HIST 3330 - Colonial Latin America
Fall 2025 Syllabus, Section 102, CRN 17609
Instructor Information
Dr. Asli Berktay
Email: asligul.berktay@tamiu.edu
Office: AIC 387
Office Hours:
Tuesdays 2-4pm, and by email appointment
(Please make sure to always make an appointment, even for regular office hours.)
Times and Location
Course Description
Additional Course Information
This course seeks to introduce students to the history of the Spanish (and to a lesser extent Portuguese) possessions in the Americas during the colonial era. It seeks to cover a wide range of historical phenomena that are specific to the region from the initial contacts that took place between Iberians and the indigenous peoples of the Americas to the shapes taken on by daily life in different urban and rural colonial settings, from the systems of labor dominant in the region to distinct understandings of religion. It also seeks to complicate commonly-held beliefs regarding cultural encounter and exchange, as well as to blur the lines between imperial centers and peripheries, between city and countryside, between peninsular and creole ideologies. The course devotes particular attention to matters of gender, religion, economy, and race relations, both before and after the conquest.
HIST 3330-102: Colonial Latin America concentrates on particular aspects of the colonial experience that constitute important themes spanning longer periods of development. For this reason, it concentrates primarily on the two largest sites of Spanish colonization – the Viceroyalty of New Spain (Mexico) and the Viceroyalty of Peru (modern Peru and Bolivia, and parts of modern Chile, Argentina, and Ecuador), and to a minor extent on the Portuguese territory that later became Brazil.
Another objective of the course is to introduce students to primary sources (both written and visual) and secondary sources that are central to the historiography of colonial Latin America. A central focus of the course is on teaching students how to analyze primary sources—both visual and textual, especially those from contexts with which they are less familiar. The course will alternate between lectures and class discussions, while also including screenings and other in-class activities, in order to assist students in developing a fuller understanding of the region’s complex colonial history, while also strengthening their abilities of analysis and synthesis, specifically with regards to contextualization, causality, comparison, and change over time.
Course Expectations:
· Students should carefully consult the attached University Course Policies on classroom behavior, copyright restrictions, plagiarism, cheating, students with disabilities, incompletes, and independent study courses.
· Attendance is mandatory and will be consequential to your grade. Accordingly, it will be taken during each class session. You should also make sure to arrive on time. Excessive tardiness will have similar consequences to non-attendance. If you enter the classroom more than 10 minutes late, I will ask you to leave and mark you as absent during that class session.
· Cell phone use of any kind is not allowed under any circumstances, and you will be asked to leave the classroom immediately if you are seen using one. You will also be marked as not having attended that class session. Rather than paying attention to non-class related technology, please focus on taking proper notes during lectures, workshops, and discussion sessions.
No late work will be accepted, and a grade penalty will be applied (reduction of a full letter grade for each day, including assignments submitted later than the specified time on the due date). If you need an extension, you must specifically ask me for one, and to present a valid reason. (A valid reason requires an explanation: “For personal reasons,” for example, does NOT constitute an explanation.)
No make-ups will be givenwithout a written medical excuse or legitimate family emergency.
Only those students with a written medical excuse will be granted an incomplete. Students who are unable to meet this requirement should withdraw. Students who discontinue attending class, without formally withdrawing, will receive a failing grade.
The use of AI is not allowed in this class under any circumstances, and will directly result in an F in the course. Additionally, the instructor will immediately report the offense as per university policies. Please keep in mind that this includes the use of Grammarly, which by now also uses AI.
The same rules that are stated for AI use are also valid for all other forms of plagiarism and cheating, and none will be tolerated. All offenses will be immediately reported and will result in an F in the course.
If you have any special circumstances, other than those already registered with the Office of Student Counseling and Disability Services, it is your responsibility to inform the instructor at the beginning of the semester, or as soon as the said circumstances come into being. These can include personal and family matters, as well as health-related difficulties.
You are always encouraged to make an appointment to meet with the instructor during office hours. Be sure to always email the instructor to set up a meeting; do not simply drop by her office. Before or after class is not a suitable time for asking questions or otherwise talking to the instructor.
· When you send an email to the instructor during the week, you can expect an answer within 24 to 48 hours. The instructor has no responsibility to reply to emails sent over the weekend. Please make sure to not wait until the last moment to email the instructor.
· You are required to regularly and carefully read the course emails that the instructor sends through Blackboard. I communicate regularly by email regarding class updates, changes in the schedule or in the required readings, due assignments, etc. As soon as an email is sent, you are responsible for all the information that it contains, in the same manner that you are required to properly read the syllabus and all assignment instructions. (“I did not see the email in time” or “your email went to my other folder” are NOT legitimate excuses.)
· When the instructor emails you, you are required to answer as promptly as possible. Similarly, when the instructor asks you to schedule an office hours meeting, you will need to respond and schedule the meeting immediately.
· Along these lines, ALL students who have previously not taken a class with me will be required to meet with me in person over the first two weeks of the semester. All others will also be required to meet with me in the weeks that follow.
- Further, you should always use a professional tone when communicating with your professors via email (as well as in person). Please make sure to use complete sentences, proper spelling, and correct punctuation, grammar, and capitalization throughout. Use a formal form of address: Start the email with “Dear Dr. Berktay,” and finish the email with, “Sincerely, Your Name” or “Best, Your Name.” Please include your course number in all emails, ensure the subject line is clear and informative, and ask any questions clearly and directly, providing as much context as you can. I will not respond to emails that do not include a subject, greeting, signature, and/or reference to your course (“HIST 3330” or "Colonial Latam"); do not explicitly ask a question or otherwise seek guidance (“I won’t be in class today”); ask questions that can be answered by simply reading the syllabus (“When is the midterm?” or “When is the paper due?”); ask me to provide feedback on assignments via email—I hold office hours to provide this type of assistance, so make sure to work ahead and come to class/office hours with questions; or ask some variation of the question “Did I miss anything important?”— the answer will always be “yes.” I only spend class time on topics and activities that I consider to be important.
· Please also note that I do not check Blackboard messages, so email me to get in touch with me.
· Written work is graded both objectively and subjectively. A well-written and thought-out answer will always earn more points than a simply correct one. This approach also takes into account that different individuals have distinct styles of analysis and writing. Although this is not an English course, the quality of your writing matters. Therefore, you are highly encouraged to seek assistance from the TAMIU Writing Center.
This syllabus is subject to change. The instructor reserves the right to amend this syllabus as she sees fit.
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will:
· Be familiar with the main features and contours of colonial Latin American history and give their own explanation for major events such as colonial encounters, initial conquests, and the processes that led to independence.
· Better understand the different worlds and cultures (indigenous, African, and European) that combined to shape the history and culture of the region.
· Be able to perceive of the colonial era as a long and complex period of social and economic transformation rather than focusing on specific events, names, or dates.
- Acquire knowledge of historical facts and ideas over a broad period of time, including a better understanding of the concepts of context and change over time.
· Be able to compare and contrast colonial processes in various regions, for example in Brazil vs. Mexico. This includes the ability to evaluate national or regional trends and variations, but also that of making their own comparisons with regards to the dynamics and consequences of colonialism in other regions of the world, including British and French North America.
· Learn to analyze, evaluate, and interpret primary sources via a close reading and understanding of the context of the source’s production, and to question these sources with the purpose of differentiating between plausible narratives and dubious testimonies.
· Become fully map-literate and understand the centrality of geography to good historical scholarship.
· Be able to read critically, deconstruct and critique secondary source arguments and fictional works, and also to comment on the “historicity” of films or the “reliability” of images.
· Acquire a deeper recognition that there are different perspectives on the past, whether historical, interpretive, or methodological in nature, and that different societies and cultures follow different (not better or worse) trajectories.
· Be able to write clearly, coherently, and succinctly about history. This includes the ability to create a strong thesis statement for an interpretive essay, to use a combination of secondary and primary sources to support their arguments in a research paper, as well as to write in a way that is well-organized and structured, and both analytically and grammatically correct.
· Be able to publicly present on primary sources by following the guidelines they have been given, and by paying attention to the constitutive factors of genre, context, historicization, intention/purpose, and translation/transmission.
Important Dates
Visit the Academic Calendar (tamiu.edu) page to view the term's important dates.
Textbooks
Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|
Required | Colonial Latin America | Mark A. Burkholder and Lyman L. Johnson | |
Required | Colonial Latin America: A Documentary History | Kenneth Mills, William Taylor, & Sandra Lauderdale Graham, eds. |
Other Course Materials
All additional readings will be posted on Blackboard.
Grading Criteria
Grading and Assignments:
1) Attendance, reading, participation, in-class activities and quizzes - 15%
Regular attendance, active participation, and preparation for class are essential parts of the learning experience. Attendance alone does not constitute participation. The participation grade will be based on oral contributions, group work, and regular attendance in class sessions.
You will also need to read carefully and consistently all the assigned materials for this class. In-class activities and quizzes will take place at certain times during the semester, in order to make sure that you are reading on a regular basis, but also to ascertain your comprehension of different texts and topics.
2) Map quiz – 10%
Students will need to demonstrate their knowledge of Latin America’s physical features, political boundaries, and human landscape in a map quiz. The quiz will also include several content questions concerning the region’s colonial geography. Blank maps will be distributed in class beforehand for preparation, along with a list of the content that will be part of the quiz. The map quiz will take place during class on Wednesday, September 10.
3) Analytical essay on the conquest of Mexico – 15%
You will need to prove your ability to successfully analyze, connect, compare, and contrast different kinds of sources pertaining to the conquest of Mexico in a 3-5 page analytical essay for which you will receive a set of prompts to choose from. The instructions will include the specific materials that you will need to put in conversation with one another, as well as the requirements regarding formatting, references, etc. You will not be permitted to use any outside sources for this assignment. It will be due on Blackboard by Midnight on Sunday, September 28.
You will have the option to revise this assignment, in which case the first draft will only count as 40% of the final grade for this assignment.
The optional revised version of the analytical essay is due on Blackboard by 11.59pm on Sunday, October 19.
4) Midterm teach-back session - 10%
The instructor will distribute study guides to students one week prior to the midterm exam on Wednesday, October 8, upon which students will sign up to provide a “teach-back” to their colleagues on several of these questions. They will also need to provide a brief handout for their colleagues, which will also serve as a study guide. The teach-back session will take place in class on Wednesday, October 6.
Students who are absent on this class date will not be able to make up this assignment.
5) Midterm exam- 15%
The midterm will be an in-class, closed book exam including both definitions and mini essay questions. It will take place on Wednesday, October 8.
6) In-class debate on the rights of the Indians – 5%
During class on Monday, October 27, we will have our own version of the Valladolid debate (1550-51). The instructor will divide the students into two groups prior to this date, in order to make it possible for them to prepare in advance for the debate.
Students who are absent on this class date will not be able to make up this assignment.
7) Primary source presentation- 10%
Each student will present on a primary source of their choice from the lists of documents that will be circulated at different times during the semester. They will need to prepare a brief PPT presentation that properly introduces, explains, and contextualizes their document, according to the detailed guidelines provided by the instructor. They will also need to engage in the additional research that will make such contextualization possible, and search for visuals with which to enrich their presentation.
8) Final - 15%
The final exam will be a cumulative and closed-book exam, consisting of both definitions and essay questions. Our final exam is scheduled for 4.25pm on Wednesday, December 3.
9) Reflection essay- 5%
A two-page reflection essay on what you have learned in the course, as well as the significance of the colonial period in Latin America, is due on Blackboard by 11.59pm on Friday, December 5.
10) Extra credit
Students interested in extra credit will be allowed to do an additional primary source presentation, and will need to inform the instructor of this request by the end of Week Eight.
Assignment Schedule:
1) Wednesday, September 10: In-class map quiz.
2) Sunday, September 28: The analytical essay on the conquest of Mexico is due on Blackboard by 11.59pm.
3) Monday, October 6: In-class teach-back session for the midterm exam.
4) Wednesday, October 8: In-class midterm exam.
5) Sunday, October 19: The optional revised version of the analytical essay is due on Blackboard by 11.59pm.
6) Monday, October 27: In-class debate on the rights of the Indians.
7) Wednesday, December 3: The closed-book final exam will begin at 4.25pm.
8) Friday, December 5: The 2-page reflection essay on what you have learned in the course, as well as the significance of the colonial period in Latin America, is due on Blackboard by 11.59pm.
9) Students are responsible for keeping up with the specific dates for the primary source presentations they have signed up for.
Grading scale:
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
F 0-59
Schedule of Topics and Assignments
Day | Date | Agenda/Topic | Reading(s) | Due |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mon | 8/25 | Introduction to the course, the instructor, and the students. | ||
Wed | 8/27 | Latin America before Columbus: Amerindian Civilizations on the Eve of Conquest | Burkholder and Johnson, “Amerindian Civilizations on the Eve of European Conquest,” pp. 1-23. | |
Mon | 9/1 | Latin America before Columbus: Amerindian Civilizations on the Eve of Conquest • Primary source analysis demonstration by the instructor |
Mills, Taylor, and Graham (MTG), The Inca’s Tunics (pp. 14-18), The Aztec Stone of the Five Eras (pp.23-26) Excerpts from Garcilaso de la Vega (Blackboard) |
|
Wed | 9/3 | Latin America before Columbus: Amerindian Civilizations on the Eve of Conquest | Joseph Page, The Brazilians, pp. 109-123 (Blackboard). | |
Mon | 9/8 | Iberian Culture in the Fifteenth century | Burkholder and Johnson, “The Iberian World in the Late Fifteenth Century,” pp. 23-32. MTG, Coexistence in the Medieval Spanish Kingdoms, pp. 27-33. Excerpts from Las Siete Partidas (Blackboard) |
|
Wed | 9/10 | Atlantic Africa in the Fifteenth Century | Burkholder and Johnson, “Atlantic Africa in the Fifteenth Century,” pp. 32-40. A Pope Rewards “So Salutary and Laudable a Work,” pp. 34-42. |
|
Mon | 9/15 | How “New” Was the “Encounter”? | Columbus reports on his first voyage, 1493 MTG, “There Can Easily Be Stamped Upon Them Whatever Belief We Wish To Give Them,” The First Letter From Brazil (1500), pp. 43-58. |
In-class map quiz |
Wed | 9/17 | Reading Day. NO CLASS. |
Burkholder and Johnson, “The Conquest of Mexico,” pp. 50-58. Bernal Díaz del Castillo, “The March to Mexico” (Blackboard) Frances Karttunen, “Rethinking Malinche” (Blackboard) |
|
Mon | 9/22 | Hernán Cortés and the Conquest of Mexico | El Requerimiento (Blackboard) Carlos Fuentes, “Malintzin of the Maquilas” (Blackboard) |
|
Wed | 9/24 | Discussion of all class readings on the Conquest of Mexico, in preparation for the analytical essay due on Blackboard by midnight on Sunday, September 28. | The analytical essay on the Conquest of Mexico is due on Blackboard by midnight on Sunday, September 28. | |
Mon | 9/29 | Francisco Pizarro and the Conquest of Peru | Burkholder and Johnson, “The Conquest of Peru,” pp. 58-67. | |
Wed | 10/1 | Francisco Pizarro and the Conquest of Peru | Jared Diamond, “Collision at Cajamarca” (Blackboard) | |
Mon | 10/6 | Midterm exam teach-back session by the students | ||
Wed | 10/8 | In-class, closed-book midterm exam | ||
Mon | 10/13 | Spanish Governance over the Indians and the Catholic Church in Latin America | Burkholder and Johnson, “Imperial Organization and Administration” and “The Colonial Church,” pp. 91-118. | |
Wed | 10/15 | The Catholic Church in Latin America | MTG, Orders Given to “the Twelve” (1523) and Francisco de Vitoria “On the Evangelization of Unbelievers,” Salamanca, Spain (1534-35), pp. 59-77; The Jesuit and the Bishop, Bahia, Brazil (1552-53) and Fray Pedro de Gante’s Letter to Charles V, Mexico City (1552), 93-112. | |
Mon | 10/20 | The Catholic Church in Latin America | MTG, José de Acosta on the Salvation of the Indians (1588), pp. 134-143; Making an Image and a Shrine, Copacabana, Peru (1582-1621), pp. 167-173. | |
Wed | 10/22 | Changes in the Colonial Population | Burkholder and Johnson, “Changes in the Colonial Population” and “Indian Labor,” pp. 119-139. MTG, The Evils of Cochineal, Tlaxcala, Mexico (1553), The Indian Pueblo of Texupa in Sixteenth-Century Mexico (1579), and Alonso Ortiz’s Letter to His Wife, Mexico City (1574?), pp. 113-126; Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala’s Appeal Concerning the Priests, Peru (ca. 1615), pp. 173-184. |
|
Mon | 10/27 | Defending the Rights of the Indians In-class debate on the rights of the Indians |
Excerpts from the Valladolid debates (Blackboard) | |
Wed | 10/29 | Reading Day. NO CLASS. | ||
Mon | 11/3 | African slavery in Latin America | Burkholder and Johnson, “Slavery and the Slave Trade,” pp. 139-151. Patrick Manning, “Why Africans? The Rise of the Slave Trade to 1700.” MTG, Two Slaveries—The Sermons of Padre Antônio Vieira, Salvador, Bahia (ca. 1633) and São Luis do Maranhão, pp. 218-233; The Foundation of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de los Morenos de Amapa, Mexico (1769), pp. 320-327. |
|
Wed | 11/5 | City and Countryside, Center and Periphery | Burkholder and Johnson, “Chapter 10: The Era of Caroline Reforms,” pp. 320-352. MTG, Pedro de León Portocarrero’s Description of Lima, Peru (early seventeenth century), pp. 185-197; Taming the Wilderness, Minas Gerais, Brazil (1769) and Nicolás Ñenguirú’s Letter to the Governor of Buenos Aires (1753), pp. 335-352. |
|
Mon | 11/10 | Colonial Meanings of Race and Gender | MTG, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s Letter to Sor Filotea (1691), pp.207-214; Two Castas Paintings from Eighteenth-Century Mexico, pp. 360-365. | |
Wed | 11/12 | Popular Religious Practices in Colonial Latin America | MTG, Santa Rosa of Lima According to a Pious Accountant (1617), pp. 198-206; Portraits of Santa Rosa and Sor Juana, pp. 215- 217; Confessing to the Holy Office of the Inquisition, Bahia, Brazil (1592, 1618), pp. 234-245. | |
Mon | 11/17 | Colonial Society and its Norms | Burkholder and Johnson, “Chapter 7: The Family and Society,” pp. 221-245. | |
Wed | 11/19 | Wednesday, November 19: Reading Day. NO CLASS. | ||
Mon | 11/24 | Living in an Empire | Burkholder and Johnson, “Chapter 8: Living in an Empire,” pp. 245-296. | |
Wed | 11/26 | Thanksgiving Break. NO CLASS. | ||
Mon | 12/1 | In-class wrap-up discussion on the significance of the colonial era and on colonial legacies. | ||
Wed | 12/3 | The final exam will begin at 4.25pm on Wednesday, December 3. | The two-page reflection essay on what you have learned in the course, as well as the significance of the colonial period in Latin America, is due on Blackboard by 11.59pm on Friday, December 5. |
University/College Policies
Please see the University Policies below.
COVID-19 Related Policies
If you have tested positive for COVID-19, please refer to the Student Handbook, Appendix A (Attendance Rule) for instructions.
Required Class Attendance
Students are expected to attend every class in person (or virtually, if the class is online) and to complete all assignments. If you cannot attend class, it is your responsibility to communicate absences with your professors. The faculty member will decide if your excuse is valid and thus may provide lecture materials of the class. According to University policy, acceptable reasons for an absence, which cannot affect a student’s grade, include:
- Participation in an authorized University activity.
- Death or major illness in a student’s immediate family.
- Illness of a dependent family member.
- Participation in legal proceedings or administrative procedures that require a student’s presence.
- Religious holy day.
- Illness that is too severe or contagious for the student to attend class.
- Required participation in military duties.
- Mandatory admission interviews for professional or graduate school which cannot be rescheduled.
Students are responsible for providing satisfactory evidence to faculty members within seven calendar days of their absence and return to class. They must substantiate the reason for the absence. If the absence is excused, faculty members must either provide students with the opportunity to make up the exam or other work missed, or provide a satisfactory alternative to complete the exam or other work missed within 30 calendar days from the date of absence. Students who miss class due to a University-sponsored activity are responsible for identifying their absences to their instructors with as much advance notice as possible.
Classroom Behavior (applies to online or Face-to-Face Classes)
TAMIU encourages classroom discussion and academic debate as an essential intellectual activity. It is essential that students learn to express and defend their beliefs, but it is also essential that they learn to listen and respond respectfully to others whose beliefs they may not share. The University will always tolerate different, unorthodox, and unpopular points of view, but it will not tolerate condescending or insulting remarks. When students verbally abuse or ridicule and intimidate others whose views they do not agree with, they subvert the free exchange of ideas that should characterize a university classroom. If their actions are deemed by the professor to be disruptive, they will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action (please refer to Student Handbook Article 4).
TAMIU Honor Code: Plagiarism and Cheating
As a TAMIU student, you are bound by the TAMIU Honor Code to conduct yourself ethically in all your activities as a TAMIU student and to report violations of the Honor Code. Please read carefully the Student Handbook Article 7 and Article 10 available at https://www.tamiu.edu/scce/studenthandbook.shtml.
We are committed to strict enforcement of the Honor Code. Violations of the Honor Code tend to involve claiming work that is not one’s own, most commonly plagiarism in written assignments and any form of cheating on exams and other types of assignments.
Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s work as your own. It occurs when you:
- Borrow someone else’s facts, ideas, or opinions and put them entirely in your own words. You must acknowledge that these thoughts are not your own by immediately citing the source in your paper. Failure to do this is plagiarism.
- Borrow someone else’s words (short phrases, clauses, or sentences), you must enclose the copied words in quotation marks as well as citing the source. Failure to do this is plagiarism.
- Present someone else’s paper or exam (stolen, borrowed, or bought) as your own. You have committed a clearly intentional form of intellectual theft and have put your academic future in jeopardy. This is the worst form of plagiarism.
Here is another explanation from the 2020, seventh edition of the Manual of The American Psychological Association (APA):
“Plagiarism is the act of presenting the words, idea, or images of another as your own; it denies authors or creators of content the credit they are due. Whether deliberate or unintentional, plagiarism violates ethical standards in scholarship” (p. 254). This same principle applies to the illicit use of AI.
Plagiarism: Researchers do not claim the words and ideas of another as their own; they give credit where credit is due. Quotations marks should be used to indicate the exact words of another. Each time you paraphrase another author (i.e., summarize a passage or rearrange the order of a sentence and change some of the words), you need to credit the source in the text. The key element of this principle is that authors do not present the work of another as if it were their own words. This can extend to ideas as well as written words. If authors model a study after one done by someone else, the originating author should be given credit. If the rationale for a study was suggested in the discussion section of someone else's article, the person should be given credit. Given the free exchange of ideas, which is very important for the health of intellectual discourse, authors may not know where an idea for a study originated. If authors do know, however, they should acknowledge the source; this includes personal communications (p. 11). For guidance on proper documentation, consult the Academic Success Center or a recommended guide to documentation and research such as the Manual of the APA or the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. If you still have doubts concerning proper documentation, seek advice from your instructor prior to submitting a final draft.
TAMIU has penalties for plagiarism and cheating.
- Penalties for Plagiarism: Should a faculty member discover that a student has committed plagiarism, the student should receive a grade of 'F' in that course and the matter will be referred to the Honor Council for possible disciplinary action. The faculty member, however, may elect to give freshmen and sophomore students a “zero” for the assignment and to allow them to revise the assignment up to a grade of “F” (50%) if they believe that the student plagiarized out of ignorance or carelessness and not out of an attempt to deceive in order to earn an unmerited grade; the instructor must still report the offense to the Honor Council. This option should not be available to juniors, seniors, or graduate students, who cannot reasonably claim ignorance of documentation rules as an excuse. For repeat offenders in undergraduate courses or for an offender in any graduate course, the penalty for plagiarism is likely to include suspension or expulsion from the university.
- Caution: Be very careful what you upload to Turnitin or send to your professor for evaluation. Whatever you upload for evaluation will be considered your final, approved draft. If it is plagiarized, you will be held responsible. The excuse that “it was only a draft” will not be accepted.
- Caution: Also, do not share your electronic files with others. If you do, you are responsible for the possible consequences. If another student takes your file of a paper and changes the name to his or her name and submits it and you also submit the paper, we will hold both of you responsible for plagiarism. It is impossible for us to know with certainty who wrote the paper and who stole it. And, of course, we cannot know if there was collusion between you and the other student in the matter.
- Penalties for Cheating: Should a faculty member discover a student cheating on an exam or quiz or other class project, the student should receive a “zero” for the assignment and not be allowed to make the assignment up. The incident should be reported to the chair of the department and to the Honor Council. If the cheating is extensive, however, or if the assignment constitutes a major grade for the course (e.g., a final exam), or if the student has cheated in the past, the student should receive an “F” in the course, and the matter should be referred to the Honor Council. Additional penalties, including suspension or expulsion from the university may be imposed. Under no circumstances should a student who deserves an “F” in the course be allowed to withdraw from the course with a “W.”
- Caution: Chat groups that start off as “study groups” can easily devolve into “cheating groups.” Be very careful not to join or remain any chat group if it begins to discuss specific information about exams or assignments that are meant to require individual work. If you are a member of such a group and it begins to cheat, you will be held responsible along with all the other members of the group. The TAMIU Honor Code requires that you report any such instances of cheating.
- Student Right of Appeal: Faculty will notify students immediately via the student’s TAMIU e- mail account that they have submitted plagiarized work. Students have the right to appeal a faculty member’s charge of academic dishonesty by notifying the TAMIU Honor Council of their intent to appeal as long as the notification of appeal comes within 10 business days of the faculty member’s e-mail message to the student and/or the Office of Student Conduct and Community Engagement. The Student Handbook provides more details.
Use of Work in Two or More Courses
You may not submit work completed in one course for a grade in a second course unless you receive explicit permission to do so by the instructor of the second course. In general, you should get credit for a work product only once.
AI Policies
Your instructor will provide you with their personal policy on the use of AI in the classroom setting and associated coursework.
TAMIU E-Mail and SafeZone
Personal Announcements sent to students through TAMIU E-mail (tamiu.edu or dusty email) are the official means of communicating course and university business with students and faculty –not the U.S. Mail and no other e-mail addresses. Students and faculty must check their TAMIU e-mail accounts regularly, if not daily. Not having seen an important TAMIU e-mail or message from a faculty member, chair, or dean is not accepted as an excuse for failure to take important action.
Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to download the SafeZone app, which is a free mobile app for all University faculty, staff, and students. SafeZone allows you to: report safety concerns (24/7), get connected with mental health professionals, activate location sharing with authorities, and anonymously report incidents. Go to https://www.tamiu.edu/adminis/police/safezone/index.shtml for more information.
Copyright Restrictions
The Copyright Act of 1976 grants to copyright owners the exclusive right to reproduce their works and distribute copies of their work. Works that receive copyright protection include published works such as a textbook. Copying a textbook without permission from the owner of the copyright may constitute copyright infringement. Civil and criminal penalties may be assessed for copyright infringement. Civil penalties include damages up to $100,000; criminal penalties include a fine up to $250,000 and imprisonment. Copyright laws do not allow students and professors to make photocopies of copyrighted materials, but you may copy a limited portion of a work, such as article from a journal or a chapter from a book for your own personal academic use or, in the case of a professor, for personal, limited classroom use. In general, the extent of your copying should not suggest that the purpose or the effect of your copying is to avoid paying for the materials. And, of course, you may not sell these copies for a profit. Thus, students who copy textbooks to avoid buying them or professors who provide photocopies of textbooks to enable students to save money are violating the law.
Students with Disabilities
Texas A&M International University seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for all qualified persons with disabilities. This University will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required to afford equal education opportunity. It is the student's responsibility to register with the Office of Student Counseling and Disability Services located in Student Center 126. This office will contact the faculty member to recommend specific, reasonable accommodations. Faculty are prohibited from making accommodations based solely on communications from students. They may make accommodations only when provided documentation by the Student Counseling and Disability Services office.
Student Attendance and Leave of Absence (LOA) Policy
As part of our efforts to assist and encourage all students towards graduation, TAMIU provides
LOA’s for students, including pregnant/parenting students, in accordance with the Attendance Rule (Section 3.07) and the Student LOA Rule (Section 3.08), which includes the “Leave of Absence Request” form. Both rules can be found in the TAMIU Student Handbook (URL: http://www.tamiu.edu/studentaffairs/StudentHandbook1.shtml).
Pregnant and Parenting Students
Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, harassment based on sex, including harassment because of pregnancy or related conditions, is prohibited. A pregnant/parenting student must be granted an absence for as long as the student’s physician deems the absence medically necessary. It is a violation of Title IX to ask for documentation relative to the pregnant/parenting student’s status beyond what would be required for other medical conditions. If a student would like to file a complaint for discrimination due to his or her pregnant/parenting status, please contact the TAMIU Title IX Coordinator (Lorissa M. Cortez, 5201 University Boulevard, KLM 159B, Laredo, TX 78041,TitleIX@tamiu.edu, 956.326.2857) and/or the Office of Civil Rights (Dallas Office, U.S. Department of Education, 1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1620, Dallas, TX 75201-6810, 214.661.9600). You can also report it on TAMIU’s anonymous electronic reporting site: https://www.tamiu.edu/reportit.
TAMIU advises a pregnant/parenting student to notify their professor once the student is aware that accommodations for such will be necessary. It is recommended that the student and professor develop a reasonable plan for the student’s completion of missed coursework or assignments. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (Lorissa M. Cortez, lorissam.cortez@tamiu.edu) can assist the student and professor in working out the reasonable accommodations. For other questions or concerns regarding Title IX compliance related to pregnant/parenting students at the University, contact the Title IX Coordinator. In the event that a student will need a leave of absence for a substantial period of time, TAMIU urges the student to consider a Leave of Absence (LOA) as outlined in the TAMIU Student Handbook. As part of our efforts to assist and encourage all students towards graduation, TAMIU provides LOA’s for students, including pregnant/parenting students, in accordance with the Attendance Rule and the Student LOA Rule. Both rules can be found in the TAMIU Student Handbook (https://www.tamiu.edu/scce/studenthandbook.shtml).
Anti-Discrimination/Title IX
TAMIU does not discriminate or permit harassment against any individual on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, educational programs, or employment. If you would like to file a complaint relative to Title IX or any civil rights violation, please contact the TAMIU Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity/Title IX Coordinator, Lorissa M. Cortez, 5201 University Boulevard, Killam Library 159B, Laredo, TX 78041,TitleIX@tamiu.edu, 956.326.2857, via the anonymous electronic reporting website, ReportIt, at https://www.tamiu.edu/reportit, and/or the Office of Civil Rights (Dallas Office), U.S. Department of Education, 1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1620, Dallas, TX 75201-6810, 214.661.9600.
Incompletes
Students who are unable to complete a course should withdraw from the course before the final date for withdrawal and receive a “W.” To qualify for an “incomplete” and thus have the opportunity to complete the course at a later date, a student must meet the following criteria:
- The student must have completed 90% of the course work assigned before the final date for withdrawing from a course with a “W”, and the student must be passing the course;
- The student cannot complete the course because an accident, an illness, or a traumatic personal or family event occurred after the final date for withdrawal from a course;
- The student must sign an “Incomplete Grade Contract” and secure signatures of approval from the professor and the college dean.
- The student must agree to complete the missing course work before the end of the next long semester; failure to meet this deadline will cause the “I” to automatically be converted to an “F”; extensions to this deadline may be granted by the dean of the college. This is the general policy regarding the circumstances under which an “incomplete” may be granted, but under exceptional circumstances, a student may receive an incomplete who does not meet all of the criteria above if the faculty member, department chair, and dean recommend it.
WIN Contracts
The Department of Biology and Chemistry does not permit WIN contracts. For other departments within the college, WIN Contracts are offered only under exceptional circumstances and are limited to graduating seniors. Only courses offered by full-time TAMIU faculty or TAMIU instructors are eligible to be contracted for the WIN requirement. However, a WIN contract for a course taught by an adjunct may be approved, with special permission from the department chair and dean. Students must seek approval before beginning any work for the WIN Contract. No student will contract more than one course per semester. Summer WIN Contracts must continue through both summer sessions.
Student Responsibility for Dropping a Course
It is the responsibility of the student to drop the course before the final date for withdrawal from a course. Faculty members, in fact, may not drop a student from a course without getting the approval of their department chair and dean.
Independent Study Course
Independent Study (IS) courses are offered only under exceptional circumstances. Required courses intended to build academic skills may not be taken as IS (e.g., clinical supervision and internships). No student will take more than one IS course per semester. Moreover, IS courses are limited to seniors and graduate students. Summer IS course must continue through both summer sessions.
Grade Changes & Appeals
Faculty are authorized to change final grades only when they have committed a computational error or an error in recording a grade, and they must receive the approval of their department chairs and the dean to change the grade. As part of that approval, they must attach a detailed explanation of the reason for the mistake. Only in rare cases would another reason be entertained as legitimate for a grade change. A student who is unhappy with his or her grade on an assignment must discuss the situation with the faculty member teaching the course. If students believe that they have been graded unfairly, they have the right to appeal the grade using a grade appeal process in the Student Handbook and in the Faculty Handbook.
Final Examination
All courses in all colleges must include a comprehensive exam or performance and be given on the date and time specified by the Academic Calendar and the Final Exam schedule published by the Registrar’s Office. In the College of Arts & Sciences all final exams must contain a written component. The written component should comprise at least 20% of the final exam grade. Exceptions to this policy must receive the approval of the department chair and the dean at the beginning of the semester.
Mental Health and Well-Being
The university aims to provide students with essential knowledge and tools to understand and support mental health. As part of our commitment to your well-being, we offer access to Telus Health, a service available 24/7/365 via chat, phone, or webinar. Scan the QR code to download the app and explore the resources available to you for guidance and support whenever you need it. The Telus app is available to download directly from TELUS (tamiu.edu) or from the Apple App Store and Google Play.