Student Policies

Attendance

Each instructor is entitled to establish a policy regarding attendance for students in Literature classes. Grades may be affected by lack of compliance with an attendance policy.

As stated in the UCSD General Catalog, all Literature majors are required to consult with an advisor on a regular basis. Current students must use the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) or in-person advising, as we cannot advise students over the phone or email. Students can find current in-person advising hours on our majors & minors page.

To see a faculty advisor, refer to the office hours listing online or refer to the hard copy posted to the left of the elevators in the foyer of the first floor of the Literature Building. Please contact the Undergraduate Office at (858) 534-3210 with any questions.

Administration

The Undergraduate Office is open between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (except of University Holidays; refer to the UCSD Academic Calendar for more information).

Major/Minor Requirements

Courses taken to satisfy major or minor requirements must be taken for a letter grade. If a student takes an independent study course and wishes to apply it toward a major or minor, the instructor needs to assign an equivalent letter grade, in writing, for the student's work in the course. These courses need to be petitioned to be included as fulfillment of requirements; in general, however independent studies do NOT apply to major or minor requirements.

Course Materials

Keep a printed copy of any material turned in to an instructor. Ideally, this copy should be date-stamped in the Undergraduate Office at the same time you submit the original; this will alleviate complications in the future if your paper/material is misplaced. PAPERS SHOULD NEVER BE SUBMITTED UNDER AN INSTRUCTOR'S OFFICE DOOR. Any material sent to the department’s facsimile (fax) number will be discarded.

Incompletes

Incompletes may be requested only for circumstances which arise during the 10th week of instruction or final exam week, and only for situations beyond a student's control, such as sudden illness, family emergency, etc. Students seeking an Incomplete grade for a class must consult with the instructor, fill out an Incomplete form, have it signed, and return the form to the Undergraduate Office.

Grades

Grades are not available in the Literature Department. Please check the Schedule of Classes or the Registrar's Office to find out when grades will be recorded and available to students. The best way to receive early information about a final grade is to give your course instructor a self-addressed, stamped postcard or envelope with a request to have your grade mailed to you.

If you have a question about a grade received, please see the instructor. The department's policy is that grades are assigned at the sole discretion of the instructor.

Pre-authorizations

For courses that require pre-authorization: Please use the Virtual Advising System. In your request please include the Section Number of the Course that you are interested in.

Privacy Waiver

No course material (papers, poems, projects, midterms, final exams/papers, etc.) will be returned through the Undergraduate Office without a clearly visible statement from the student waiving the applicable privacy acts. Students must write "privacy waiver", and add the date and signature on the front of the materials submitted if they wish to pick up materials in the Literature Office. The staff can answer questions about this policy.

Materials are generally available beginning two weeks after the end of the quarter. The easiest way for both the Literature Department and for you to get your paper or final back is to leave a stamped, self-addressed envelope with the instructor; please note that envelopes that are not large enough for your materials, or without enough postage, cannot be mailed to you.

Change of Personal Information

If your address, phone number, name, or any other critical item of information changes, please notify the Registrar's Office, which maintains the student information database. You can also change your personal data on Tritonlink.

Final Exams

The final exam schedule is available online. Most Literature professors also include this information in their syllabi.

Graduate Seminars

Undergraduate students may take Literature graduate seminars with the consent of the instructor. To add a graduate course, have the instructor sign an add/drop card, take the card to the Undergraduate Office to get it stamped, and then to the Registrar's office. If you plan on using the seminar towards your major, you must take the course for a letter grade. This is possible if you speak to Lisa Linares (534-0077) at the Registrar's office. Address any questions to the Undergraduate Office.

Repeating Courses

To find out whether a course is repeatable for credit, please refer to the General Catalog. In some cases, even if it is not indicated, you may petition to repeat a course for credit if the course content and/or professor is different.