Academic Conduct | Attendance | Student Hours | Gender Expression and Identity | Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect | Accessibility | External Resources | Mandated Reporter
You are expected to abide by Holy Cross’ Academic Integrity Policy, posted here. Cheating on homework, quizzes, or exams (defined here as but not limited to reproducing answers from an answer key, referring to forbidden notes to help answer questions, or copying another student’s answers) may result in penalties ranging from a failure on the specific assignment or quiz to failure for the entire course.
The definition of academic dishonesty is broad and at the discretion of the professor. We encourage you to collaborate with your classmates to answer questions, clarify difficult topics, and practice grammatical and syntactic concepts. However, in the end, your work on assignments and assessments must be your own. Replications of another student’s work at the sentence or paragraph level, especially of any mistakes that that work may contain, or having external helpers like tutors generate your work for you both qualify as academic dishonesty and will be penalized accordingly.
You must attend each meeting of the course to attain a good grade. We will not be working off a traditional textbook, so your primary source of information will be my lectures and practice work during class time. I will also provide many examples and memorization tricks (mnemonic devices, helpful tips, etc.) in class, so it will be to your benefit to attend class so as to make completing your assignments and studying for quizzes less daunting.
If you must miss a class meeting for any reason, please inform me as soon as you know of the absence via e-mail before the class meeting begins, and we will correspond accordingly. If you notify me before class begins, the absence is considered excused. The reasons for an excused absence can range from illness to family emergency to mental health or anything else; you do not need to specify it to me. All I ask is that you notify me via e-mail before the class begins.
More than two (2) unexcused absences, defined as a failure to appear in class without notifying me via e-mail that you won’t be there before the class period begins, will result in a full grade drop for the semester (e.g., an A- will be dropped to a B-).
It bears repeating: if you will miss class for any reason, you must e-mail me before that class period begins to let me know!
Any absence without a notifying e-mail before class may be excused after the fact for compelling and verifiable reasons (including but not limited to extended illness, a death or medical emergency in the family, a wedding in the immediate family, and participation in a college-sponsored athletic event). Such absences fall under Holy Cross’ Excused Absence Policy and require a note from your Class Dean. See the full Excused Absence Policy here.
Student hours are an opportunity for you to meet with me outside of class to discuss anything you’d like: questions about grammar and syntax, clarifications about lectures or assignments, even simply shooting the breeze. My office hours are times that I am sure to be in my office, unless you’re notified otherwise, so I highly encourage you to take advantage of them! I’m also happy to make appointments outside of my regular office hours if they conflict with your availability; simply shoot me an e-mail with what times and dates work for you.
I (Prof. Libatique) am a cisgender man and use he/him/his pronouns. Your first assignment will be to fill out a Google Form to let me know what your preferred name is, what pronouns you use, and what you hope to learn from this class. My goal is to avoid dead-naming, as your preferred name may not match the legal name on my class roster.
Studying Latin at Holy Cross is one way to challenge a centuries-long tradition that reserved the study of the ancient world for a privileged elite. The challenge goes beyond simply welcoming students however they identify their race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religious or spiritual tradition, or socioeconomic background. As we work to see the multicultural world of the ancient Mediterranean through the original thoughts and language of Latin speakers and writers, we reflect on and actively explore how this can help us recognize and respond to structures of power and privilege in our own lives.
This work is especially important today, when historically false images of the ancient world are being invoked to support particular political viewpoints. Studying Latin helps us see through erroneous assertions about the “whiteness” of the ancient Mediterranean, and reject claims that the Greco-Roman world is the special province of any ethnic or political group.
Any student who feels the need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Accessibility Services to discuss support services available. Once the office receives documentation supporting the request for accommodation, the student would meet privately with Accessibility Services to discuss reasonable and appropriate accommodations. Contact information for the Office of Disability Services can be found here. You may also call 508-793-3693 or visit Hogan 215A.
If you are already registered with Accessibility Services, please be sure to get your accommodation letters and deliver them to me in a timely fashion. Instructors need 4-5 days advance notice to be able to facilitate the process of receiving testing accommodations.
In addition to my e-mail and student hours, there are resources offered by the Classics department, including private tutoring and extra practice sessions, and other College resources, like Academic Services and Learning Resources, that can help with assignments or your progress through the course in general. Remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question.
As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. I also have a mandatory reporting responsibility related to my role as your professor. It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I will seek to keep information you share private to the greatest extent possible. However, any information that you disclose that addresses sexual misconduct or relates to a prior suicide attempt or an intention to attempt suicide requires my sharing that information with those on campus who are able to provide you with necessary resources.
Following the College’s Sexual Misconduct Policy, I will share information about sexual misconduct with the College’s Office of Title IX Initiatives. If you would to talk to Title IX directly, they can be reached at 508-793-3336 or titleix [at] holycross.edu. For more information, please visit this website. If you would like to discuss the matter confidentially, the following confidential resources are available to you: the Chaplains’ Office, 508-793-2448; Counseling Center, 508-793-3363; Health Services, 508-793-2276.
Following the College’s Suicide Protocol, if you disclose a prior suicide attempt or an intention or plan to attempt suicide, I will share that information with the Chair of our student CARE Team, who will engage in appropriate outreach.
