Treks and Texts: Journeys into Nature

HCOL 40000, Sec 655

Tuesday, 2:00 PM to 4:40 PM

Sadler Hall 218

 

In wildness is the preservation of the world. –Thoreau, "Walking"

 

Everyone must believe in something.  I believe I’ll go canoeing.  –attributed to Thoreau

 

Intended to demonstrate the connections between environmental writing and local environments, this interdisciplinary colloquium will require both indoor and outdoor learning experiences.  Being outside is as much a part of the course as being inside a classroom. 

 

At its heart, this colloquium is a discussion-based reading and writing course, and its subject matter is the natural environment we all inhabit.  All classes, including the excursions, will involve response and discussions intended to integrate academic classroom learning with experiential learning and service.  The exchange of ideas through dialogue is a fundamental component of this colloquium.

 

Much of the colloquium will take place outdoors.  Six times during the semester students will travel to the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge for volunteer work, helping to maintain its trail system and facilities.  At least twice during the semester, students will take short field trips to local sites near TCU (Fort Worth Zoo, Overton Park, and Fort Worth Botanic Garden), and at least once during the semester students will also travel to the Amon Carter Museum to view its landscape collection.  Additionally, for one class students will be required to take part in an early evening canoe trip.

 

A crucial component of this course will take place over fall break, October 5-8, when we as a class will spend 2 and ½ days in Big Bend National Park.  We will travel to Terlingua, TX, on Thursday, October 5; on the 6^th we will take a day-long guided jeep/ATV tour of the park; and on the 7^th we will spend the day in canoes paddling the Rio Grande River.  We will return to TCU on Sunday afternoon, October 8.

 

This wonderful excursion is a course enhancement funded by the TCU John V. Roach Honors College, which will cover all costs related to travel, lodging, guided trips by Far Flung Outdoor Center, and most meals. 

 

Ultimately, this adventure is optional, but it is highly recommended.

 

Outcomes:

 

1.     a general introduction to current environmental issues and trends as they are reflected in literature, film, art, and popular media

2.     a general understanding of the history of environmental movements in the US

3.     a familiarity with the genre development of Nature/Environmental Writing

4.     a familiarity with selected environmental writers and their texts

5.     a familiarity with selected outdoor environments

6.     an ability to reflect on personal observations and experiences in natural environments

 

Required Texts:

The Norton Book of Nature Writing, Eds, Finch and Elder

Devotions: The Selected Poetry of Mary Oliver

The Best of Edward Abbey, Edward Abbey

 

 

Tuesday, August 22

--Introduction (overview of the course schedule, requirements, and outcomes); student introductions and feedback; blogging introduction

--one short poem about nature

--Nature Observation (writing/photographic exercise)

 

Tuesday, August 29

--popular songs, Woody Guthrie, Joni Mitchell, Marvin Gaye, and Midnight Oil (handout for the texts, songs are available on YouTube)

--Nature poems (handout of several nature poems, e.g. Wordsworth, Frost, Dickinson)

--nature observation

 

Tuesday, September 5

            --Meriwether Lewis, from Nature Writing, 95-100

--Standing Bear, from Nature Writing, 326-331

--Men are like plants, de Crevecouer (handout)

--Early attitudes towards the environment (handout)

--nature observation

 

 

Tuesday, September 12

--Edward Abbey, from Nature Writing, 614-627

­--Edward Abbey, from The Best of Edward Abbey, 54-73

--nature observation

 

Tuesday, September 19

            --Edward Abbey, from The Best of Edward Abbey, 426-432

            --Edward Abbey, “Polemic: Industrial Tourism and the National Parks” (handout)

--nature observation

 

Tuesday, September 26

            --volunteer work at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge

 

Tuesday, October 3

            --volunteer work at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge

 

Tuesday, October 10

            --volunteer work at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge

 

Tuesday, October 17

            --volunteer work at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge

 

Tuesday, October 24

            --volunteer work at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge

 

Tuesday, October 31 Halloween!

            -Romanticism and Transcendentalism (handout)

--"Down the River with Henry Thoreau,” from The Best of Edward Abbey, 272-307

            --Henry David Thoreau, Quotes from Walden (handout)

--nature observation

                                                                                                           

Tuesday, November 7

--Wallace Stegner, from Nature Writing, 514-519

--Aldo Leopold, from Nature Writing, 376-397

--nature observation

 

Tuesday, November 14

-- T. H. White, from Nature Writing, 474-479

--Loren Eiseley, from Nature Writing, 485-493

--nature observation

 

Tuesday, November 21

            --No Class, Thanksgiving Break

 

Tuesday, November 28

--Mary Oliver Poems

 

Tuesday, December 5

--Final Presentations

 

Course Requirements:

 

1)    Attendance and Participation.  This colloquium is discussion-based, and thus you are required to take an active part in it and to contribute to its success.   Participation credit is given by taking part in class discussions (I keep track of who contributes) and class activities, including indoor and outdoor activities.  In nearly every classroom class there will be either an in-class activity, and anyone absent will not receive credit for these activities.  Outside activities are required and attendance will count as participation.   Attendance and participation are worth 10% of your final grade.

 

Missing more than three classes during the term will result in failure. 

 

2)    Familiarity with the Texts.  A reading knowledge of the texts is essential and expected.  Please read the assigned texts. I will not quiz on the reading assignments unless I believe I am compelled by poor discussions.  My expectation is that, as exemplary Honors students, will be able to comment insightfully on each of the assigned readings.

 

3)    Lead Respondent Assignment: Throughout the semester you will be asked to help lead class discussions concerning the assigned reading texts, and these assignments will be done as group work (teams of 3).  Each group will choose a group of texts that are assigned on specific class days, and group members will be expected to make a presentation to the rest of the class that will encourage insight and discussion.  These presentations may include biographical or historical information about the author and an analysis of its themes and issues.  More importantly, these presentations should also include a discussion of what the group thinks is relevant and/or interesting in the text and a list of questions for discussion.  These presentations should be informative, creative, and engaging.  A brief handout summarizing key points and pertinent information and listing the discussion questions is required.  These assignments will be graded according to the quality of the information presented and, equally important, on how effectively the presenters are able to engage the class in discussions.  Students must take responsibility for leading the class discussions on their assigned days, and thus weak class discussions will lower the amount of credit given.

 

Lead Respondent presentations will required on 09/12/, 09/19, 10/31, 11/07, 11/14, and 11/29.  This assignment is worth 20% of your final grade.

 

Kahoots and quizzes, crossword puzzles, Jeopardy games, identify the animal/ bird?

 

4)    Nature Journals I (Written Texts):  Nature writers often keep meticulous journals, and for this field-intensive colloquium, you are asked to keep a blog to post your observations and thoughts.  Nature journals not only describe specific physical settings, including specific flora and fauna, but also how writers react to and interact with outside environments.  Thus they should be personal reflections rather than scientific accounts.

 

 Entries should be a minimum of 1 page in length, and by the end of the semester you will be expected to have written and uploaded a minimum of 10 journal entries.  These entries may comment on your class activities, class readings, field trips, and outdoor activities.  When commenting on the assigned readings, you are encouraged to honestly describe what your reading experiences were like and remark on what you thought was interesting, provocative, or relevant in the texts—or not so interesting.

 

At least 4 of the journal entries should be descriptions of an activity you have engaged

in outdoors, such as walking, biking, canoeing/kayaking, paddle boarding, or even sitting

on a park bench and observing.  Photographs (phone photos) to supplement your blogs are required.

 

For all of the journal entries, careful observations of the natural environments are

expected, and self-reflections are encouraged.  Please describe your thoughts and

feelings as you interact with the outside world.

 

Throughout the semester you will receive credit for your journal entries, and at the end of the semester the cumulative holistic quality of your journals will be evaluated and graded. 

 

Please note: 5 of the journal entries must be posted before midterms. 

 

Worth 15% of the final grade, your written journals will be graded according to the quality and depth of both natural description and personal reflection.  An exemplary journal will demonstrate a student’s capacity to closely observe environmental contexts and connect these descriptions with class discussions and texts as well as personal experiences.  I do not expect or require deep insights or analysis.  What I do expect is a sustained engagement to reflect on your experiences and observations, both inside and outside the classroom, and a capacity to articulate the relevance of these reflections.  A less-than-exemplary journal will demonstrate less detailed observations and reflections.  This is not a matter of how much is written, but how it is written.

 

5)    Nature Journal II (Visual Texts).  In addition to your written blog, you are asked to keep a photo journal, uploading a minimum of 10 photographs.  These photographs should not be mistaken for quick snapshots; rather, they should be photographs carefully taken and selected that document your experiences outdoors.  A photograph is a moment frozen in time, and a good photograph should tell a story.  Unlike videos that offer a constant flow of live images, a photograph is a single opportunity to convey meaning.  I ask that, by the end of the semester, you upload a minimum of 10 photographs that tell the story of your outdoor experiences this semester.

 

You will be taking photos throughout the semester, and by the end of the semester I expect you to choose what you think are your ten best photos and then upload your chosen ten to your blog in a clearly identified file—My Ten Best Photos.

 

Use your cell phones or cameras to document your experiences outside throughout the semester.  I encourage you to be ambitious about these photos and upload only those photos that best communicate what you experienced.

 

Worth another 15% of the final grade, your photos will be graded according to their general quality (I am not asking for professional-level quality) and on their capacity to convey the depth and meaning of your outdoor learning experiences.  An exemplary photo will tell a story of what you encountered and communicate the importance of what you observed.  As an amateur photographer, I can take dozens of photos of a single sunrise or bird.  I then carefully review these many photos and choose the one that best conveys what I intended to capture.  I ask you to be equally concerned with selecting your photos.

 

6)    Mary Oliver Poems.  Throughout the semester you are required to read and briefly comment on 6 Mary Oliver poems and, for our class on 11/28, present on one poem.  Winner of both a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, Oliver is a celebrated poet of nature, and most of her poems are inspired by her observations while on walks around her home in Provincetown, Massachusetts.  I ask that you glance through Mary Oliver’s book, Devotions, and closely read 6 poems that engage your attention.  In your blogs, please comment briefly on why the poem engaged your attention.  What was it in the poem that spoke to you, that connected with you? Please clearly identify your entries, “My Mary Oliver Poems,” and please comment on 3 poems before Fall Break, and another 3 poems after Fall Break and before our November 28 class.

 

For our November 28 class, please be prepared to briefly discuss your favorite Mary Oliver poem.  To visually aid your discussion, please select an image (photo, painting, sculpture, illustration, or anything visual, maybe even a magazine ad or a traffic sign) that, in some way, represents the poem to you.  Each person will have 5 minutes to present his/her poem and image.  Your Mary Oliver blog entries and your Mary Oliver presentation are worth 20% of her final grade.

 

7)    Final Presentation.  For the final assignments, student teams (3 students) are required to create and present a brief video project (10 minutes max) that offers a concluding reflection of your thoughts, observations, and learning experiences throughout the semester.  There is no specific format or formula, but you are asked to reflect on what you experienced as learners that was interesting, striking, memorable, and—especially—relevant. These videos should be engaging and creative.  Along with the video presentation, each team must submit a 1-page justification of your presentation (only one justification per group).  Both videos and justifications must also be uploaded to your blogs. 

 

Worth 20% of the final grade, the Final Presentations will be expected to demonstrate a thoughtful reflection juxtaposing the course outcomes with your learning experiences.  Presentations will be graded according to how you are able to express what you have learned and how well you are able to use video to present your most relevant learning experiences back to the class.  As in the Lead Respondent Assignments, you will be assessed according to how well you express what you have learned and how well you are able to engage the rest of the class in discussion.

 

8)    Never Use the Non-Word “Very.”  For the rest of the semester, at least in our class, this four-letter non-word is forbidden.  It is a useless word, and the English vocabulary is rich with specific, vivid qualifiers and descriptors.  “The day was very sunny” is a weak sentence.  One of the best and easiest ways to improve your writing is to eliminate this word.  People who constantly use this non-word expose both a lack of imagination and a lack of vocabulary.  I encourage you to enhance your word usage.

 

Please note: all deadlines are firm.  Unless there is an emergency, no extensions will be possible.

 

 

 

 

Final Grade:

 

Nature Journals I & II                          30%

Lead Respondent Assignments          20%

Final Presentations                             20%

Mary Oliver Poems                             20%

Attendance/Participation                    10%

Using the non-word “very”                 -10% (just kidding, or maybe not)

 

Concerning course assignments and grades:  Much of your work for this class will not have specific deadlines and due dates.  It is your responsibility to make sure that half of your journal entries (both written and visual) and half your Mary Oliver responses are posted before Fall Break and the remaining half posted after Fall Break.  Please do not suddenly start uploading to your blog during the final two weeks of class.  My primary course requirements are that you stay engaged with the class (taking part in class discussions and class activities and not waiting until the last minute to read, write, and post) and that you take responsibility for the quality of your work

 

Also, as your advocate—and never your adversary, I sincerely want every student to receive an A at the end of the semester.  The work is not hard, and I ask only that you stay engaged with the class and that take responsibility for posting to your blog.   Those who are inconsistent in staying engaged and taking responsibility will not get an A.  I reserve the right to make use of the plus/minus system, if I think it is helpful in distinguishing exemplary work from good work.  But I expect you as Honors students to demonstrate excellence in all of your work and therefore make the plus/minus system unnecessary.  Weak, sloppy, late, and hurried effort is always difficult to mask and will always receive less than an A. 

 

Dan Williams

TCU Press (3000 Sandage) and 1238 Library

d.e.williams@tcu.edu

817-257-5907 (office)

817-239-1376 (cell)

Office hours: Virtual Office Hours via Zoom every Friday 2-3 PM and by appointment

 

 

 

Central Course Blog site: https://treksandtexts23.blogspot.com/

 

TCU Mission: To educate individuals to think and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in the global community.

Honors Pledge: “As a member of the John V. Roach Honors College, I pledge to dedicate myself to intellectual inquiry, life-long learning, and critical thinking, to demonstrate personal and academic integrity, and to engage others in earnest and respectful discussion with an open mind.”

Netiquette: Communication Courtesy Code

All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, discussions, and chats. If I deem any of them to be inappropriate or offensive, I will forward the message to the Chair of the department and appropriate action will be taken, not excluding expulsion from the course. The same rules apply online as they do in person. Be respectful of other students. Foul discourse will not be tolerated. Please take a moment and read the basic information about netiquette (http://www.albion.com/netiquette/).

Participating in the virtual realm, including social media sites and shared-access sites sometimes used for educational collaborations, should be done with honor and integrity. This site provides guidance on personal media accounts and sites (https://tinyurl.com/PersonalMedia).

 

Syllabus Disclosures Fall 2023

Statement of Disability Services at TCU

Disabilities Statement: Texas Christian University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. Eligible students seeking accommodations should contact the Coordinator of Student Disabilities Services in the Center for Academic Services located in Sadler Hall, room 1010 or http://www.acs.tcu.edu/disability_services.asp. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations.

Further information can be obtained from the Center for Academic Services, TCU Box 297710, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or at (817) 257-6567.

Adequate time must be allowed to arrange accommodations and accommodations are not retroactive; therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the academic term for which they are seeking accommodations. Each eligible student is responsible for presenting relevant, verifiable, professional documentation and/or assessment reports to the Coordinator. Guidelines for documentation may be found at http://www.acs.tcu.edu/disability_documentation.asp.

Students with emergency medical information or needing special arrangements in case a building must be evacuated should discuss this information with their instructor/professor as soon as possible.

 

Zoom Access: All of our synchronous classes will take place each Wednesday via Zoom.  The link for our classes is: https://tcu.zoom.us/j/8172391376

 

Campus Life and the Student Experience will Be Different This Year. The health and safety of students, faculty, and staff is Texas Christian University’s highest priority. TCU has implemented public health interventions, which includes following local and state public health orders and CDC guidelines. These health interventions may impact your experience as a student both inside and outside the classroom. Safety protocols may change during the semester and may result in modifications or changes to the teaching format, delivery method, or the course schedule (e.g., altering meeting times or frequency; changing beginning or ending dates for a term; or partially or completely moving from a face-to-face classroom teaching to an online teaching or remote learning format). Any changes in teaching format, delivery method, or course schedule will not impact the credit hours for the course.

Health and Wellness: If you are exhibiting symptoms that may be related to COVID-19 (fever or chills, dry cough, shortness of breath, etc.) or are concerned that you may have been exposed to COVID- 19, you must self-quarantine and consult with the Brown Lupton Health Center at 817-257-7949 for further guidance.

 

In addition, you must notify the Campus Life Office immediately at 817-257-7926. Campus Life will inform your professors that you are unable to attend class, and provide any assistance and support needed. Click here for detailed information concerning COVID-19 symptoms: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.

 

If you are unwell, but are not exhibiting potential COVID-19-related symptoms, please notify your instructor as soon as possible that you are ill and will not be attending class.

 

If you do not feel well enough to attend class in person, but feel well enough to attend class remotely, please notify your instructor as soon as possible before the class begins to arrange attendance via video conferencing.

Face Coverings and Physical Distancing: Face coverings are required on campus, unless you are alone in your private office or dorm room. Students will be expected to practice physical distancing and wear protective face coverings at all times while in public spaces on the TCU campus. Failing to do so in the classroom could result in the student being asked to leave the room and continue the class through remote access. Additionally, the instructor has the option to terminate the class period and continue it as a remote session if students do not wear required masks or practice physical distancin
g.

Student Access and Accommodation: Texas Christian University affords students with disabilities reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. To be eligible for disability-related academic accommodations, students are required to register with the TCU Office of Student Access and Accommodation and have their requested accommodations evaluated. Students are required to provide instructors an official TCU notification of accommodation approved through Student Access and Accommodation. More information on how to apply for accommodations can be found at https://www.tcu.edu/access- accommodation/ or by calling Student Access and Accommodation at (817) 257-6567. Accommodations are not retroactive and require advance notice to implement.

 

Technology Policies

Email

Only   the   official  TCU   student   email   address  will  be  used  for  all  course  notification.   It  is  your responsibility to check your  TCU email on a regular basis.

Course Materials

TCU students are prohibited from sharing any portion of course materials (including videos, PowerPoint slides, assignments, or notes) with others, including on social media, without written permission by the course instructor. Accessing, copying, transporting (to another person or location), modifying, or destroying programs, records, or data belonging to TCU or another user without authorization, whether

such  data  is  in  transit  or  storage, is prohibited. The full policy can be found at: https://security.tcu.edu/polproc/usage-policy/.

 

Violating this policy is considered a violation of Section 3.2.15 of the Student Code of Conduct (this policy may be found in the Student Handbook at https://tcu.codes/code/index/), and may also constitute Academic Misconduct or Disruptive Classroom Behavior (these policies may be found in the undergraduate catalog at https://tcu.smartcatalogiq.com/current/Undergraduate-Catalog/Student- Policies/Academic-Conduct-Policy-Details). TCU encourages student debate and discourse; accordingly, TCU generally interprets and applies its policies, including the policies referenced above, consistent with the values of free expression and First Amendment principles.

 

Anti-Discrimination and Title IX Information

Statement on TCU’s Discrimination Policy

TCU prohibits discrimination and harassment based on age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ethnic origin, disability, predisposing genetic information, covered veteran status, and any other basis protected by law, except as permitted by law. TCU also prohibits unlawful sexual and gender-based harassment and violence, sexual assault, incest,

  statutory rape, sexual exploitation, intimate partner violence, bullying, stalking, and retaliation. We     

  understand that discrimination, harassment, and sexual violence can undermine students’ academic

  success, and we encourage students who have experienced any of these issues to talk to someone about

  their experience, so they can get the support they need.

•       Review TCU’s Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Related Conduct or to file a complaint: https://titleix.tcu.edu/title-ix/.

Statement on Title IX at TCU

As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I will seek to keep any information your share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I have a mandatory reporting responsibility under TCU policy and federal law and I am required to share any information I receive regarding sexual harassment, discrimination, and related conduct with TCU’s Title IX Coordinator. Students can receive confidential support and academic advocacy by contacting TCU’s Confidential Advocate in the Campus Advocacy, Resources & Education office at https://care.tcu.edu/ or by calling (817) 257-5225 or the Counseling & Mental Health Center at https://counseling.tcu.edu/ or by calling (817) 257-7863. Alleged violations can be reported to the Title IX Office at https://titleix.tcu.edu/student-toolkit/ or by calling (817) 257-8228. Should you wish to make a confidential report, the Title IX Office will seek to maintain your privacy to the greatest extent possible, but cannot guarantee confidentiality. Reports to law enforcement can be made to the Fort Worth Police Department at 911 for an emergency and (817) 335- 4222 for non-emergency or TCU Police at (817) 257-7777.

Obligations to Report Conduct Raising Title IX or VAWA Issues

Mandatory Reporters: All TCU employees, except Confidential Resources, are considered Mandatory Reporters for purposes of their obligations to report, to the Coordinator, conduct that raises Title IX and/or VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) issues.

Mandatory Reporters are required to immediately report to the Coordinator information about conduct that raises Title IX and/or VAWA issues, including any reports, complaints or allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination and those forms of prohibited conduct that relate to nonconsensual sexual intercourse or contact, sexual exploitation, intimate partner violence, stalking and retaliation involving any member of the TCU community, except as otherwise provided within the Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Related Conduct.

 

Mandatory Reporters may receive this information in a number of ways. For example, a complainant may report the information directly to a Mandatory Reporter, a witness or third-party may provide information to a Mandatory Reporter, or a Mandatory Reporter may personally witness such conduct. A Mandatory Reporter’s obligation to report such information to the Coordinator does not depend on how he/she received the information. Mandatory Reporters must provide all known information about

conduct that raises Title IX or VAWA issues to the Coordinator, including the identities of the parties, the date, time and location, and any other details. Failure of a Mandatory Reporters to provide such information to the Coordinator in a timely manner may subject the employee to appropriate discipline,

including removal from a position or termination of employment.

 

Mandatory Reporters cannot promise to refrain from forwarding the information to the Coordinator if it raises Title IX or VAWA issues or withhold information about such conduct from the Coordinator.

Mandatory Reporters may provide support and assistance to a complainant, witness, or respondent, but they should not conduct any investigation or notify the respondent unless requested to do so by the Coordinator.

 

 

 

Mandatory Reporters are not required to report information disclosed (1) at public awareness events (e.g., “Take Back the Night,” candlelight vigils, protests, “survivor speak-outs,” or other public forums in which students may disclose such information (collectively, public awareness events); or (2) during an individual’s participation as a subject in an Institutional Review Board approved human subjects research protocol (IRB Research). TCU may provide information about Title IX rights and available resources and support at public awareness events, however, and Institutional Review Boards may, in appropriate cases, require researchers to provide such information to all subjects of IRB Research.

Relevant reporting phone numbers are: 911 for an emergency and (817) 335-4222 for non-emergency or TCU Police at (817) 257-7777.

 

Emergency Response Information

Please review TCU’s L.E.S.S. is More public safety video to learn about Lockdown, Evacuate, and Seek Shelter procedures. (https://publicsafety.tcu.edu/less-is-more/)

 

TCU’s Public Safety website provides maps that show our building’s rally point for evacuation and the seek shelter location. (https://publicsafety.tcu.edu/)

In the event of an emergency, call the TCU Police Department at 817-257-7777.

 

Download the Frogshield Campus Safety App on your phone. (https://police.tcu.edu/frogshield/)

 

Academic Misconduct

Academic Misconduct (Sec. 3.4 from the TCU Code of Student Conduct): Any act that violates the academic integrity of the institution is considered academic misconduct. The procedures used to resolve suspected acts of academic misconduct are available in the offices of Academic Deans and the Office of Campus Life and are also listed in detail in the Undergraduate Catalog and the Graduate Catalog Specific examples include, but are not limited to:

•       Cheating: Copying from another student’s test paper, laboratory report, other report, or computer files and listings; using, during any academic exercise, material and/or devices not authorized by the person in charge of the test; collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test or laboratory without permission; knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in its entirety or in part, the contents of a test or other assignment unauthorized for release; substituting for another student or permitting another student to substitute for oneself.

•       Plagiarism: The appropriation, theft, purchase or obtaining by any means another’s work, and  the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of that work as one’s own work offered for credit.  Appropriation includes quoting or paraphrasing of another’s work without giving credit.

•       Collusion: The unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing work offered for credit.

•       Abuse of resource materials: Mutilating, destroying, concealing, or stealing such material.

•       Computer misuse: Unauthorized or illegal use of computer software or hardware through the TCU Computer Center or through any programs, terminals, or freestanding computers owned, leased or operated by TCU or any of its academic units for the purpose of affecting the academic standing of a student.

•       Fabrication and falsification: Unauthorized alteration or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise. Falsification involves altering information for use in any academic exercise. Fabrication involves inventing or counterfeiting information for use in any academic exercise.

•       Multiple submission: The submission by the same individual of substantial portions of the same academic work (including oral reports) for credit more than once in the same or another class without authorization.

•       Complicity in academic misconduct: Helping another to commit an act of academic misconduct.

•       Bearing false witness: Knowingly and falsely accusing another student of academic misconduct.