VI. ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

VI. ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

A. Independent Study and Internships
B. External Studies
C. Changes in Graduation or Major Requirements
D. Policy on Grade Disputes
E. Academic Dishonesty
F. Academic Advising
G. New Student Advising  
H. Post-College Advising

A detailed statement of academic policies and procedures can be found in the Pitzer College Catalogue and in the Academic Advising Handbook. The information below relates to items which may not appear in either of these two documents.

A. INDEPENDENT STUDY AND INTERNSHIPS
Faculty members should agree to only the number of independent study courses they can supervise adequately. Low priority should be given to requests that duplicate existing courses. Faculty are advised to minimize the number of subjects supervised in the same semester. When two courses of independent study are arranged for the same student in one semester, course descriptions should show a clear separation of content. Normally, no more than three unrelated independent studies should be offered by a faculty member each semester.

Descriptions for courses of independent study should be detailed and complete for they provide content descriptions requested by transfer institutions and graduate schools. The original application for the independent study with a description of the work to be completed is available in the Office of the Registrar.

Summer Independent Study.  Students are permitted to take up to two course credits in summer independent study. An independent study which carries more than one course credit must be approved by the Curriculum Committee. The Independent Study form, available from the Registrar’s Office, describing the project for the approval of a faculty member and academic advisor, must be submitted no later than June 1. These forms must be submitted to the Curriculum Committee for approval or to the Dean of Faculty (for those submitted after the end of the semester). There is a non-refundable fee per course credit for summer independent study. Grades for summer independent study projects are due to the Registrar seven weeks after the start of the succeeding fall semester, but the instructor may set an earlier date for completion of work.

No faculty member should undertake to supervise more than three courses for summer independent study. These courses may be graded or taken P/NC as determined jointly by the student and faculty member.
Compensation for summer independent study is $620.00 for a full course and $310.00 for a half-course.

Interim Policy on Independent Study Taught by Faculty on Leave: The purpose of this interim policy is to make it possible that, under unusual circumstances a unique independent study may be taught by a faculty member on leave when the educational goals sought cannot be met in any other way.

1. Normally a faculty member on leave does not conduct independent studies and should not be expected, either by colleagues or students, to do so.

2. The initiative must come from the faculty member. He or she must be enthusiastic about the proposed independent study, and must attest that directing it will not interfere with his or her planned leave activities.

3. If the faculty member on leave is working on a grant, job, or other formal arrangement, the granting agency, employer, or other responsible party must inform the College in writing that directing the proposed independent study will not interfere with the responsibilities the faculty member is fulfilling.

4. Faculty members on leave will not be compensated for teaching independent studies. The Dean of Faculty, in consultation with the Faculty Executive Committee, will prepare a contract to be signed by the Faculty member.

5. Such independent studies must meet all the college’s regular requirements for independent studies as follows:

Faculty members should agree to only the number of independent study courses they can supervise adequately. Low priority should be given to requests that duplicate existing courses. Faculty are advised to minimize the number of subjects supervised in the same semester. When two courses of independent study are arranged for the same student in one semester, course descriptions should show a clear separation of content. Normally, no more than three unrelated independent studies should be offered by a faculty member each semester.

B.  EXTERNAL STUDIES
Pitzer College encourages students to pursue a wide range of off-campus study opportunities, in the United States and abroad. External study experiences are of three types:

1. Programs organized and administered by the College and supervised by a Pitzer program director away from Claremont.

2. Approved programs of study organized by other academic institutions to which Pitzer students may apply.

3. Independent study programs arranged with faculty at Pitzer but pursued away from Claremont.

Policies governing eligibility, academic credit, costs and financial aid are outlined in the Pitzer College Catalogue. The range of options open to students is described in the External Studies brochure, available in the Office of Special Programs (ext. 18104).

C. CHANGES IN GRADUATION OR MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

1. Students must meet the graduation requirements in place (as stated in the catalogue) when they enter the College. If changes are made in graduation requirements, students will have the option of meeting either with those in place when they arrived or the new requirements. This choice should be made following consultation with one’s academic advisor.

2. Students are bound by the major requirements which are in force (as stated in the catalogue) at the start of their junior year. If changes are made in major requirements, students who have already entered the major may choose to satisfy either the old or the new requirements upon consultation with their major advisor.

D. POLICY ON GRADE DISPUTES
A student who believes he/she has been graded unfairly for reasons apart from the quality of his/her work may:

1.Appeal to the Professor from whom he/she has received the grade, having first thoroughly discussed the situation with his/her advisor. It is expected that every effort will be made by the student and the faculty member to come to an agreement at this stage.

2.If a resolution of the problem is not forthcoming, the student may then appeal his/her case to the Dean of Faculty of the student’s school for mediation.

3.If the Dean of Faculty is unable to bring the student and faculty member to a mutually acceptable agreement, the Dean may, at his/her discretion, appoint one or more persons to arbitrate the controversy, preferably persons agreed upon by both parties. The Dean of Faculty would then be bound to charge the Registrar to take whatever action the arbitrator(s) recommend(s).

E. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Cheating on examinations or plagiarism of another’s work may be punished by dismissal or suspension from the College. Any member of the Pitzer community who is aware of academic dishonesty has the responsibility to address it, either by confronting the individual at the time of the act or by counseling the person after the fact. Cases of academic dishonesty should be reported to the instructor involved, Student or Academic Deans, or a member of the Judicial Council.
In classes with new students, faculty members frequently include an early discussion of academic honesty, and give special attention to plagiarism. Many beginning students have not clearly understood the appropriate ways in which the ideas of others are included in papers, exams, etc.

The following policy governs the use of an academic paper in more than one course the same paper cannot be accepted in more than one course without prior permission in writing having been given by the instructors, who will stipulate conditions (such as extra research, length of papers, etc.).

F. ACADEMIC ADVISING
Academic advising is an important part of a faculty member’s job. With broadly defined educational objectives for each student, academic advisors assume a major role in shaping the academic programs of their advisees. Each advisor should post and keep regular office hours of at least three hours a week and meet regularly (2 - 3 times each semester at a minimum) with each advisee.
Advisors should be familiar with the College’s course offerings and academic policies and regulations, offerings at the other Claremont Colleges and regulations governing intercollegiate registration, and the student’s interests and academic goals and abilities. Students’ folders are available in the Office of the Registrar, Scott 101 (ext. 72650/73036) and are circulated to advisors once advisees have been assigned.
For more detailed information, see the Student Advising Handbook; also see Article Four, 4.4 of the Faculty Governance By-Laws , and Section III of the Faculty Handbook, for a statement of the importance of advising for faculty promotion and tenure.