Guide to Instructional Policies, Procedures, and Resources
- First Year Seminars (FYS)First Year Seminars (FYS)
This university-wide program, which draws on all units that offer undergraduate degrees, is intended to allow first-year undergraduates to work with faculty members in a small seminar setting (enrollment is currently set at 24). The topics are meant to reflect the research interests of the faculty member teaching the seminar. For further information, see the First Year Seminars Program website. The Department has a commitment to offer four First Year Seminars each academic year. Graduate students are not eligible to teach First Year Seminars. - Honors CarolinaHonors Carolina
Honors Carolina offers well-qualified students an opportunity to take part of their General Education curriculum and other course work in special seminars and sections that have low enrollment caps and are initially limited to Honors students. The Department has a commitment to offer six Honors courses each academic year. In addition to stand-alone courses (including First Year Seminars), Honors courses can be taught as special Honors sections of a larger lecture course (e.g., CLAS 121, ‘The Greeks’, and CLAS 122, ‘The Romans’). Graduate students are not eligible to teach Honors courses.
- Overview of ProceduresOverview of Procedures
Requests to add a new course or to change an existing course’s title or description must be approved by the College’s Office of Undergraduate Curricula (for courses numbered 0xx through 6xx) or by the Graduate School (for courses numbered 7xx through 9xx). They thus need to be submitted in the academic year prior to that in which the new or revised course will be offered. Requests must be submitted through the online Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) system, which can be accessed through ‘My Schedule’ in the Faculty Center of ConnectCarolina. Faculty members planning to add a new course or make changes to an existing one should discuss their ideas in advance with the Chair; the Department Secretary can also provide practical guidance. Requests must be uploaded into the system by 15 October (for undergraduate courses) or 15 January (for graduate courses). In drawing up a syllabus, please observe the guidelines provided in the section on syllabi below - General Education RequirementsGeneral Education Requirements
Although a course does not need to satisfy Gen Ed requirements, it is usually helpful to the students and thus good for enrollment numbers if it does. Faculty members who want a course to fulfill one or more Gen Ed requirements (note that two is the current maximum allowed) need to request that on their Course Submission Form. Any course that satisfies a Gen Ed requirement must 1) include an in-class final exam, 2) require the equivalent of ten pages of writing, and 3) involve regular class discussion. Further information about Gen Ed requirements can be found by following the links under the heading ‘Curriculum Documents’ on the upper right hand of the CRAS link noted above: ‘Curriculum Overview’ provides a brief of the Gen Ed requirements, ‘Criteria Document’ sets out the criteria in detail, and ‘General Education Questionnaire’ provides a useful checklist for determining whether a course fits the criteria for a specific Gen Ed requirement. - Special ProceduresSpecial Procedures
First Year Seminars have their own criteria and procedures. Note that there is an option for proposing a new First Year Seminar on a one-time trial basis under the rubric 089, ‘First Year Seminar: Special Topics’.
Honors courses likewise have their own criteria and procedures. A particular type of course offered through the Honors program is the Burch Field Research Seminar. This is a small experiential course taught on-site at a relevant location outside the UNC campus.
Maymester courses are particularly intensive courses taught during the first Summer Session: full semester courses taught during two and a half weeks, with three-and-a-quarter hour class sessions every day. Since not all formats or subjects are suitable for such an intensive schedule, the Summer School requires separate proposals for Maymester courses; an announcement is normally sent out in late August, with proposals due at the end of September. For further information, see the Summer School website, or talk to the Department Summer School Administrator.
- Overview of ProceduresOverview of Procedures
The process of course scheduling for the fall and spring semesters has two main phases: a curricular phase, in which the Chair, in consultation with the faculty, decides on the course offerings and assigns faculty and graduate students to teach them, and a timetabling phase, in which the Department Registrar, under the supervision of the Department Manager and the Chair, works out the time slots and classrooms for the courses and enters the information in the University Registrar’s system. The scheduling of Summer School is a separate process, described below. - Curricular PhaseCurricular Phase
The Chair initiates the process, normally in early September, by sending out a General Planning Form to all faculty (General Planning Sample Form available) and a Graduate Teaching Appointment Form (Graduate Teaching Appointment Sample Form) to all graduate students. Faculty are asked to indicate their plans for research leaves over the next few years and for teaching preferences, including preferred enrollment caps, for the following year. Graduate students are asked to indicate their previous experience, interests, and preferences. Responses are normally due by the middle of September, so that the Chair may have a draft of the schedule ready by the end of the month; at that point, he or she will circulate it to faculty and graduate students. All members of the department are encouraged to discuss with the Chair ideas for courses and their course preferences, and the Chair makes every effort to accommodate these preferences. Curricular constraints, however, mean that it is often not possible to do so. - Timetabling PhaseTimetabling Phase
Procedures
The Department Registrar initiates the timetabling phase by sending out a Course Scheduling Form to all faculty members; she or he normally does this in November for the fall semester of the following year, and in April for the spring semester. On the Course Scheduling Form faculty members can indicate the days and/or times that they prefer not to teach as well as preferences about room type and other aspects of the schedule. The office staff and the Chair do all they can to give faculty their preferences, but they are subject to many constraints (of which a simplified overview can be found below), and their ultimate priority is to devise a schedule that best serves the needs of the students. When filling out the Course Scheduling Form, faculty members should accordingly be as clear as possible in indicating their top priorities. Although the Department Registrar may follow up with particular questions, she or he is not able to engage in lengthy negotiations. Faculty members who have concerns about their schedules should in the first instance see the Chair rather than the Department Registrar; although the Registrar is the person who actually works out the timetable, she or he does so on behalf of the Chair.
Constraints
The Department uses the following standard meeting times for its courses: three meetings per week of 50 minutes each (MWF), two meetings of 75 minutes each (TTh), one meeting of three hours, and four meetings of 50 minutes each (only for GREK and LATN 101 and 102); some lecture courses have additional 50 minute recitation sections. Note that any class taught as one three-hour block per week must involve two and a half hours of actual instruction, although this may be arranged as the instructor wishes, and that three-hour block classes can be offered only in the late afternoon/evening. See standard meeting times here. In addition to scheduling restrictions within the department, such as ensuring that particular courses do not meet at the same time, there are also timing and space restrictions placed upon us by the University and the College. We are only allowed to schedule a maximum of 70% of our lecture and recitation sections under the 700 level between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. (known as Prime Time). Courses offered during Prime Time on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule are further restricted to a maximum of 35% of our total course sections under the 700 level. Meeting these percentages is particularly problematic for our department because we must count the courses that meet four days a week as both MWF and TR courses when calculating these percentages, which automatically raises our averages. Additionally, we are confined by the classrooms in Murphey Hall in which we have scheduling priority; since it is almost impossible to find classrooms outside of Murphey for classes on a four-day schedule, we must give those courses priority in our Murphey classrooms. For other classes, a MWF schedule, which provides more non-Prime Time slots, allows us to use the Murphey classrooms more effectively, and the more effectively we use our classrooms the less likely we are to lose control over them. Because of these constraints, it is current Department policy that priority for requests to teach courses on a TR schedule will go to courses that have already been taught on that schedule and that requests for other courses will be accommodated only when that can be easily done.Classrooms
The Department makes every attempt to schedule courses in Murphey Hall, but this is not always possible. A convenient list of the standard abbreviations of building names can be found on the Registrar’s website. A variety of campus maps can be found on UNC’s Map website. - Summer SchoolSummer School
The Department is currently able to offer up to four courses each summer through the Summer School: two in the first Summer Session (including Maymester) and two in the second. It is current practice to assign at least three of these to graduate students, since the pay provides an important supplement to their stipend, but faculty are also invited to volunteer. Because Summer School is receipts-based, tuition from enrollments is used to pay instructor salaries, and a course with fewer than twelve students may be canceled; it is thus important when thinking of a possible Summer School course to consider the breadth of its appeal. Course scheduling for the Summer School is handled by the Department Summer School Administrator, who sends out a memo every fall asking for volunteers.
- General GuidelinesGeneral Guidelines
Content
Course syllabi should include the following information: course identifiers (number and title, meeting times and location), instructor identifiers (name and contact information, including office hours; also for TAs), course goals and learning objectives, course requirements (class activities and types of assignments), a schedule of topics and due dates, course and grading policies (about assessing participation, penalizing absences or late submission of work), course resources (required texts, reserves, Sakai sites), and the specific application of the Honor Code to the course (e.g., what if any forms of collaboration are allowed). The Office of Undergraduate Curricula’s website includes sample syllabi (under the syllabus guidelines) and links to a Faculty Council resolution and a statement from the Administrative Boards of the College. Every semester the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment and the Office of Undergraduate Education reviews randomly selected syllabi to check for adherence to University policy. The results are sent to the Chair, who then forwards the individual reviews to the relevant instructors.
Distribution
Instructors are required to ensure that a full syllabus is available to the students on the first day of class. This may either be distributed in hard copy or be posted on the course Sakai site.
Retention
It is College policy that copies of all syllabi be retained for a certain number of years. The College now uses an Online Syllabus Management Tool for that purpose. All course instructors are required to upload a copy of their syllabus by the first day of classes. - Academic CalendarAcademic Calendar
Academic calendars for current and immediately past and future terms, with the dates of first and last days of class, holidays, and exams, may be found on the Registrar’s website. - BlogsBlogs
Instructors who are considering using a blog as part of their course should be aware that, as with any other written course assignment, students’ privacy rights under FERPA must be respected (see further below). The College therefore advises instructors not to require students to share their class work on a public website or blog without obtaining their permission or providing an option for them to restrict access to their work. Instructors who elect to make student blog posts a class requirement, or even an option for students’ graded work, should:- 1. provide full disclosure in the syllabus distributed on the first day of class about how blog posts will be used and graded,
- 2. give each student control over who besides the teaching staff will have access to the student’s blog, and
- 3. keep grades and written evaluation comments private, communicating them only to the student, just as you would for any other written class work.
- Graded Work during the Last Week of ClassesGraded Work during the Last Week of Classes
According to guidelines endorsed by the Faculty Council, instructors may not assign graded work during the last week of classes unless the course syllabus clearly states that such an assignment will be given. - Final ExamsFinal Exams
All classes taught at the 100- through 600-levels must include a three-hour in-class final examination; First Year Seminars and independent study courses are the only usual exceptions to this requirement. Final exams are scheduled by the Registrar’s Office, which posts the schedule prior to the beginning of the semester; the schedule can be found on the Academic Calendars page of the Registrar’s website, as noted above. In highly unusual circumstances, course instructors may petition for an exception. Otherwise, course instructors do not have the authority to substitute take-home exams, to change the scheduling of final exams, or to allow students to take a final exam at any time other than its officially scheduled time; students with a valid reason for requesting an alternative exam time must obtain an official exam excuse (see further below under ‘Instructor Policies’). Because the University Registrar does not schedule exams for classes at the 700 level or above, faculty members who wish to hold an in-class exam in a course at this level must contact the Department Registrar at least one week prior to the beginning of the semester so that she or he may request a room for the exam. For an overview of University policies concerning final exams, see the Registrar’s website.
- OverviewOverview
There are three types of independent study courses in the Department.- 1. Directed readings, which allow students to work on a particular topic or set of texts, exist as both the undergraduate level (CLAR 396, ‘Independent Study in Classical Archaeology’, CLAS 396, ‘Independent Study in Classical Studies’, and GREK 396/LATN 396, ‘Special Readings in Greek/Latin Literature’) and graduate level (CLAR/GREK/LATN 841, ‘Special Reading’).
- 2. Undergraduate majors who wish to write a Senior Honors Thesis enroll in the sequence CLAS 691H-692H.
- 3. Students enrolled in Honors Carolina may submit an Honors Contract in order to write a research paper as supplement to a course in which they are already enrolled.
In all cases, the decision to teach an independent study course is entirely voluntary. A faculty member who is asked to supervise an independent study course, however, should keep in mind the following restrictions, considerations, and policies. Graduate students are not normally eligible to teach independent study courses.
Restrictions
The College places a strict limit on the number of students whom a faculty member may teach in independent study courses in a given semester: a maximum of two students in directed reading courses (either both in a single course or each in a separate course) plus a maximum of two additional students whose Honors theses the faculty member is supervising. By Department policy, faculty members may not in a given semester teach more than a total of two students in independent study courses (i.e., including both directed reading courses and Honors theses; Honors Contracts do not count towards the total). Members of the faculty who have particular reasons to teach more than this should seek permission from the Chair. It is also Department policy that no directed reading course at the graduate level may enroll more than two students.Considerations
Faculty members should be careful not to overburden themselves with independent studies; College policies governing the teaching of these courses mean that they involve a serious commitment of time and energy. Assistant and Associate Professors, who need to keep in mind the research expectations for tenure and/or promotion, should be particularly cautious. A second consideration applies more to directed reading courses than to research projects: too many students enrolled in independent study courses can easily lead to decreased enrollments in our regularly offered courses, resulting in course cancellations and other problems. Good reasons for a students to request a directed reading course include the need to fulfill a requirement that cannot be met through the regular offerings or (in the case of graduate students) the need to get significant grounding in a topic or author that will be important for their research but that is otherwise not currently taught. In all other cases, faculty members should exercise due caution in agreeing to supervise a directed reading course.Policies
Undergraduate students who wish to take any kind of independent study course must submit the proper forms before they are able to enroll. Honors contracts have their own form (see below); directed reading courses and Honors theses both require an Independent Study Learning Contract. This must include all the basic information required in a regular course syllabus: meeting times and frequency, types and due dates of assignments, modes of assessment, and grade breakdown; in many cases it may be simpler to draw up and attach a regular syllabus. Please note that even in the case of an Honors thesis it is important to schedule and adhere to regular meeting times on a weekly or biweekly basis. Both the student and the instructor must sign, and then the student must obtain the signatures of the Independent Study Coordinator (in Classics, the DUS) and the Chair, and submit it to the Department Registrar (or the Student Services Manager, in the case of Honors theses) before the first day of classes so that she or he may enroll the student in the course. - Senior Honors ThesesSenior Honors Theses
Requirements
Students do not need to be enrolled in Honors Carolina in order to write a Senior Honors thesis; they do, however, need to have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.3.Procedures
Although students may start the thesis process at the start of the fall semester in their senior year, they are best advised to do so at the end of their junior year, at least to the point of deciding on a topic and finding a supervisor, so that they may do foundational work over the summer. It is the student’s responsibility to find a supervisor and two other members of the faculty to serve on the committee, and to inform and submit the proper paperwork to the Student Services Manager. Working with the supervisor, the student first writes a thesis prospectus, which should consist of the following parts:- 1. title and brief statement of the project;
- 2. a survey of secondary scholarship relevant to the project;
- 3. a description of how the project fits into that scholarship and what contribution it expects to make;
- 4. a description of the project (in as much detail as needed), including a projected outline of sections or chapters; and
- 5. a bibliography of relevant works (whether already seen or not). After the supervisor has approved the prospectus, the student defends it before the committee.
Ideally, the student should submit a first draft of the thesis to the supervisor in December and a revised draft to the entire committee in March, in order to schedule the thesis defense before the deadline, which is normally in mid-April.
Students writing Honors Theses may petition to have one semester of their thesis project count towards the upper-level language requirement of their major. Their supervisor must confirm that as part of their project they are reading at least the equivalent of what would be covered in a normal Greek or Latin course at the 220 level. Students must complete a petition, obtain the signatures of their supervisor and the DUS, and submit it to the Department Registrar.
Grading
In evaluating the thesis, the committee has four options:- 1. Highest Honors, for only those projects that meet the most rigorous standards of scholarly excellence;
- 2. Honors, for theses that meet the criteria for Honors work;
- 3. course credit only, in which case the thesis project counts towards the student’s degree as an ordinary independent study course; and
- 4. failure.
For more information
For more information consult the Department Student Services Manager and see the Honors Carolina website. - Honors ContractsHonors contracts
With the instructor’s permission, students enrolled in the College Honors program who have already completed 60 or more hours of credit towards graduation can pursue an independent project of their own design within a regular course. The project should complement the course work and must produce a tangible final product — written, performed, or exhibited. This option is available for any course in their major at the 200-level or above. Honors Contracts must provide for at least three scheduled meetings with the student to discuss his or her work. For further information, see the Honors website.
- Titles and DutiesTitles and Duties
Graduate students serve in several different instructional roles, some as assistants to the course instructor and some as the instructor of record in their own course.An Instructional Assistant (IA) assists the instructor in large lecture courses that lack recitations. The duties of an IA center on assistance with grading exams and other assignments, and the course instructor has primary responsibility for assigning final grades.A Teaching Assistant (TA) serves under a faculty instructor in large lecture courses. In courses with recitations, TAs are responsible for leading two recitations each and grading the work of the students in their recitations; they may also, at the discretion of the instructor, assist in preparing and presenting lectures and assignments. In courses without recitations, TAs work with the faculty instructor to organize the course, set assignments, and deliver lectures. In all courses with TAs, the faculty course instructor has primary responsibility for assigning final grades. With both IAs and TAs, the course instructor should have in place practices to ensure that grading standards are consistent across all members of the course team, for example, by using grading grids or other grading templates, by meeting to discuss grading practices, and/or by exchanging and checking each other’s graded work.
A Teaching Fellow (TF) is the instructor of record either for a section of a multi-section course (e.g., LATN 101 or 102) or for a freestanding course. TFs in multi-section courses use a common syllabus and common exams, which they prepare under the supervision of the course supervisor. TFs in other courses devise their own syllabi and tests, subject to input from and the approval of their course supervisor. All TFs have primary responsibility for assigning final grades.
A Senior Teaching Fellow (STF) is the instructor of record for a large lecture course. STFs have full responsibility for their course, including curricular design and the assignment of final grades, and supervise other graduate students serving as IAs. STFs often co-teach courses, and are always assigned a faculty supervisor, who must review and approve their syllabus in advance and provide other guidance and feedback as needed.
- Professional DevelopmentProfessional Development
Course instructors who work with GTAs should always remember that their involvement in the course serves a dual purpose: on the one hand, to help the instructor by taking on themselves some of the course workload, and on the other hand, to help the GTAs themselves by preparing them to teach a similar course on their own. Instructors should accordingly regularly discuss aspects of the course with their GTAs as a group, e.g., the reasons for the course structure and the particular readings and assignments. This is particularly true of IAs in CLAR 120, ‘Ancient Cities’, and CLAS 131, ‘Classical Mythology’, since these are courses that advanced graduate students in our department are often assigned to teach on their own. The Chair will sometimes designate an IA in these courses as an ‘Instructional Assistant with Enhanced Responsibilities’ (IA+). In such cases, the instructor is encouraged to work closely with the IA by, for example, discussing the course goals and design, collaborating on the preparation of assignments, and asking the student to deliver lectures. An IA+ is in effect acting as an apprentice, training for the possibility of teaching the course as an STF in the future. Instructors should also meet with their GTAs individually to discuss their performance and make suggestions for improvement. Instructors of courses with recitation sections should visit their TAs sections at least twice, once near the start of the term and once near the end, to observe their teaching and make suggestions. - SelectionSelection
Faculty members are encouraged to inform the Chair of any graduate students whom they think would particularly benefit from or be particularly suitable for serving as a GTA in one of their courses, and graduate students are likewise encouraged to discuss their preferences and goals. The process of making graduate student teaching assignments is subject to many constraints, however, and so it may often not be possible to assign a particular graduate student to a particular course. Teaching assignments are normally made in October for the spring semester and in April for the fall semester; graduate students are informed by letter, with a copy to the faculty member who is serving as course instructor or course supervisor. - EvaluationEvaluation
As soon as possible after the end of the course, faculty members should submit an evaluation of their GTAs’ performance. This evaluation should include all the pertinent information (the course number and title, year and semester, the specific duties of the GTA) and comments on the GTA’s strengths and weaknesses. A copy of this letter should be given to the student and another copy given to the Student Services Manager to be placed in the student’s file. Written evaluations are not required for IAs but are welcome; course instructors are, however, required to give each IA regular feedback and to inform the Chair if an IA’s work is not satisfactory.
By Department policy, all classes taught by non-tenured instructors are evaluated each semester: those of graduate students and fixed-term instructors by faculty, and those of untenured faculty by tenured faculty. The evaluator, in consultation and pre-arrangement with the instructor, should plan to attend the class twice (or more) during the semester. Visits must be completed by the second-to-last class meeting. The evaluator should review the syllabus and other relevant materials (such as course Sakai sites), and is encouraged to discuss the course with the instructor both before and after the visit. The instructor should make clear the goals and methodology of the class, as well as any problems involved in teaching it, and the evaluator should feel free to suggest areas for improvement, in the spirit of constructive criticism. College policy requires that faculty members who observe other faculty members use the Peer Faculty Teaching Observation Report; the Department encourages the use of this form for observing graduate student instructors as well. Alternatively, faculty members observing students who are teaching beginning or intermediate language courses may find it useful to use instead the Department’s Language Teaching Observation Report. Evaluators should give the original of the form and their accompanying report directly to the instructor, with a copy to the Chair; electronic copies are preferred. If the instructor wishes, he or she may submit to the Chair a written response to the report, with a copy to the evaluator. Both the report and the response, if any, become part of the instructor’s file.
Supervision of Graduate Student Instructors
All courses taught by graduate student instructors (TFs) are assigned faculty supervisors. In the case of LATN and GREK 101, 102, 203, and 204, these supervisors are normally the Directors of the Elementary and Intermediate Latin and Greek Programs, although the Chair may appoint alternative course supervisors as needed. Others are assigned on a course-by-course basis. Faculty who are assigned as course supervisors should, in addition to the visitation procedures outlined above, discuss the instructor’s plans for the course and review their syllabus before the start of classes; supervisors are encouraged to make suggestions, and should make sure that the syllabus adheres to the departmental guidelines given above.
- Overview of ProceduresOverview of Procedures
Course lists for the fall and spring semesters become available to students in late February and mid-September respectively; registration begins the first weeks of April and November respectively. Students may continue to add courses using the online registration system for the five days of classes; after that, they must obtain permission of the course instructor and submit a Registration/Add/Drop form. During the second week of class, adds are processed directly through the department. Beginning the third week of class, adds are processed through Academic Advising and are subject to approval by an academic dean. Students may normally add a course after the second week of classes only if they have already been regularly attending it, and the Academic Advising office may contact the instructor to verify this fact. For further information, see Academic Advising’s FAQs. Students may drop a course using the online system during the first two weeks of classes; after that, they must submit a Registration/Add/Drop form. - Waitlists and Adding StudentsWaitlists and Adding Students
All courses will by default have a waitlist on ConnectCarolina. Students who place themselves on a waitlist are automatically moved up the list and added to the course when a seat comes available; for further information, see the Registrar’s website. Instructors who do not want a waitlist for their course should make that request on the Course Scheduling Form. Because there is a fair amount of movement during the first week of classes, instructors may also tell students who ask them about getting into a course that is officially full that they may attend the initial class meetings in case other students drop and places open up; this can be done with or without waitlists.There are sometimes a few extra seats in a classroom above the course’s enrollment maximum; in such cases instructors have the discretion to request that a student be enrolled above the enrollment cap. If they wish to do so, they should send a request to the Department Registrar, including the course and section number and the student’s name and PID; note that it is impossible to enroll students above the official maximum occupancy for a room, even if in practice there are empty seats. In unusual cases it is possible to request a room change even after the start of class in order to accommodate a larger class; the instructor should talk to the Department Registrar as soon as possible. Instructors who are uncertain about correct procedures or are faced with complicated situations should always consult with the Department Registrar. Note that Academic Advising scrutinizes late adds (those after the second week of classes) very carefully, and will normally require the instructor to verify that the student who wishes to add has already been attending the course; see further Academic Advising’s FAQs. - Independent Study CoursesIndependent Study Courses
Registration for independent study courses, including Honors Theses, must be completed after the learning contract has been approved and no later than the last day of late registration (see the Registrar’s Calendar for the date). - Honors CoursesHonors Courses
Registration in Honors Courses is initially restricted to students enrolled in Honors Carolina, but after a week or so is opened up to all eligible students (those with cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or higher). Students interested in being placed on a wait list need to fill out a Honors Carolina Course Wait List Request Form, available online. Waitlists are purged shortly before the start of classes. If a student wishes to enroll after that, they must obtain written permission directly from the instructor, using a form available online. For further information, see the Honors Carolina website. - AuditingAuditing
By University policy, course instructors do not have the discretion to allow people to sit in on a course unofficially; anyone who wishes to attend a course without officially registering for the course must still register as an auditor by filling out an Add/Drop form and indicating ‘AUD’ on it. (This policy does not apply to one-time visitors.) The Department Registrar can provide the form and further help with this process. Requests to audit a course may be submitted only after the end of the official registration period (last day for students to add a class or late register), when it is clear that there is still space available in the class. Auditing is normally limited to certain types of courses, but otherwise instructors have the discretion to approve or not approve of auditors. In making their decision they should consider whether the auditor will add or detract from the course or simply be a neutral presence; it is crucial that auditors not detract from the experience of officially registered students. - Placement in Language CoursesLatin
Students with questions about Latin placement should be directed in the first instance to the Department’s website, which sets out all the information provided below.All incoming students who have a background in Latin, especially those who have not taken the Latin AP, SAT II, or IB (International Baccalaureate) exams should take the online Latin Language Placement Test. The results of this test places the student in LATN 101, 102, 203, or 204, although it is generally advisable for the instructor and student to re-evaluate that placement in the course of the first two or three class sessions; placement in LATN 102 is generally discouraged.The online placement test does not allow students to receive By-Examination (BE) credit for any LATN course, but may allow them to receive Placement (PL) credit and thus satisfy the foreign language requirement. Note that BE credit provides both credit for University course and credit hours; PL credit provides credit for University courses but no credit hours; see further the Academic Advising website. Students who place into LATN 204 and do not already have credit for LATN 203 on the basis of AP, SAT II, or IB scores (see the following paragraph) are eligible to take Part 2 of the placement test, which is a written exam administered on campus that focuses on LATN 203 proficiency.A satisfactory grade on Part 2 allows students to receive PL credit for LATN 203, which fulfills the foreign language requirement but does not confer any credit towards graduation. The Department offers Part 2 of the placement test every fall. Students whose scores on the online placement test make them eligible to take Part 2 of the placement test are sent an email notification by the Departmental Senior Teaching Fellow; it is then the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the DSTF in order to take the test. Students who failed Part 2 the previous year are eligible to take it again, but are sent email notifications only on request. Students taking Part 2 must register at the time they take the test by showing their One Card and signing in (name, PID, and signature).Those with questions about the content of the exam should consult the Director of the Intermediate Latin Program; for questions about procedure, consult the Departmental Manager.
The following scores on standardized tests allow students to receive both six hours of BE credit for LATN 203 and 204 and fulfillment of the foreign language requirement: a 4 or 5 on AP Latin, a 660 and above on SAT II Latin, a 6 or 7 on the IB Latin Higher Level (HL), or 7 on IB Standard Level (SL). A score of 610 to 660 on SAT II, a 5 on IB HL, or a 6 on IB SL earns PL credit in LATN 203, and thus fulfillment of the foreign language requirement, but no BE credit hours. For general guidelines, see the Academic Advising website or the Undergraduate Admissions website.
Greek
There is no regular placement test in Greek. Students with previous study of Greek should consult the Director of the Elementary Greek Program for guidance on their placement. - Undergraduates in Graduate CoursesUndergraduates in Graduate Courses
Undergraduate may enroll in any course through the 600-level. They may also, with special permission, enroll in 700- and 800-level courses (excluding independent study courses); the student needs to fill out a Petition to take a Graduate Course, have it signed by the instructor, the DUS, and the Chair, and submit it to the Department Registrar before the first day of classes so that she or he may enroll the student in the course. Note that by College policy undergraduates are not allowed to enroll in 900-level courses under any circumstances. - Carolina Courses OnlineCarolina Courses Online
Students who wish to enroll in a CCO course must do so through the Friday Center website; for further information about eligibility for CCO courses see the Friday Center website. Students who try to register for CCO courses through ConnectCarolina will receive a message that they need departmental consent. This is not correct: they in fact do not need departmental consent, although they should check to make sure the course will count towards their degree; they simply need to enroll through the Friday Center. - Departmental Drop for Non-Class AttendeesDepartmental Drop for Non-Class Attendees
Instructors may fill out a Drop Form for Non-Attendance to request that students who miss both of the first two class meetings of a course be unilaterally dropped from that course. They must take attendance for the first week in order to do this, and then send a request to the Department Registrar with the names and PIDs of those they wish to drop. Instructors teaching courses for which there is high demand are especially encouraged to do this.
- Office HoursOffice Hours
All course instructors, including TAs and IAs, should hold at least two hours of office hours each week and should make sure that these are on record in the Department office. The Department Secretary will send an email memo requesting office hour schedules at the start of each semester. - Instructor AbsencesInstructor Absences
An instructor who needs to miss a class session for any reason, whether personal or professional, should make every attempt to have the class session covered in some reasonable way: by arranging for someone else to take the class or, if necessary, by organizing some self-directed activity on the part of the students. Cancelling a class session should be a last resort, although sometimes unavoidable in the case of medical or personal emergencies. Instructors should inform the Department Chair or Director of Graduate Studies in advance of any classes that they will miss and of the arrangements that they have made to cover the class; even in the case of last-minute emergencies they should do their best to notify the Department Chair or Director of Graduate Studies as soon as possible. Instructors should not plan to miss more than at most two sessions of a class during a semester without discussing the circumstances and getting prior approval from the Chair. - Class AttendanceClass Attendance
It is University policy that regular class attendance is a student obligation and that no student has a right or privilege to be absent from class meetings except on the two following grounds.- 1. Students are authorized to take up to two excused absences each academic year for religious observances required by the student’s faith. Students who wish to request more than two excused absences must contact their instructors for permission. An interfaith list of days marked for religious observance may be found on Interfaith Calendar’s website. Students are responsible for providing a written notice for an excused absence for a religious observance two weeks in advance of the date requested or as soon as possible if the date occurs within the first two weeks of the semester.
- 2. Students who are members of regularly organized and authorized University activities (for example, varsity sports teams) and who may be out of town taking part in some scheduled event are to be excused during the approved period of absence. Notification of such an absence must be sent by the responsible University official to the course instructor before the date(s) of the scheduled absence. Students must be given the opportunity to make up tests and other work missed due to an excused absence on either of these two grounds.
In addition, course instructors have the discretion to excuse absences from class for other valid reasons, such as illness (especially contagious illness) and medical or family emergencies; it is generally good practice to excuse absences on these grounds. A student should present his or her explanation for any absences in writing to the course instructor in advance if the reason for the absence could be foreseen, or as soon as possible thereafter if the reason for the absence could not be foreseen. For more details, see the University Approved Absence Office’s website.
- FERPAFERPA
The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) has two main provisions: on the one hand, it guarantees college students the right to inspect their own education records upon request; on the other, it forbids school officials from disclosing education record information without the student’s written permission unless one of the exceptions provided by FERPA applies. Education records include all written documents concerning a student, including electronic records, course assignments, emails addressed to or concerning a student, and class lists. Students have the right to request at any time to see all such documentation; note that this is entirely separate from public records requests. Instructors should always keep this in mind when creating any document that could be considered an education record. Instructors should also keep in mind that under FERPA guidelines they may not single out the performance of particular students, leave graded papers or exams in a pile for students to collect, or discuss a student’s performance in a public place. Except with the student’s written permission, the instructor may not share any of this information with anyone else, including the student’s parents and family members, spouses, friends, or potential employers. There are two main exceptions: education records may be shared as appropriate with other University staff, and information that falls under the heading of ‘directory information’ is at all times a matter of public record, unless the student has requested otherwise. - EmailEmail
All correspondence concerning University business, including in particular any correspondence with students concerning course work or other instructional matters, must be sent using an official University email account and not a personal account. The University email system is internally secure, whereas the security of other accounts cannot be guaranteed. Their use for instructional matters may thus result in breaches of FERPA. - ESL StudentsESL Students
The University has no official policy on accommodations for ESL students, but course instructors have the authority to arrange whatever accommodations seem appropriate. There is an ESL Specialist on the staff of the Writing Center (currently Gigi Taylor) who is available for consultation in individual cases. In general, based on research in this area, she recommends that, for exams, ESL students be given an additional 20-30 minutes per hour of exam time, and, if feasible, a separate room for testing, since some ESL students find it helpful to read aloud. The Writing Center provides a number of resources for ESL students, and includes on its website a useful page of tips for instructors who are working with ESL students, along with links to further resources. Another useful document is the Conference on College Composition and Communication’s Statement on Second Language Writers and Writing. - Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities
Students who have identified with the office of Accessibility Resources and Service (ARS) may receive accommodations for the course work, including special arrangements for taking exams. Note that course instructors are not authorized to provide accommodations on their own initiative, but must receive a request for support and assistance from ARS staff. Accordingly, if a student discloses a disability to a course instructor and the course instructor has not received any notification from ARS, the instructor should refer the student to ARS. For further information, including a description of various disabilities, tips for working with students who have disabilities, and FAQs, see UNC’s Accessibility website. - Mentoring of Minority StudentsMentoring of Students from Underrepresented Groups
Instructors who have minority students in their classes, especially those who seem to have a particular interest or are doing well with material, are encouraged to put them in contact with the Department’s designated mentor for minority students, currently Sharon James, who can discuss with them the benefits of pursuing a major or minor in Classics. - Honor SystemHonor System
All students at UNC Chapel Hill are subject to the Honor Code, which governs both non-academic and academic offenses, including cheating on tests, plagiarism, and unauthorized collaboration on assignments. If an instructor suspects that a violation of the Honor Code has occurred, he or she should first speak with the student to provide an opportunity for the student to explain the behavior. A GTA who suspects an Honor Code violation should in the first instance consult with the course instructor or supervisor; it is usually good practice for the instructor to be present when a TA or IA talks to a student about potential Honor Code violations. If the student cannot provide a satisfactory explanation, the instructor should then report the matter to the Honor System Office or the Office of Student Conduct; it is usually a good idea for the instructor to inform the student of their intention to file a report.After a report has been filed, there are two options: the instructor and student may agree to pursue an informal arbitration process (analogous to settling outside of course) or the case may be turned over to the student-run Honor Court. Instructors should not attempt to address Honor Code violations on their own authority; working through the official Honors System protects both the instructor and the student. Note that the option for informal arbitration means that reporting a violation no longer requires the instructor to turn over the matter to the Honor Court.Honor Court original hearing panels, which used to be limited to students, have recently been altered to include a faculty member, chosen from a standing pool of instructors trained to participate in the Honor System. All faculty are encouraged to join this pool, since the existence of a large enough pool of volunteers is essential to the success of the system. Instructors should also explicitly address academic Honor Code issues in the courses, e.g., by including a section on the Honor Code in their syllabi and by making clear what constitutes an Honors Code violation in the context of the particular course assignments. For further information and guidelines, see the Office of Student Conduct’s website.
- Commercial Use of Class NotesCommercial Use of Class Notes
The University’s Copyright Policy includes a clear prohibition against students making commercial use of notes taken in class or labs. Under this policy, students are not allowed to take notes in lecture classes for commercial or financial gain. Students found to have violated the Copyright Policy prohibition on commercializing notes are subject to Honor Court proceedings, especially if they have been provided with advance warning of this consequence. (This policy does not apply to students with learning disabilities who have assigned note takers.) Faculty may therefore wish to include a brief statement of this policy in the syllabus. - Student EvaluationsStudent Evaluations
Student course evaluations at UNC Chapel Hill are now submitted through an online system. All students enrolled in a course are sent an email with a link to the evaluation some two weeks before the end of the course. The results become available a few days after the end of the term, and are sent directly to the instructor. In addition, the Department Registrar prints out copies of all evaluations; these are reviewed by the Chair and then placed in the instructors’ files. Information from course evaluations is used in evaluating an instructor’s teaching performance, and may be included in the dossiers for formal reviews. Because the submission of course evaluations is entirely voluntary, the return rate is often low. Instructors should accordingly encourage their students to submit evaluations; one helpful strategy is to ask students to bring their laptops to a class session near the end of the semester and set aside some class time for evaluations. - Final ExamsFinal Exams
Students who are not able to take the exam at the scheduled time for valid reasons (severe medical, personal, or family problems; religious observance; a scheduling conflict involving multiple exams) must obtain an exam excuse from Academic Advising or Campus Health/Counseling and Psychological Services, as appropriate. If a student presents a course instructor with a exam excuse, the instructor must make arrangements for the student to take the exam at a time subsequent to the regularly scheduled exam but no later than the end of the following semester. It is good practice for make-up final exams to have the same format but different questions than the regularly scheduled exam. - GradingGrading
The Registrar’s website provides extensive information about grades and the grading process. Note that in courses with IAs and TAs the course instructor has the responsibility for assigning course grads; the role of IAs and TAs int his process is limited to that which the course instructor assigns them.
Overview of Undergraduate Grades
These include the normal letter grades (A, B, C, D, F) as well as special grades that indicate particular situations. The letter grades may be modified by + or -, but instructors should note that at UNC the grades of A+ and D- do not exist. The special grades include the following. AB indicates that the student missed the final exam, but could have passed the course if the exam had been taken; IN indicates that the student failed to complete major assignments. Both AB and IN are temporary grades that allow the student to make up the missed work within a certain amount of time: for AB, the last day of class of the next regular semester; for IN, eight weeks into the next regular semester. If the work has not been completed by the deadline, AB and IN grades convert automatically into an F. FA indicates that the student did not take the final exam and could not have passed the course regardless of what the final exam grade would have been; this is the grade to assign students who never attended class or stopped attending early on, but remain on the roster at the end. The grade of SP, ‘Satisfactory Progress’, is used only for the first semester of a Senior Honors Thesis.Overview of Graduate Grades
These are H (High Pass), P (Pass), L (Low Pass), F, IN, and AB; note that official graduate grades may not be modified by + or -. Graduate students who receive an F or F for a course or nine or more hours of L become academically ineligible to continue in the Graduate School. For further information about grading in graduate courses, see the Graduate School Handbook.Submission of Grades
Grades at UNC-CH are submitted through Connect Carolina; see further below. Instructors are notified by email when their grade roster becomes available, normally the last day of classes. Grades are due within 72 hours of the scheduled final exam time or, for courses without a final exam (including thesis and dissertation credit hours), within 72 hours of the first exam on the schedule. Instructors who do not submit their grades by this deadline will receive notification giving them a final deadline. If grades are not submitted by this final deadline, the Registrar’s office will automatically assign an administrative temporary grade, and the instructor will need to submit an online grade change. Faculty teaching graduate courses with papers due after the grade submission deadline will need to submit an incomplete and then follow up with a grade change. In submitting grades, instructors should be careful to save their data frequently, and should be sure to double-check the data they have entered. Once all grades have been entered, saved, and checked, the instructor must set the approval status to ‘Approved’; the grades will not be submitted until this has been done. For a detailed guide to the process, see the Registrar’s Grading Help page. Faculty should take care to remember to submit grades for all dissertations, theses, and independent studies that they are supervising.Grade Changes
All grade changes are done through an electronic grade change system. There are two different processes. Course instructors have the authority to process and post grade changes for temporary grades (AB, IN, SP). Changing a permanent grade (including temporary grades that have been converted to an F) is a multi-step process that the course instructor initiates but must then be approved by the Department Chair and an appropriate representative in the Dean’s Office. Only course instructors may initiate grade changes for students in their courses; the process cannot be delegated to the Department Registrar or other staff members. Instructors should be aware that students may appeal an assigned grade to the College only on grounds of arithmetical or clerical error, arbitrariness, discrimination, or personal malice; see further on UNC’s Catalog website under “Grade Appeals.” - Graduate Student ReportsGraduate Student Reports
Faculty members who teach graduate students should submit a report on the performance of each Classics graduate student in the course. They may choose either to use the Departmental Report on Graduate Student Course Work or to write a letter. Instructors are encouraged to be as detailed and specific as possible and especially to be explicit about any deficiencies. They should give one copy of the report directly to the student, one to the DGS, and one to the Student Services Manager to be placed in the student’s file. Faculty should also report on Duke students who are in their classes, just as we ask the Duke faculty to report on our students. Please submit reports on Duke students to the Director of Graduate Studies in the Duke Classical Studies department. - Records Retention and DisposalRecords Retention and Disposal
Instructors are required to keep all final exams for one calendar year; after that they may dispose of them. Because of FERPA guidelines, any written records concerning student grades must be disposed of in such a way that no one may get access to the information. The department shredder in the mail room (Murphey 211) can shred whole blue books, including staples; simply open the blue books and feed them in. Exams from courses with higher enrollments (over 25) may be taken to the department office for commercial shredding.
- ConnectCarolinaConnectCarolina
Instructors may access their class rosters and grade rosters by logging into Connect Carolina for faculty/staff and following the link for ‘My Schedule’ under ‘Student Administration’ in the menu on the left. Class rosters include an option with student photos.The link under ‘Advisee Academics’ allows faculty members to access student academic records. - SakaiSakai
Sakai is the online instructional system that is used at UNC Chapel Hill. Instructors can set up course sites for each of their courses, tailoring each site to the particular needs of the course. For virtually all courses, Sakai provides a convenient way to distribute syllabi and to record grades; note that student rosters for a course are imported automatically. It can also be used to post lecture notes, supplementary readings, and other course materials; to set up online course discussion groups and chat rooms; and to administer online quizzes and assignments. The main Sakai site provides abundant additional information; there are also options for a variety of online tutorials, workshops, and individual consultations. - Classroom TechnologyClassroom Technology
Most classrooms are equipped with a full range of audio-visual equipment. A central monitor with a touch screen allows instructors to access a computer, DVD player, or document camera or to connect to a laptop. To access the computer instructors must log in with their Onyen and password; they can then access material on a flash drive or connect to the Internet. Instructors who do log in to the computer should remember to log out at the end of the session; the system shutdown does not log people out. Everyone who uses classroom technology should be sure to shut down the system at the end of the classroom by hitting the ‘System Off’ button in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. Classroom technology is supported by Classroom Hotline department of ITS. Course instructors may schedule a one-on-one demonstration to learn about using classroom technology. The red telephones installed in each classroom provide a direct line to the Classroom Hotline Help Desk, where someone can assist instructors who are having trouble with the technology.
- Course ReservesCourse Reserves
Several options are available for course reserves; instructors can utilize one, two, or a combination of all three.- 1. The Department Librarian can set up a reserve shelf in the Ullman Library; she or he usually sends out a request around the beginning of term. Instructors have the option to include on the reserve shelf books from their personal libraries or books that they have checked out from the University Libraries, but they should be aware that from time to time books have disappeared from reserve shelves. Faculty members who are aware of books that the Ullman Library should have in its collection, particularly to support regularly taught classes, should submit a purchase request to the Department Librarian using this form. Instructors can also work with the Department Librarian to introduce classes to the resources and policies of the Ullman Library. Instructors should be aware that the Ullman Library is open to undergraduates only 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- 2. For shorter works (articles or chapters), a convenient option is simply to scan the work and post it on the course Sakai site. This ensures that students have access to the reading at all times.
- 3. An even more convenient option is to set up a course reserve through the University Libraries. The advantages of this option are that library staff can do most of the work and the reserve items are available to students around the clock. Course Reserves Services provide options for both electronic reserves and for print and media reserves. The Sakai Course Reserves tool, available in the left-hand menu of the Sakai site, allows instructors to manage their course reserves by adding new materials, editing or deleting existing materials, or asking staff to add new materials. Library staff are available to scan articles, and book excerpts for the electronic reserves or to place them in the physical reserves, located on the lower level of House Undergraduate Library; these are open 24/7 during the fall and spring semesters
- Department Coin CollectionDepartment Coin Collection
Overview
The Department has a collection of 100 ancient coins; apart from one each from Syracuse and Paestum and a few from the mid and late Republic, these are all Roman imperial in date, ranging from Augustus to Constantius II. The collection was originally put together by R. S. Rogers specifically for the purpose of illustrating imperial portraits in relation to Tacitus, Suetonius, et al., and so is particularly useful for that. In 2005-06 Rebekah Smith cleaned, organized, and catalogued the entire collection; thanks to her excellent work, it is now very easy to use. Each coin is kept in an archive-quality plastic slip, along with some basic information. Full information, including references to the standard collections of Roman imperial coinage, can be found in the accompanying typed catalogue.Guidelines for Class Use
All course instructors are welcome to make use of the collection for teaching purposes. It is kept in a locked location to which the Department Manager or the Chair can provide access. Because the coins are valuable and can easily be lost or stolen, please observe the following guidelines.- 1. When removing coins for use in class, please fill in the log kept with the collection; indicate your name, the class in which you’ll use them, the catalogue numbers of the coins that you’re removing, and the date. When you are finished with the coins, please return them to the Department Secretary; she or he will refile the coins, checking to make sure that none have gone astray, and will enter the date in the ‘returned’ column.
- 2. Please return the coins on the same day that you check them out. Faculty members, if necessary, may keep the coins in their office overnight, but must notify the staff and lock the coins in a file cabinet, desk drawer, or some other secure storage container and must not keep the coins for more than one night.
- 3. Please do not take any coins out of Murphey Hall. If you are teaching a class in another building, please arrange for a special meeting in Murphey so that you can use the coins there.
- 4. The plastic slips are easy to handle and allow both sides of the coin to be seen. In most cases there should be no need to remove the coins from the slips, and we ask that you not do so. If you do need to remove the coins for particular pedagogical purposes, please handle them only with the white cotton gloves that are kept with the collection and replace them in the slips as soon as possible.
- Department Antiquities CollectionDepartment Antiquities Collection
The Archaeology Seminar Room (Murphey 304) houses the antiquities collection of the Department of Classics. The collection consists of some 130 whole objects and hundreds of potsherds, lithics, glass, and fragmentary artifacts, representing a number of cultures and periods in the Aegean, Cyprus, Egypt, Anatolia and the ancient Near East. The assemblage was derived from private donors, former UNC faculty, and other scholars associated with the Department: William Dale, James P. Harland, Berthe Marti, Eben Alexander, and Henry and Sarah Immerwahr. Special collections include the Frederick Oswin Waagé III Antioch collection, consisting of Hellenistic and Roman lamps and table wares from excavations at Antioch on the Orontes in Syria, and the Takey Crist Collection of Cypriot antiquities, consisting of 40 artifacts, mostly pottery and sculpture, representing nearly 2000 years of Cypriot history from the Early Bronze Age to the Classical period (late 3rd millennium B.C. to ca. 500 B.C.). Items from the collection may not be removed from the Archaeology Seminar Room. - Epigraphy RoomEpigraphy Room
The Department controls access to the Epigraphy Room in Davis Library (Room 6010). This houses an extensive collection corpora, monographs, and journals for Latina and Greek epigraphy and Latin palaeography, as well as a special collection of materials on the Roman province of Dacia. Courses that draw extensively on these materials may be scheduled in the Epigraphy Room; please consult the Department Registrar. Access is by key code only; please see the Department Manager.
- Funding for Class/Student ActivitiesFunding for Class/Student Activities
Another Way of Learning (AWOL)
This fund is administered by the Academic Affairs Committee of the Executive Branch of the Student Government, and provides small grants (around $100) to faculty members to lead a unique project outside the classroom. The project must be intellectually engaging but need not be directly related to a particular class or topic; it is instead simply meant to allow faculty the opportunity to engage with students outside the classroom.
Meals with Heels
This is a student-initiated program, in partnership with Carolina Dining Services, that invites faculty and residents of campus housing to get together for a free meal at a campus dining location of their choice. The intent is to facilitate casual conversations between faculty and students that build relationships and ultimately lead to student academic success. Students must initiate the process, but instructors are free to publicize the program.
First Year Seminars
Faculty members can receive FYS Enhancement Grants of up to $750 to pay for special events or activities that will enhance their First Year Seminar; examples include tickets to events, rental of performance space, transportation to relevant sites, and purchase of course-related supplies.
Senior Honors Thesis Research Grants
These awards, which are normally capped at $500, may be used to support any legitimate cost directly connected to the undertaking of the honors project: equipment or supplies, computer software, costs related to field research, illustration and duplication, and the like. Travel will be supported only when there is a very specific need. There are two rounds of applications: one in the fall for the spring semester, and one in the spring for projects that are getting underway in the summer. For further information, see the Honors Carolina website.
Department Funds
If there is no other source of funding for a planned class activity, limited Department funds may be available; instructors should speak to the Chair. - Resources for InstructorsResources for Instructors
The Center for Faculty Excellence offers a range of services to both faculty and graduate students to help support teaching, including workshops, consultations, online guides to teaching strategies and instructional methods, assistance with adding new technology to classroom instruction, and a blog about strategies for the successful teaching of large lecture courses. A particularly noteworthy initiative is CFE 100+, which promotes the redesign of large lecture courses in order to improve learning outcomes, reach under-represented student populations, and attract more majors and minors. For graduate students in particular, the CFE offers online orientation sessions for new GTAs as well as the Future Faculty Fellowship Program.
The Future Faculty Fellowship Program (FFFP) is a semester-long program intended to help prepare graduate students to act as independent course instructors. It involves an initial one-day workshop, five 3-hour meetings of graduate student learning communities, and guest lectures and workshops. Applications are due in the early summer.
Student Retention, in the College’s Office of Undergraduate Education, provides assessment and consultation services for students to help keep them on the path to graduation. For instructors, it also offers a Brown Bag Lunch Series for discussing best practices for teaching, advising, and working with undergraduates, as well as other resources for course instructors.
The Office of Undergraduate Research provides various services to promote research opportunities for undergraduates, including a Graduate Research Consultant Program.
The University Libraries offer a range of instructional support services. Instructors may schedule a tour or arrange for a member of the library staff to lead a class session on the use of the library and various research tools. The library website offers a number of online and video tutorials for students, including a useful plagiarism tutorial.
The Ancient World Mapping Center includes on its website a number of free maps and other resources that can be helpful for lectures and class presentations.
The Ackland Art Museum has a wide-ranging collection of antiquities from the ancient Greek and Roman world and staff who are ready to work with faculty in planning class tours and study sessions. - Resources for StudentsResources for Students
The University Center for Student Success and Academic Counseling comprises four programs, of which the following three are of particular interest to course instructors.
The Writing Center offers a wide range of support services for students, including handouts on particular topics and one-on-one tutorials, both in-person and online, to discuss paper outlines and drafts. For instructors, they provide tips on teaching writing and teaching ESL students. Instructors can also request class visits and consultations.
The Learning Center provides subject-specific peer tutoring and academic coaching on topics such as test preparation, note taking, reading, active studying, and time management.
The Center for Student Academic Counseling offers academic counseling and personal support for all UNC students, with an emphasis on minority students in general and Native American and African American undergraduates in particular.
- OverviewOverview
Academic Performance
The primary area of responsibility for all course instructors and teaching assistants is the student’s academic performance. Instructors should accordingly make an effort not only to ensure that all students receive feedback on individual assignments but also to watch out for general problems (poor attendance, lack of engagement in class, regular failure to take quizzes or submit homework) and to notify students of such problems in as timely a fashion as possible. The College recommends that instructors undertake a systematic review of all students’ class performance at about a third of the way through the semester and to follow up with a notification to students who are having problems and an invitation to meet and discuss their performance. Instructors may do this by utilizing the Academic Progress Report system, run by Student Retention. All course instructors should receive an email notification that the system is open (usually the fourth to the seventh week of the semester), and may then access it by logging into Connect Carolina. Alternatively, instructors may choose to write personal emails to students and invite them to meet with them to discuss their performance. After this initial contact, instructors should in most cases leave the initiative to the student. If the student does meet with or otherwise communicate with the instructor, the instructor should do his or her best to direct the student as needed towards appropriate resources. These include both services noted above that focus on particular academic skills (Student Retention, the Writing Center, the Learning Center, the Center for Student Academic Counseling) and the more general support services noted below.
Health, Safety, and Well-Being
Instructors also have a secondary responsibility for the health, safety, and well being of our students. Instructors who have serious concerns about a particular student should take a more active role; guidelines for appropriate ways to proceed in particular situations may be found below. TAs should always in the first instance report any concerns to the course instructor; Teaching Fellows should always consult their course supervisor; junior faculty are encouraged to consult senior faculty or the Chair. The Chair should always be made aware of any issues that may have potential implications for the Department as a whole.
University Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Related Misconduct
The University Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Related Misconduct lists and describes a range of prohibited behaviors, including discrimination, harassment, sexual or gender-based harassment, sexual assault or sexual violence, sexual exploitation, interpersonal violence, stalking, complicity and retaliation. All members of the community, including course instructors, are encouraged to report to the University any incident of conduct that is in violation of this policy. All members of the Department who report an incident of prohibited conduct should in most cases also notify the Chair and/or the Department Manager. Note that the Chair and the Department Manager are required by the University to immediately report to the appropriate office or office any incident of prohibited conduct that comes to their attention, even at second hand, and must include all the details available to them, including date, time, location, the names of the parties involved, a brief description of the incident, and whether the incident has been previously reported; they are not able to honor requests not to take a matter further. - Resources and SupportResources and Support
The College’s Academic Advising department helps undergraduate students understand and comply with the requirements of the general education curriculum and other academic policies of the University and the College of Arts and Sciences. Students with questions or concerns about their Classics major or minor should be directed in the first instance to the Department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies. Students with questions or concerns about other aspects of their academic program should be directed to Academic Advising; they may schedule an appointment online or see an advisor during drop-in hours. Check Academic Advising’s website for a schedule.
The Dean of Students Office often serves as the best first resort for any instructor dealing with primarily non-academic student issues. Instructors may either refer students to the office for further assistance, or contact the office directly to report their concerns (call 919-966-4042). The Dean of Students Office has the authority to reach out to students and require them to take action. The Dean of Students’ website has a useful set of guidelines for instructors who have serious concerns about a student.
The Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) division of Campus Health Services has a walk-in service 9 am to 12 pm and 1-4 pm Monday through Friday, as well as regular therapy sessions. For instructors, there is a useful web page of advice for helping students in distress; they can also call at 919-966-3658. Note that CAPS cannot take the initiative to reach out to students; the student must contact them. Accordingly, in some cases it may be helpful to offer to accompany a student to the CAPS office; instructors who do so should ask to speak with the available triage therapist or to another staff member.
The Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office (EOC) is responsible for implementing the University’s Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Related Misconduct, as noted above, as well as facilitating Reasonable Accommodations for employees under the Americans with Disabilities Acts (ADA) and monitoring hiring processes.
Safe@UNC is one-stop web resource for dealing with interpersonal violence. It has resources for instructors who become aware of problems of interpersonal violence affecting their students.
The Department of Public Safety has a web page with contact information for a wide range of community support services. - Disruptive Behavior and ViolenceDisruptive Behavior and Violence
It is best practice to avoid disruptive behavior in the classroom by setting clear guidelines for appropriate conduct and addressing potential problems before they develop further. The Dean of Students’ website has a set of useful tips. In the case of violence, overt threats, or other potentially dangerous behavior in the classroom, instructors should immediately call Campus Police (911, or 919-962-8100 for non-emergencies) and notify the Chair and/or Department Manager as soon as possible.
- Prize Competitions in Greek and LatinPrize Competitions in Latin and Greek
1. The Herington Prize in Greek and Latin: two prizes of $250, one each in Greek and Latin, given for the best oral recitation of a passage of poetry. The composition takes place in the fall, usually late October.
2. The Suskin Prize in Latin: a $1,000 prize given for the best sight translation of selected passages of Latin. The competition takes place in February.
3. The Eben Alexander Prize in Greek: a $500 prize given for the best sight translation of selected passages of Greek. The competition takes place in February.The Undergraduate Committee makes these awards, consulting as necessary with colleagues.
- Scholarships in GreekScholarships in Greek
1. The Herington Scholarship: an award of $750 given to a freshman, sophomore, or junior Classics major or minor, with preference for the best student in Greek.
2. The Epps Prize in Greek Studies: an award of $5,000 for a junior or senior major or graduate student who shows the greatest interest and promise in Greek studies.There is no application procedure for these two awards. The Chair appoints a committee in the Spring semester to solicit nominations from faculty and graduate student instructors, review them, and make recommendations to the Undergraduate Committee, which formally makes the awards.
- Funds for Travel and ResearchFunds for Travel and Research
1. The Nims Scholarship: preference given to junior and senior Classics majors for either in-residence or study abroad programs. The amount varies, but is capped at $4,000 for summer programs and $6,000 for academic year programs. Applications are due March 1.
2. The Snow Award: three awards of up to $500 each are available each year to support travel for the sake of presenting a paper or to subsidize the expense of research projects. Applications are due November 1 and February 1.
3. The Stacia Byers Wells Fund: awards given to support travel to participate in excavations or archaeological field projects, travel to professional meetings in the U.S.A. or abroad, and faculty-student collaborative research, including work as research assistants. Applications are due March 1.The Undergraduate Committee reviews all applications, consulting as necessary with the Chair and other colleagues, and makes the awards.
- Regional and National AwardsRegional and National Awards
1. The Manson A. Stewart Scholarship: a $1,000 scholarship awarded by the Classical Association of the Midwest and South to sophomore and junior Classics majors. The Department may nominate up to two candidates a year, who then submit their applications directly to CAMWS. The Chair solicits nominations in January from faculty and graduate student instructors. For further information see the CAMWS website.
2. The Minority Scholarship in Classics and Classical Archaeology: up to $4,500 awarded by the Society for Classical Studies for summer study by minority undergraduate students. ‘Minority’ in this context includes African-American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American, Native American, and Pacific Islander American students. Eligible proposals include (but are not limited to) participation in classical summer programs, field schools, or language training. The deadline for applications is mid-December. For further information see the SCS website.
3. The Lionel Pearson Fellowship: an award of up to $24,400 given by the Society for Classical Studies to a senior major in order to support advanced study at an English or Scottish university. Nominations, which are due in early October, must come from faculty members, who should consult with the Chair well in advance. For further information, see the SCS website.