Suggested Syllabus Language
Attendance
You are required to arrive on time for and attend all classes and complete all assignments by deadline. Class absences and missed deadlines may be excused only for illness or other emergencies communicated to me before the class or deadline is missed. It is never an option to miss class to do reporting for another class or the Master’s Project/Thesis. It is also never an option to miss class to attend an event or to go on a job interview. Failure to adhere to these rules is grounds for academic discipline. If illness prevents you from attending more than one class, you must also notify the Dean of Students Office at [email protected]. If you cannot call personally, have someone do so for you. We may request a doctor’s note for multiple illness absences.
Grades & Written Evaluations
The Graduate School of Journalism has a pass/fail system of grading for its Journalism degree programs. In most Journalism courses, students receive written final evaluations of their work from the instructors.
M.S. Reporting class evaluations are made available to deans, Written Word professors and other faculty to make sure students are mastering the fundamentals of journalism and receiving additional instruction and guidance as needed while they progress through the degree program.
Honors in Class/Low Pass
For M.S. classes, the instructor has the right to designate (on the written evaluation form) up to two students as receiving “honors in class” because of their exemplary performance. This is not a grade and will not appear on a student’s transcript. M.S. students are notified of the designation by the professor who awarded it via the written evaluation. The designation is used by the faculty in determining which students are graduating with honors from the Graduate School of Journalism.
In M.S. classes, the instructor also has the right to designate students (on the written evaluation form) as receiving a "low pass' because their work is passable but needs substantial improvement. This is not a grade and will not appear on a student's transcript. M.S. students are notified of the designation by the professor who awarded it via the written evaluation.
All M.S. instructors should add language to their syllabi that makes clear the basis on which they award honors. Two examples of possible language follow.
Example No. 1
This class is pass/fail. You will be graded in terms of effort, professionalism, level of improvement over the semester, quality of work, and engagement with the course, which can include contributions to discussion. Exceptional performance may lead to a High Pass (honors); substandard work may lead to a Low Pass. Getting honors in many classes can lead to graduating with honors; honors are also considered in the awarding of some year-end prizes.
Example No. 2
This class, as all others at the school, is taught on a pass-fail basis. If you are in danger of failing, we will give you advance warning and make every effort to ensure your work passes muster by the end of our class. The Dean of Students office can arrange for additional tutoring in certain cases. In the case of mediocre but barely passable performance, students can get a ‘Low Pass’ grade. One or two of you may get honors at the end of the semester. Students who get honors in multiple classes are eligible for end-of-year prizes.
Plagiarism
The Columbia Journalism School has an unwavering and uncompromising commitment to journalistic integrity and so allows professors to use TurnItIn plagiarism software to review student work. A condition of taking this course is that some or all assignments (including emails and pitches) may be reviewed for textual similarity. If I find evidence of plagiarism, I will refer it to the Dean of Students Office as is required by the School’s Code of Conduct policy.
Chat GPT and Artificial Intelligence
Students should be aware that ChatGPT and other forms of computer-generated work should never be presented as their own journalistic output. Doing so will constitute a violation of the code of conduct. If you choose to use ChatGPT or other AI system for idea generation, information sorting, feedback and other purposes, the best practice is to cite the program in your story pitch, notes or any other work product that you are submitting. Students should note that ChatGPT may make significant mistakes – providing information that is clearly incorrect. Such errors may lead to journalistic errors with serious consequences.
[Please see the Center for Teaching and Learning's guidance for syllabus language regarding AI in the classroom here]
Columbia University Non-Discrimination Statement and Policy
Columbia University is committed to providing a learning, living, and working environment free from unlawful discrimination and harassment and to fostering a nurturing and vibrant community founded upon the fundamental dignity and worth of all of its members. Consistent with this commitment, and with all applicable laws, it is the policy of the University not to tolerate unlawful discrimination or harassment in any form and to provide those who feel that they are victims of discrimination with mechanisms for seeking redress.
Mandatory Reporting Policy
As a professor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment for my students and for the campus as a whole. As a member of the Columbia community, I have the responsibility to report to the university any disclosures of sexual harassment, sexual violence and/or other forms of prohibited discrimination even if the incidents happened before enrollment or did not involve other Columbia community members. If you would rather share information about sexual harassment, sexual violence or discrimination to a confidential employee who does not have this reporting responsibility and to learn more about available resources, please see Columbia’s Sexual Respect resources.
Disability Accommodations
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please register with the Office of Disability Services. Once that is completed they will contact Dean Huff with information about the accommodations you may receive.
Religious Observances
Students are allowed to miss class for religious observances provided they notify their professors in advance about missing the class and make arrangements in advance for how the work they miss will be made up.
Preferred Name & Preferred Gender Pronouns
Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender, gender variance, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records. Information on Columbia's Preferred Name Policy.
Assessment
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism uses an assessment process to gauge how well we teach our students the skills and values they will need in their careers. Our goal is to gather information on how we are meeting our educational objectives. It does not measure the performance of any individual student or professor. To do this, we have an online system so we can assemble a portfolio of work from each student. Shortly after graduation each year, we assemble a panel to read a sample of those portfolios. All of the work is anonymous – we won’t know which student produced which piece. The panel submits a report to the faculty and administration. Any shortcomings the panel finds will help the faculty and administration in our continuing efforts to improve our programs.
Updated July 2025.