HIST 5301 161: Seminar in US History

HIST 5301 - Seminar in US History: Settler Colonialism in NE Atlantic

Fall 2025 Syllabus, Section 161, CRN 17400


Instructor Information

Dr. Teresa Scott

Email: teresa.scott@tamiu.edu

Office: AIC 317

Office Hours:
Monday: 12-1 PM
Wednesday: 2:15-4:15 PM
Other times available by appointment

Office Phone: 9563263301


Times and Location

W 6pm-8:45pm in Western Hemispheric Trade Ctr 104


Course Description

This course is a special topics seminar designed to explore various issues in U.S. history. May be repeated whenever topic changes. Prerequisites: Graduate or BAMA standing.
Humanities Department, College of Arts & Sciences

Additional Course Information

Course Description

"The colonial archive [...] is a lengthy record of the gap that can arise between intention and result in the writer's work. It is a museum of bad form, faulty logic, uncertain rhetoric, tedious exposition, and odd manipulations of style and genre." (D. Read, New World, Known World)

This course will focus on the settlement of the earliest US colonies (Roanoke, Jamestown, and Plymouth) in order to illuminate how the settlement of each colony participates in many of the forces that structure our modern world. We will read primary source materials from founders and/or major figures in the foundation and early operations of each settlement, allowing us to understand the experiences, perspectives, and challenges facing early colonists—and to understand how these writers used their works to justify the continuation of the colonial project. We will also focus closely on the relationships established with the indigenous groups in each region, focusing on how the colonists participated in the creation and development of colonial and racial ideologies that are still being felt today. In order to better understand the impact of colonialism more broadly, we will work to uncover ways of knowing and being that continue to order our contemporary society.

Course Policies 

Attendance and Late Arrivals: You should attend each class on time and prepared to discuss that day’s readings. If you do arrive late, be as quiet as possible to avoid disrupting class. For more information, see the “Participation and Preparation” section below.

Late Work or Missed Exams: As a general policy, I do not accept late work. If you know in advance you have a conflict with a due date, contact me as soon as possible. I understand that emergencies or other extenuating circumstances do happen, so I will use my own discretion on a case-by-case basis, should such an occasion arise. A valid reason must be presented in all circumstances. Please note that approved late work will receive a grade, but I may not be able to provide any written feedback.

Use of Electronic Devices: While many of the assigned materials are available in digital form, I discourage the use of electronic devices during class. Your time in class should be spent paying attention, taking notes, and contributing to the course discussion.

This is especially true for cell phone use. If I see you using a cell phone, I will ask you to put it away once. After that, I reserve the right to mark you absent and ask you to leave class for the day.

AI, Turnitin, and Assistive Technologies: In keeping with the TAMIU Honor Code, I will use Turnitin (via Blackboard) to evaluate the originality of all written student work. This is to ensure the integrity of your work and to forestall any attempts at plagiarism or cheating. Be sure to double-check that your file has uploaded, as failure to ensure that your work has been successfully submitted is not an acceptable excuse for late or missed assignments.

Furthermore, all work submitted should be your original work (i.e., written by you) without the aid of assistive technologies. This includes Grammarly, ChatGPT, Quillbot, and any other online resource that either produces text or makes substantial, substantive changes to text that you have written. Use of such technologies will be treated as cheating and any student found using such technologies will receive an F in the course.  

Office Hours: I encourage you to attend office hours whenever you are able. You do not need to make an appointment to attend my regularly scheduled office hours, but please note that if you do not inform me that you will be attending, I may be meeting with other students.

You *do*, however, need to make an appointment to meet with me outside of office hours. Please do not simply stop by my office unless it is a true emergency; I may be physically in my office, but this does not mean that I am available to meet at that exact moment.

Regular Access to Email and Blackboard: I will regularly use email and Blackboard to communicate with students about this course. Please check your email and our Blackboard course shell regularly for course updates and other relevant information. It is critical that you use your TAMIU student email account for all course communication. I will not use or respond to alternative email addresses, as this may violate FERPA regulations and generally causes confusion and disorganization.

Writing Expectations: All written work is expected to be at the graduate level and following the conventions of the discipline. The quality of your writing will be taken into consideration as well; therefore, you should spend time making sure that you submit work that is carefully considered and written well. If you know you struggle with writing, you have options: you can visit my office hours for individual assistance or visit a writing tutor (offered by ACE).

Grading: Test scores, written commentary, and/or a completed rubric for submitted assignments will be returned within two weeks of the assignment due date (give or take). Assignment grades will be posted to Blackboard.

Read any and all feedback and take it into account as you continue in the course. A grade by itself will not help you improve as a student.

Extra Credit: Please do not expect that extra credit will be made available in the class. If I do provide an extra credit assignment, it will be made available to the entire class and announced in class and on Blackboard.

On Classroom Interactions and Difficult Topics: Some of the topics covered in this course may make you uncomfortable or may challenge your ideas and beliefs. Our goal as a class is to discuss these topics with sensitivity and care. Remaining enrolled in this course signals acceptance that difficult or uncomfortable subjects may be discussed. Topics may include, but are not limited to, race, gender, sexuality, violence, trauma, politics, religion, oppression, and profanity. Students must recognize that the discussion of a topic does not in any way indicate advocacy for a particular position on that topic.

Disruptive behavior will never be tolerated. Any student being disruptive will be marked absent and asked to leave the classroom for the day.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the active student should be able to:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the people, events, and systems that shaped early American settler colonialism in the 16th and 17th centuries;
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the complex relationship between the early American colonists and the indigenous American groups;
  • Articulate how colonial writers justified the colonial project and its continuation;
  • Explain the critical, cultural, and historical implications of the colonial archive;
  • Perform close, critical readings of primary and secondary sources;
  • Present clear and effective ideas and arguments in writing using well-formed sentences, well-structured paragraphs, and proper English grammar and syntax; and
  • Adhere to discipline-specific professional and academic standards, including style and attribution conventions.

Important Dates

Visit the Academic Calendar (tamiu.edu) page to view the term's important dates.

Textbooks

Group Title Author ISBN
Required Of Plymouth Plantation William Bradford 9780486130873
Required Captain John Smith: Writings & Other Narratives James Horn (Ed.) 9781598530018
Required Voyages & Discoveries Richard Hakluyt 9780140430738
Required Brief & True Report of New Found Land of Virginia Thomas Harriot 9780486210926

Other Course Materials

All other required course materials will be made available as .pdf files in Blackboard. 

Grading Criteria

GRADE PERCENTAGE
A 90-100
B 80-89.9
C 70-79.9
D 60-69.9
F Below 60

Grade Breakdown

Participation and Preparation: This is a graduate class. The default expectation for any graduate class is that you attend every meeting, prepared and having read all assigned materials. I have this same expectation for all of my students. 

I will be making note of each student's preparation by notating and assessing their contributions to the course discussion. Each student is expected to participate by contributing *substantively* to the discussion each class. Failure to do so will result in a reduction of this grade.

In addition, it is difficult to participate/demonstrate preparation if you do not attend class. If you need to miss class, you must clear it with me beforehand, barring any last-minute emergencies (which should be communicated to me ASAP). Any unexcused absences will result in a reduction of this grade. 

Weekly Response Assignments: You will be expected to complete an assignment, due before each class, that demonstrates critical engagement with that day’s readings. More information about these assignments will be made available in Blackboard.

N.B. On day that you lead the discussion of an article, you do not need to submit a response assignment.  

Article Discussion + Critical Reflection: You will lead the class in a discussion of a peer-reviewed research article or book chapter that relates to the day’s readings. You will be expected to present on the article's argument, including its structure and methodologies, and to provide a short, summative evaluation of the author’s argument. Following your presentation, you will be expected to make connections to the primary sources covered in the course. 

In the days following your presentation, you will be expected to submit a critical reflection that considers the experiential value of synthesizing scholarly work and presenting it to peers. More information about these assignments will be made available in Blackboard.

Précis (Critical Annotation): You will also be expected to evaluate a peer-reviewed research article or book chapter that you will use in your final paper. As with the article discussions, you will be expected to articulate the article’s argument, structure, and methodologies of the article as well as to articulate how the article will inform your research. More information about this assignment will be made available in Blackboard.

Analysis Paper: In the analysis paper, you will perform a historicist analysis of one of the primary sources covered in the class. Your research on this paper will be contextual and cultural, as you will be expected to contextualize the text within the broader context of early American settler colonialism, demonstrating how the text responds to and encodes these developments. More information about the analysis paper will be made available in Blackboard.

Archival Paper: Your final project will take the form of an archival paper, which will require you to conduct archival research regarding a topic of your choice. You should select a text from the course’s historical range (~1550-1625) that engages with course concepts and then articulate the importance of your text for our understanding of early American settler colonialism. Overall, your paper should contextualize the text in the broader developments of settler colonialism by analyzing its language to make a case for its importance. More information about the archival paper will be made available in Blackboard.

ASSIGNMENT VALUE
Participation & Preparation 10%
Weekly Response Assignments 15%
Article Discussions + Critical Reflection 15%
Précis (Critical Annotation) 10%
Analysis Paper 20%
Archival Paper 30%

Schedule of Readings and Assignments

Day Date Agenda/Topic Reading(s) Due
Wed 8/27 Introduction to the course; foundational concepts Excerpts from Hakluyt, Discourse of Western Planting
Wed 9/3 Contextualizing Transatlantic Colonialism Selections from Hakluyt, Voyages and Discoveries Response Assignment
Wed 9/10 Roanoke Arthur Barlowe, Discourse of the First Voyage (1584)
Ralph Lane, Discourse on the First Colony (1586)
Response Assignment
Wed 9/17 Roanoke Thomas Harriot, A Briefe and True Report (1590) Response Assignment
Wed 9/24 Roanoke John White, Narrative of His Voyage (1587)
John White, Narrative of the 1590 Voyage (1590)
Response Assignment
Wed 10/1 Jamestown George Percy, Discourse (1606)
Edwin Maria Wingfield, A Discourse of Virginia (1608)
William Strachey, A True Reportory, part III (1610)
Response Assignment
Analysis Paper due 10/5
Wed 10/8 Jamestown George Percy, A Trewe Relacyon (1612)
Lord de la Warre, A Short Relation (1611)
John Rolfe, A True Relation of the State of Virginia (1616)
Response Assignment
Wed 10/15 Jamestown John Smith, A True Relation (1608)
Selections from John Smith, Generall Historie (1624)
Response Assignment
Wed 10/22 Plymouth Selections from William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation (1650) Response Assignment
Final Project Proposal due 10/26
Wed 10/29 Plymouth Selections from William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation (1650)
Selections from Thomas Morton, New English Canaan (1637)
Response Assignment
Wed 11/5 Plymouth Selections from Thomas Morton, New English Canaan (1637)
Selections from William Wood, New Englands Prospect (1634)
Response Assignment
Précis due 11/9
Wed 11/12 Feedback and Conferences
Wed 11/19 Archival Texts Presentation and Discussion
Wed 11/26 No Class
Wed 12/3 Final Paper Presentations Final Paper due Sunday, 12/7
Wed 12/10 No Class

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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:

  1. 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;
  2. 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;
  3. The student must sign an “Incomplete Grade Contract” and secure signatures of approval from the professor and the college dean.
  4. 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.