Course Policies
The course website will have an up-to-date course schedule, policies, and slides. Announcements will be sent to the class by e-mail, so please check your e-mail regularly. Visit the course home page for details regarding course logistics and meeting times.
Academic Integrity
All students must adhere to the Duke Community Standard. Duke University is a community dedicated to scholarship, leadership, and service and to the principles of honesty, fairness, and accountability. Citizens of this community commit to reflect upon these principles in all academic and non-academic endeavors, and to protect and promote a culture of integrity.
To uphold the Duke Community Standard:
- I will not lie, cheat, or steal in my academic endeavors;
- I will conduct myself honorably in all my endeavors; and
- I will act if the Standard is compromised.
By enrolling in this course, you have agreed to abide by and uphold the provisions of the Duke Community Standard as well as the policies specific to this course. Cheating or plagiarism on assignments, lying about an illness or absence and other forms of academic dishonesty are a breach of trust with classmates and faculty, violate this Standard, and will not be tolerated. Any violations will automatically result in a grade of 0 on the relevant assignment and be reported to the Office of Student Conduct for further action. Violations may result in a failing (F) course grade depending on the magnitude of the offense.
Activities & Assessments
The grading basis for this class is on the satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading scale (S/U).
There is an initial draft due on Friday, Feb. 28 for your final portfolio deliverables, which consists of a presentation of approximately 20 minutes (followed by faculty Q&A) and an accompanying summary report of 5 pages total, including an abstract (maximum 300 words) separate from the paper. All written submissions must be made in standard 11 point font and 1 inch margins. If there are relevant figures/tables which do not fit in this limit, you may display up to 3 additional figures/tables following the text. You may reference some formatting guides from journals as guidelines as you prepare your own work, (e.g., the Nature guidelines here), but you must stay within the limits provided here.
An initial draft is due on Friday, Feb. 28, and the final exam will be on Monday, Apr. 14, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. Additionally, all students are expected to present their work in a presentation in one of two small group practice sessions during one of the two assigned periods (either Friday Mar. 21 or Mar. 28). Additionally, there will be six in-class activities, each of which will graded on a four point scale: High pass, Pass, Low pass, and Fail, corresponding to the first six class periods.
Any of the following will result in a U grade for the semester: 1) Failure to turn in a satisfactory (H,P,L) draft report by Feb. 28, 2) Failure to participate in one of the two in-class practice sessions (Mar. 21 and 28), and/or 3) At least one failing/missing grade or two low pass grades in any of the class activities in the first six days of class. Active and consistent participation is expected and will be tracked.
Late Work Policy
There is no late work accepted.
Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
It is our intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well-served by this course, that students' learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that the students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity and in alignment with Duke’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated; please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups.
Furthermore, we would like to create a learning environment for students that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives and experiences, and honors your identities. To help accomplish this, if you feel like your performance in the class is being impacted by your experiences outside of class, please don't hesitate to come and talk with us. If you prefer to speak with someone outside of the course, your Academic Dean is an excellent resource. We (like many people) are still in the process of learning about diverse perspectives and identities. If something was said in class (by anyone) that made you feel uncomfortable, please talk to us about it.
Duke University is committed to providing equal access to students with documented disabilities. Students with disabilities may contact the Student Disability Access Office (SDAO) to ensure your access to this course and to the program. There you can engage in a confidential conversation about the process for requesting reasonable accommodations both in the classroom and in clinical settings. Students are encouraged to register with the SDAO as soon as they begin the program. Note that accommodations are not provided retroactively.
Header: The image in the header of this site is from John Snow's map of cholera cases. Using this visualization, Snow was able to demonstrate the spatial association of cholera cases with a water pump at Broad Street. He successfully communicated these statistics to disable the contaminated pump and also demonstrate that cholera was transmitted through water, not air.