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The IU Code of Student Ethics offers a detailed discussion of academic misconduct. All policies therein (including the SLA modification of the code dealing with academic misconduct) apply in this course. The policies that apply most directly to our course may be summarized as don't cheat and don't plagiarize---or to express these more positively, take pride in your work and acknowledge the relationship of your own work to others' work.
On cheating: I expect that all work you submit for this course is indeed work that you have produced (although much of that work will be produced with the assistance of others). Copying off another's exam (or allowing someone to copy off yours), handing in work that others have written (papers purchased from others, papers written by others for other courses, etc.) will result in your failing this course and in disciplinary sanction. Please consult the Code of Student Ethics for more information about these disciplinary procedures.
It's important, however, to distinguish cheating from collaboration. Policies that discourage cheating are not meant to discourage you from working with others and sharing your work. During the semester, I'll be encouraging you to work with each other. I'll help you form study groups, if you'd like that, and I'll encourage you to talk with each other about your homework assignments. When you help each other learn, you help yourselves learn, and that kind of work is among the most valuable academic experiences you can have. If you work in groups on any assignment, you should acknowledge the ways in which the group helped you.
On plagiarism: Researched writing cannot be done without consulting the works of others. I assume that you enter the course with a basic knowledge of academic citation conventions (as taught in English W131 and W132, for example). All encounters with other people--through written texts and through actual conversations--should be documented, either in acknowledgment notes or in in-text citations, depending on the situation. Most linguists use the APA system of documentation, although if you prefer you can use the MLA system (see ch. 8-11 in Writing Essentials, or a similar section in another handbook, for help with using and documenting sources in either system). Failure to document and acknowledge the assistance of others in your written work will have repercussions ranging from a lowered grade on a particular assignment to a failing grade for the course, depending on the nature of the documentation problem. Again, consult the Code of Student Ethics for more procedural information.
I'll distribute an extended discussion of using sources with your project assignment sheet, so consult that when it becomes available.
This is your class, and you will create the best possible experience for yourself if you come to class, do the homework, and participate. If you come to class unprepared, you'll get less out of the day's activities; if you miss classes, you'll not have access to discussions, as well as that day's handouts and announcements. If you must miss class, it's your responsibility to see what you missed, so I suggest that you get to know a few of your classmates so you can share notes if necessary. Use the class website to help yourself review what you may have missed, and also as a helpful study resource even if you were in class. I am always happy to meet with you to answer questions about anything that happens in class, but a visit to my office hours cannot recreate an entire class period.
This is a 300-level class, and I expect that our class discussions will engage serious questions about language. Please do your part to encourage serious discussion by being prepared, by being on-time, and by bringing a healthy curiosity and language and its history to class. Your curiosity and zeal to learn will manifest itself in respectful attention to our course texts and each other, making this an exciting semester for all of us.
In a once-a-week class, it's crucial that you ask questions when you have them. I expect you to have questions-our reading will introduce you to new terminology and concepts, and as we rush through thousands of years of language history, you will doubtless find some material challenging at first. I'll structure our class meetings so that you have plenty of chances to ask questions in the large groups, or in small groups, or via anonymous notes or surveys. I suggest that you find a way to keep track of questions that come up during the week (have a place in your notes where you record them, for instance), and that you take advantage of the course's structure to practice new skills and ask lots of questions. Asking questions is a wonderful way to study.