PSCI 4307 101: The Interamerican System

PSCI 4307 - The Interamerican System

Fall 2025 Syllabus, Section 101, CRN 17423


Instructor Information

James A Norris, PhD, ACUE, FWIC

Email: jnorris@tamiu.edu

Office: AIC 335

Office Hours:
M & W 10:45 am - 11:45 am
M& W 1:10 pm - 2:00 pm

Office Phone: 2607

Blackboard messages preferred


Times and Location

MWF 9:40am-10:35am in Lamar Bruni Vergara Science Ct 102


Course Description

This course analyzes the development of the modern Interamerican System, with emphasis on international and domestic factors that shape hemispheric pacts like the Organization of the American States (OAS) and sub-regional projects like NAFTA. The course also explores contemporary challenges to political and economic integration in the Americas.
Social Sciences Department, College of Arts & Sciences

Additional Course Information

This course will explore the Latin American Diplomatic relations within the Organization of American States.  Emphasis is on the contemporary period [1945 – present].  The course will also allow students as potential TAMIU ESMOAS team members, to practice diplomacy and parliamentary procedures. 

Course Objective:   This course will seek to answer the following questions about diplomacy and international relations in Latin America. How do countries in Latin America interact with each other and the rest of world? What institutional structures are used by Latin American countries to manage conflicts, broker competing interests and take advantage of global opportunities? Are the countries in Latin America still subject to the whims of Washington, or are they able to act independently both within the Western Hemisphere and the global system?  Are some countries of Latin America developing on their way to becoming significant “middle powers?” Lastly, we will put your new knowledge to real-world test by requiring student participation in the 2025 ESMOAS Summit of the Americas at St. Thomas University, Houston [November 14 -16].

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Explain and analyze the historical trajectory of US-Latin American relations, and of the OAS;
  2. Interpret and discuss the competing pressures driving intra-Latin American relations;
  3. Outline the historical pattern of war and conflict in the Americas and what it means for regional relations today;
  4. Explain and appraise the origins and current challenges of regionalism in contemporary Latin America;
  5. Identify and assess the different approaches that Latin American countries are using to address the challenges of the regional and global system;
  6. Undertake a research project on an issue related to the core course material using a regional country as a case study.

Important Dates

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

Textbooks

Group Title Author ISBN
Required Talons of the Eagle Peter H. Smith and Ana Covarrubias 9780190854843

Other Course Materials

To go to the bookstore, click here.

We will also have selected readings that I will provide in Blackboard from the following out-of-print textbooks:

Herz, Mônica. 2011. The Organization of American States (OAS): Global Governance Away from the Media. Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN: 9780203829240

Lambert, Peter and Gian Luca Gardini. 2011. Latin American Foreign Policies: Between Ideology and Pragmatism.  Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN: 9780230118270

ESMOAS: the 2025 ESMOAS Summit of the Americas at St Thomas in Houston 14  - 16 November. This event is a student role-playing activity where students act as diplomats representing their country for a two-and-a-half-day exercise.  Those wishing to participate in the class will be divide into two or more teams to practice diplomatic skills, diplomatic language, parliamentary procedures, and to research and learn all they can about the government, politics, culture, diplomacy, and international relations of that team’s country. One team member will be chosen by the team to act as the president of that country.  You are expected to emulate and imitate that person and what they would likely say and do in a diplomatic summit at the real OAS.  We will reserve Friday class-times for these practice debate exercises. Some members of the ESMOAS teams will be members of the Political Science Association who may join in on the practice sessions or may do their own practice sessions on weekends There is also an IACHR Moot Court competition for students who want to practice arguing human rights cases during the same conference. As many class members as we can gather and afford will also attend the Parliamentary Procedures Workshop at Angelo State University [now also online via Zoom] September 27 [all day].  The Parliamentary Procedures Workshop is practically a necessity if you want to win awards. Funding will come from a number of sources, including fund raising by the Political Science Association/ Pi Sigma Alpha, and from the College of Arts and Sciences.  See: http://esmoas.org/index.html

Grading Criteria

GRADE PERCENTAGE
A 91-100
B 80-90.9
C 70-79.9
D 60-69.9
F Below 60

Additional Information and Grading

AI Policy

AI may be used as a possibly helpful research tool, but do take the time to check if the citations/ resources the AI tool lists actually exist, and that the resource really says what the AI tool claims. You may NOT merely copy and paste the AI output.

Exams and Make-Ups.  Exams will be multiple choice, matching, and essay. Exam make-ups are generally NOT allowed, but I will review each request for a make-up.

Respondus LockDown Browser Requirement

This course requires the use of Respondus LockDown Browser for online MC exams.
Watch this video to get a basic understanding of LockDown Browser: https://www.respondus.com/products/lockdown-browser/student-movie.shtml
Download Instructions Click the Student Support top-middle tab located in Blackboard. Scroll down to the Instructional Technologies section and click on the Respondus LockDown Browser icon. Once Installed:
• Open LockDown Browser

• Log into Blackboard Learn • Navigate to the test and begin Note: You won't be able to access tests with a standard web browser. If this is tried, an error message will indicate that the test requires the use of LockDown Browser. Simply start LockDown Browser and navigate back to the exam to continue. Guidelines When taking an online test, follow these guidelines:

• Select a location where you won't be interrupted

• Before starting the exam, know how much time is available for it, and also that you've allotted sufficient time to complete it

• Turn off all mobile devices, phones, etc. and don't have them within reach • Clear your area of all external materials - books, papers, other computers, or devices • Remain at your desk or workstation for the duration of the test

• Respondus LockDown Browser will prevent you from accessing other websites or applications; you will be unable to exit the test until all questions are completed and submitted.

• Several resources are available if you encounter problems with Respondus LockDown Browser:

• The Windows and Mac versions of Respondus LockDown Browser have a "Help Center" button located on the toolbar. Use the "System & Network Check" to troubleshoot issues. • If you have problems downloading, installing, or taking a test with Respondus LockDown Browser, email the TAMIU eLearning Team at elearning@tamiu.edu.

Writing Assignments:

There are three major writing assignments for those who participate in the ESMOAS part of the course: the position papers, the resolutions or budgetary statements, and a short term paper [not required for ESMOAS participants]. The position papers are due to me October 24 [due to ESMOAS October 29]  and the resolutions are due Oct 29 [due to ESMOAS November 5] for my review.  These must be written in the style imposed by the ESMOAS—no exceptions. 

The generic term paper for non-ESMOAS is a short [eight - ten pages] term paper about the government and foreign policy of one Latin American states as assigned.  Participants in the ESMOAS are excused from this term paper. The generic non-ESMOAS term papers must use either APSA [American Political Science Association] in-line citation style manual or Chicago footnote [Turabian] style.  For a paper of this length, you will need about six – eight [6-10] references. The generic term papers [for non-ESMOAS] will be turned in online through a Blackboard TurnitIn paper submission by November 19th 11:59pm.  I will provide a plagiarism checker so that you can see the paper’s commonality score and fix this if required. If this score is 15% or less, you are fine. 15% - 25% you will need to make minor revisions.  Any higher than these you do need to revise.

Presentation: On the last two class days students will make asynchronous formal presentation via Blackboard Collaborate about the government and foreign policy of one Latin American state as assigned, above. This presentation and the short term paper will combine to be 40% of the course grade.  These should be no longer than 10 minutes each. 

Course Grading: There will be a mid-term exam, twenty percent (20%), and a comprehensive final exam that will represent twenty percent (20%) of your final grade, one major writing assignment is worth forty percent [40%] of the grade on the diplomacy, history, and foreign relations of a Latin American state. 

Extra Credit? Students may earn extra credit by documented attendance at certain TAMIU events and lectures, such as the Sanchez Lectures. Write a 1-paragraph essay or comment on the lecture to get credit. For each you earn = ½% a point. The maximum extra credit is four% (4) points.

ASSIGNMENT VALUE
Midterm Exam 20%
Quizzes 20%
Position Paper ESMOAS only 20%
Resolution ESMOAS only 20%
Final Exam 20%
Term Paper & Presentaion non-ESMOAS 40%
Total 100%

Schedule of Topics and Assignments

Day Date Agenda/Topic Reading(s) Due
Mon 8/25 Introduction & Syllabus Syllabus. Introduction & Chapter 1 of OAS book
Wed 8/27 The Imperial Era I Chapters 1 & 2 in Talons book
Fri 8/29 The Imperial Era I continued Chapters 1 & 2 in Talons book Quiz 1 & Quiz 2 due by 11:50 pm August 31
Mon 9/1 Intro to ESMOAS
The Imperial Era II
ESMOAS web pages:
https://esmoas.org/index.html
Chapters 3 & 4 in Talons
Wed 9/3 The Imperial Era II Chapters 3 & 4 in Talons
Fri 9/5 The Imperial II Chapters 3 & 4 in Talons Quiz 3 due by 11:59 pm September 7
Mon 9/8 The Cold War I Chapter 2 in OAS & Chapters 5 & 6 in Talons
Wed 9/10 The Cold War I Chapter 2 in OAS & Chapters 5 & 6 in Talons
Fri 9/12 ESMOAS Procedures & practice ESMOAS participants
Quizzes 4 & 5 due by 11:59 pm September 14
Mon 9/15 The Cold War II Chapters 7 & 8 in Talons
Wed 9/17 The Cold War II Chapters 7 & 8 in Talons
Fri 9/19 ESMOAS Procedures & practice ESMOAS participants
Quiz 6 due by 11:59 pm September 21
Mon 9/22 Globalization and Latin America Chapters 9, 10, & 11 in Talons
Wed 9/24 Globalization and Latin America Chapters 9, 10, & 11 in Talons
Fri 9/26 ESMOAS practice
ESMOAS Parliamentary Procedures Workshop
ESMOAS participants
All day Saturday September 27 via Zoom
Quizzes 7 & 8 due by 11:59 pm September 28
Mon 9/29 Exam 1 Chapters 1 - 11 in Talons & Introduction - Chapter 3 in OAS Online Exam with Respondus lockdown browser
Open from 7 am - 7 pm
Wed 10/1 Argentina Foreign Policy Chapter 5 in Latin Am. Foreign Policy
Fri 10/3 ESMOAS practice ESMOAS participants
Mon 10/6 Argentine Foreign Policy 2 Chapter 5 in Latin Am. Foreign Policy
Wed 10/8 Venezuela Foreign Policy Chapter 9 in Latin Am. Foreign Policy
Fri 10/10 ESMOAS practice ESMOAS participants Quiz 9 due by 11:59 pm October 12
Mon 10/13 Venezuela Foreign Policy 2
Wed 10/15 Brazil Foreign Policy Chapter 3 in Latin Am. Foreign Policy
Fri 10/17 ESMOAS practice ESMOAS participants Quiz 10 is due by 11:59 pm October 19
Mon 10/20 Brazil Foreign Policy 2 Chapter 3 in Latin Am. Foreign Policy
Wed 10/22 Chile Foreign Policy Chapter 2 in Latin Am. Foreign Policy
Fri 10/24 ESMOAS practice/ position paper(s) write Quiz 11 is due by 11:59 pm Oct 26
ESMOAS Position Paper(s) due by 11:59 pm today
Mon 10/27 Chile Foreign Policy Chapter 2 in Latin Am. Foreign Policy
Wed 10/29 Peru Foreign Policy Chapter 7 in Latin Am. Foreign Policy Position Papers due to ESMOAS
Fri 10/31 ESMOAS practice/ Resolutions polish ESMOAS participants Quiz 12 is due by 11:59 pm November 2
ESMOAS Resolutions/ budgetary statements due by 11:59 pm today
Mon 11/3 Peru Foreign Policy Chapter 7 in Latin Am. Foreign Policy
Wed 11/5 Peru Foreign Policy Chapter 7 in Latin Am. Foreign Policy Resolutions & budgetary statementsdue to ESMOAS
Fri 11/7 ESMOAS practice ESMOAS participants
Mon 11/10 Chapter 7 in Latin Am. Foreign Policy Chapter 7 in Latin Am. Foreign Policy Quiz 13 is due by 11:59 pm November 9
Wed 11/12 ESMOAS
Fri 11/14 ESMOAS
Mon 11/17 ESMOAS
Wed 11/19 Mexica Foreign Policy Chapter 12 in Latin Am. Foreign Policy Non-ESMOAS Term Paper due by 11:59 pm
Fri 11/21 Mexican Foreign Policy Chapter 12 in Latin Am. Foreign Policy Quiz 14 is due by 11:59 pm November 23
Mon 11/24 Presentations Chapter 4 in OAS
Chapter 16 in Talons
Wed 11/26 Thanksgiving Off
Fri 11/28 Thanksgiving Off
Mon 12/1 Presentations
Wed 12/3 Final exam 1/2 from the 1st half of the course and 1/2 from Latin American Foreign Policy Argentina through Mexico Exam open from 6 am through 11:59 pm, allow 2 hours, Resonduc Lockdown Browser required
Fri 12/5 Other Final Exams
Mon 12/8 Other Final Exams
Wed 12/10 Other Final Exams

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.