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Northwestern University Syllabus Standards

Northwestern University courses follow the University Syllabus Standards. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with this information. Additional course-specific policies and resources may be listed on the syllabus provided by your instructors.   

Links to standards:

Academic Integrity

Students enrolled in Northwestern courses are required to comply with Northwestern’s academic integrity policy. All papers submitted for credit in this course must be submitted electronically unless otherwise instructed by the professor. Your written work may be tested for plagiarized content. Any form of cheating, including improper use of content generated by artificial intelligence, constitutes a violation of Northwestern’s academic integrity policy. To download Academic Integrity: A Basic Guide go to https://www.northwestern.edu/provost/policies-procedures/academic-integrity/index.html 

Academic Support and Learning Advancement

Most Northwestern students find their coursework especially challenging at times. If you are experiencing challenges related to your academic work, you are encouraged to take advantage of resources available through Academic Support and Learning Advancement. They offer advice on learning strategies, consultations to help you pinpoint difficulties and plan solutions, peer-facilitated tutoring and study groups in selected courses, group and individual peer coaching, and dinner discussions with faculty on navigating your academic work. 

Accessibility

Northwestern University is committed to providing a supportive environment for students with disabilities. Should you anticipate or experience disability-related barriers in the academic setting, please contact AccessibleNU to move forward with the university’s established accommodation process. If you already have established accommodations with AccessibleNU, please let your instructor know as soon as possible, preferably within the first two weeks of the term, so we they can work with you to implement your disability accommodations. Disability information, including academic accommodations, is confidential under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. 

Course Details Subject to Change

Please note that the specifics of a course syllabus are subject to change in the case of unforeseen circumstances. Instructors will notify students of any changes as soon as possible. Students will be responsible for abiding by the changes. 

Exceptions to Class Modality

For courses noted as only occurring in-person, individual students will not be granted permission to attend remotely except as the result of an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation as determined by AccessibleNU. Should public health recommendations prevent in-person classes from being held on a given day, the instructor or the university will notify students. 

Guidance on Class Recordings

Instructors will inform students if they will record class sessions for educational purposes. Your instructor will communicate how members of the class can access the recordings. Portions of the course containing images, questions or commentary/discussion by students will be edited out of any recordings saved beyond the current term. 

Providing Display/Preferred Names and Pronouns

Northwestern community members can change their personal information by logging into NUValidate and selecting the “Edit Online Directory Information” tile. Any updates to your display name and pronouns will be visible to your instructor within a few days. For additional information visit: https://www.northwestern.edu/diversity/initiatives/gender-inclusive-initiatives/names-pronouns/update-instructions.html  

Prohibition of Recording of Class Sessions by Students

Unauthorized student recording of classroom or other academic activities (including advising sessions or office hours) is prohibited. Unauthorized recording is unethical and may also be a violation of University policy and state law. Students requesting the use of assistive technology as an accommodation should contact AccessibleNU. Unauthorized use of classroom recordings – including distributing or posting them – is also prohibited. Under the University’s Copyright Policy, faculty own the copyright to instructional materials – including those resources created specifically for the purposes of instruction, such as syllabi, lectures and lecture notes, and presentations. Students cannot copy, reproduce, display, or distribute these materials. Students who engage in unauthorized recording, unauthorized use of a recording, or unauthorized distribution of instructional materials will be referred to the appropriate University office for follow-up and potential discipline. 

Religious Observance

Northwestern is committed to fostering an academic community respectful of and welcoming to persons of differing backgrounds.  To that end, the policy on academic accommodations for religious holidays stipulates that students will not be penalized for class absences to observe religious holidays. Students for whom observance of a religious holiday conflicts with a class meeting, exam, or assignment deadline, should consult with their instructor by the end of the second week of the term. Note for undergraduates: if observance of a religious holiday conflicts with a common midterm (i.e., a midterm scheduled outside of the regular class meeting time) or final exam, you should submit an accommodation request to the Office of the Provost’s religious accommodation request form.  

Support for Wellness and Health

Northwestern University is committed to supporting the wellness of our students. Student Affairs has multiple resources to support student wellness and mental health. If you are feeling distressed or overwhelmed, please reach out for help. Students can access confidential resources through the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Religious and Spiritual Life (RSL) and the Center for Awareness, Response and Education (CARE). Northwestern also participates in TimelyCare, a virtual mental health platform that provides counseling, health coaching and 24/7 on-demand services at no cost. Additional information on these resources and eligibility can be found here: 

 https://www.northwestern.edu/counseling/  

 https://www.northwestern.edu/religious-life/  

 https://www.northwestern.edu/healthservice-evanston/about-nuhs/who-can-use-nuhs.html  

https://www.northwestern.edu/studentaffairs/timelycare.html  

Undergraduates In-Person Arrival and Course Engagement

 

Undergraduate students enrolled in courses with in-person class meetings are expected to be on campus and in attendance no later than the end of the first week of the quarter and must plan to remain until the end of the quarter.  Note in some cases, students must attend the first-class meeting to avoid being dropped. This will be clearly identified in CAESAR and the syllabus. Read the full policy: https://www.northwestern.edu/provost/policies-procedures/classwork-curricular-policies/in-person-arrival.html 

The Writing Place

When working on writing assignments for this class, you are encouraged to visit the Writing Place, Northwestern’s peer writing center which offers peer consultations for undergraduate and graduate students. A Writing Place consultant can help students at any stage of the writing process. They will not edit your work. Rather, they will work with you to brainstorm ideas, organize or outline an essay, clarify your argument, document your sources correctly, or refine grammar and style. 

To book an appointment, register for an account at https://northwestern.mywconline.com/.   

Use of Generative AI Systems

Copilot is the University’s supported artificial intelligence service. When using Copilot while actively logged in with a Northwestern account, data is stored securely in Northwestern’s Microsoft tenant, and Microsoft will not use it for product improvement or to train its AI models.