Department policies
It is important that students read the University of Victoria Undergraduate Calendar carefully concerning department policies as the department is guided by the Calendar, particularly the section on Undergraduate Academic Regulations.
Grades
Instructors in Political Science do not grade to a pre-established curve and there are no set requirements for the distribution of grades in any course. Instructors submit grades online, and those grades are available to students online as soon as they have been approved by the Chair. Grades are not official until they have been approved by the Chair.
If the grades for a course are not available online, it means that the grades have not yet been approved by the Chair. Grades posted elsewhere, such as on Moodle, are unofficial and subject to change. Most assignments in Political Science are written and therefore take more time to grade thoroughly than machine-graded exams.
Please see the grade ranges laid in the UVic Academic Calendar.
Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is intellectual honesty and responsibility for academic work that you submit or work on with others. It involves commitment to the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. It is expected that students will respect these ethical values in all activities related to learning, teaching, research and service.
The Department of Political Science adheres to UVic's Policy on Academic Integrity and works to help students meet the requirements of that Policy and to deal fairly and strictly with violations of that Policy.
As most Political Science courses involve essay writing, plagiarism is a particular concern; students also must not submit the same paper (or substantially similar papers) to more than one course without the prior permission of the instructors of both courses. Students should familiarize themselves with the Policy and should discuss any questions they have about the appropriate use of sources with their instructor.
Detailed information about appropriate use of sources and appropriate citation practices is available on the Library website.
Plagiarism: Your rights and responsibilities
Cheating and plagiarizing are serious academic offenses. Instructors and academic units have the responsibility to ensure that standards of academic honesty are met. Depending on the severity of the case, penalties include a warning, a failing grade, a record on the student’s transcript, or a suspension. More information is available from the Office of the Ombudsperson.
- Plagiarism sometimes occurs due to ignorance or confusion, but it is the responsibility of the student to know the rules. Different disciplines may have different norms. Students who are unsure about the standards for citations or for referencing their sources must seek that information from their instructors.
- Students are entitled to a fair process when they are accused of plagiarism or cheating. This includes notification of the offense, which must be fully documented by the instructor, and a reasonable opportunity to be heard." Taken from Office of Ombudsperson How to avoid plagiarism
Attendance and absences
If you are registered in a course, you are expected to attend all the classes.
Some instructors take attendance every class and assign a portion of the overall grade to attendance. This policy must be specified in the course outline and be applied in accordance with University Policy on Attendance. Instructors can state that students who fail to attend a specified minimum number or portion of class sessions will not be permitted to write the final exam or get credit for the course.