missed.

(2/10)

Independent studies are opportunities for focused, intensive, one-on-one projects, which are normally 3 credit hours. The following is the policy for independent studies in the English department. Download an application.

Guidelines for independent studies:

1. The student must be currently enrolled, and normally an English major.
2. The independent study should not duplicate a course offered by the department.
3. Students may only take one independent study as part of their 30 credit hours toward the English degree.
4. Since faculty members are not compensated for directing independent studies, and take them on in addition to their regular teaching load, normally only tenured or tenure-track faculty should direct them. In special cases, a full-time lecturer may petition the chair with a proposal to direct an independent study.
5. Faculty members normally should not direct any more than one independent study per semester or more than five in a three-year period.
6. The independent study should require students to complete substantial reading and writing assignments and to work extensively on their own in preparing to meet with the faculty director and in completing those assignments. Reading assignments should include primary and secondary sources.
7. The independent study should involve regular meetings between the faculty director and the student, from once a week to once every other week, based on the schedule that the two develop.
8. The independent study should generate roughly 20-30 pages of written work or the equivalent amount of other types of work.

Procedure for enrolling in an independent study:

1. A student wishing to take an independent study should first meet with a faculty member qualified to direct the project and obtain that faculty member’s provisional agreement to direct it.
2. The student must then develop a written proposal for the independent study that the faculty member approves. The proposal must consist of the cover sheet below along with attachments that provide a description of the independent study; an outline of the work proposed, including deadlines; a reading list; and an explanation of why this project is better suited for an independent study than a regular class.
3. The faculty member must deliver the proposal to the Chair of the department by at least the tenth week of the semester before the project will commence. For an independent study taken in the fall, the proposal must reach the Chair by the tenth week of the preceding spring semester; for an independent study taken in the spring, the proposal must reach the Chair by the tenth week of the preceding fall semester. The Chair makes the final decision about whether the independent study goes forward.

(11/2010)

(December 2010)

Students who intend to appeal their ESL placement results must do so within 3 days following the release of their placement scores through Onestart by contacting the ESL Program Director. Results are usually released on the evening of the placement tests. To view your placement scores, check Onestart under “View Test Scores”* or talk to your advisor.

Students should make an appeal only if they have a compelling reason to do so. They should email their appeal to the ESL Director stating in detail the reasons for their appeal.

Students who have not taken their ESL classes in a timely fashion are not eligible to request an appeal. ESL classes must be taken in sequence starting in the first semester of the student’s enrollment at IUSB. No interruption in the sequence of prescribed ESL courses will be permitted.

No appeals will be considered once classes have started.

Should students have a compelling reason to appeal their placements due to advising issues, the appeal should be done through their advisors.

Exception will be made at the discretion of the ESL Director.

*How to interpret test scores:
SBORL 15 = LING-L100
SBORL 55 = ENG-G020
SBORL 99 = no ESL oral class needed
SBENG 10 = ENG-W031 (regular)
SBENG 15 = ENG-W031/ESL
SBENG-20 = Enhanced ENG-W130
SBENG 25 = ENG-W130/ESL
SBENG 30 = ENG-W130 (regular)
SBENG 40 = ENG-W131
SBENG 55 = ENG-G013
SBENG 99 = No ESL composition class required

More information on minors and certificate programs.