IMPORTANT POLICY MATTERS

Attendance Policy

If a student misses more than 3 sessions of class and does not pursue the withdrawal option, a NC will be given and will appear on external records.

Grading Policy

CalArts does not grade on the A-F scale.  We grade using:

·    High Pass (HP): Passing with Excellence

·    Pass (P): Passing with Quality 

·    Low Pass (LP): Passing

· No Credit (NC): Work did not meet the criteria for credit.

Other Grading Options:

Incomplete (I): Indicates a one semester extension (or shorter) granted through agreement between student and instructor, at the discretion of the instructor and with the approval of the School. "I" grades not completed within the specified period of time will convert to "NC" on the transcript.

No Grade Recorded (NG): Placeholder grade entered by the Registrar's Office at the close of the grading period which indicates that no grade has yet been assigned by the faculty of record. "NG" grades not changed to a final evaluation by the end of the following semester will convert to "NC" on the transcript. 

Withdrawn (W): Grade assigned by the Registrar to indicate withdrawal from a course after the end of the add/drop period. Students may withdraw from a course without academic penalty through the 10th week of the semester. The course remains on the student’s record with a “W” grade. "W" grades have no impact on semester or cumulative grading calculations, and do not count toward a student's residency or full-time status. To drop a course during the extended withdrawal period, a student will obtain the Course Withdrawal form from the Registrar’s Office, consult with his or her mentor, obtain the course instructor’s signature verifying the last date of attendance, and return the form to the Registrar’s Office.

NC grades must appear on external records to ensure accurate reporting to peer institutions and for financial aid reporting.  On the official academic transcript, CalArts calculates student progress by indicated attempted units and the completed units, but does not use a Grade Point Average (GPA) as part of its marking system. However, when a GPA is required for external purposes, the following formula may be used: HP=4.00, P=3.00, LP=2.00, NC=0.00.

Incomplete Grades:

A temporary Incomplete grade may be given to a student who has maintained satisfactory attendance and completed passing work throughout most of a course, but as a result of extenuating circumstances is unable to complete the course requirements by the end of the semester.   Incomplete grades are not assigned for Summer, Interim, Practicum, or Winter Session courses.

Incomplete grades are assigned through submission of an Incomplete Contract to the Registrar’s Office.  The Incomplete Contract is an explicit agreement between student and faculty of the work remaining to be completed, and the date by which the work must be submitted for final review.  You must obtain the contract from the office of the School of Critical Studies.

Incomplete grades assigned for fall semester courses must be resolved no later than the end of the following spring semester.  Incomplete grades assigned for spring courses must be resolved no later than the end of the following fall semester.  Earlier deadlines for completion may be set at the discretion of the faculty and must be specified on the Incomplete Contract.  Incomplete grades not replaced by final LP, P, or HP grades by the stated deadline will revert to NC (No Credit) grades on the transcript.

Auditing: 

Auditing a class is an arrangement made between the student and the instructor. No official record will be kept and no credit will be given.

To read the revised Grading Policy in its entirety as well as frequently asked questions, click on the link below:

https://my.calarts.edu/policy/3-1-8-0-grading-policy

Grade Appeals

When a student wishes to appeal a grade: the student must first appeal to the instructor who assigned the grade in question. Where there is no satisfactory remedy through appeal to the instructor, the student may file written appeal to the dean of the school in which the course is offered. The decision of the dean is final.

“NC” grades may not be changed to a grade except by means of a petition to the dean of the School involved. Such changes must be initiated by the instructor of the class or, in the instructor’s absence, the dean of the school offering the course and submitted to the Registrar. Such a petition must include a written explanation from the instructor of the class explaining the reasons for changing the grade and a signature of support from the dean of the school offering the course. Petitions for the change of an NC grade must be submitted during the student’s term of residency at the Institute and are considered only under exceptional, extenuating circumstances.

Services for Students with Disabilities

CalArts will provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities who have registered with the Student Affairs office.  Registration with the Office of Student Affairs is on a voluntary, self-identifying basis. Services are available only after a student has presented certified, current documentation of the disability from an appropriate medical or educational specialist, and this documentation has been reviewed and accepted as complete. Please go to http://calarts.edu/student-services/disabilities for extensive information on services for students with disabilities.

Plagiarism

Critical Studies endeavors to teach students the essential skills and basic ethics involved in any academic enquiry.  To this end, we are committed to observing the policy on plagiarism set out in the CalArts Course Catalog.  This stipulates that plagiarism is the use of ideas and/or quotations (from the internet, books, films, television, newspapers, articles, the work of other students, works of art, media, etc.) without proper credit to the author/artist.  Critical Studies holds to the view that plagiarism constitutes intellectual theft and is a serious breach of acceptable conduct.  It is also the policy of CalArts that students who misrepresent source material as their own original work and fail to credit it have committed plagiarism and are subject to disciplinary action.  In the case of Critical Studies, any student caught plagiarizing will immediately be given a ‘no credit’ for that class.  The student will not be allowed to re-write the paper, and if there is further evidence of plagiarism, Critical Studies will recommend more severe disciplinary action, including suspension or dismissal.

If you have any questions regarding plagiarism or want direction on how to credit source material, ask the member of faculty and refer to reference guides on permanent reserve in the CalArts library.  The CalArts reference librarians may be able to offer additional information as well.