Community of Learners
In the LFC series, we believe that all participants in the course - students, teaching assistants, instructors, guest lecturers, and community partners - bring a unique perspective that helps illuminate a particular aspect of complex food system issues. In our courses, we refer to ourselves as a Community of Learners, and as such, strive to create a respectful and safe learning environment that promotes inclusion and encourages dialogue. Without diminishing the responsibilities of each participant, establishing a culture of a community of learners is a central approach to addressing the belief that certain participants have more or less to contribute. Instructors, TAs, guest lecturers, and community partners are positioned as having expertise in their field rather than being the authority on a certain topic. Students are expected to actively engage with concepts and critically evaluate the multiple sources of information presented throughout the course. We are fortunate to have students from different cultures from all over the world with prior knowledge, beliefs, experiences, and interests related to the food system. By participating in respectful dialogue and collaboration within our community of learners, we will all emerge with an enhanced understanding of course concepts.
A note on Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious offence that can result in expulsion. Please ensure that you understand what qualifies as plagiarism before you hand in your paper. Never use another author’s ideas or phrasing without indicating a source, and use quotation marks when quoting. Please refer to the following website for UBC Guide to Academic Integrity. We will be using Turnitin for most written assignments in this course.
A note on Late Penalties
Our general policy is to deduct 10% per day for late assignment submissions. Exceptions may be made for prior arrangements for a late submission made with your TA (at least 48 hours advance notice required), or illness.
Turn It In
In this course you will be required to submit most material in electronic form. You will be asked to submit some electronic material to a service to which UBC subscribes, called TurnItIn. This is a service that checks textual material for originality. It is increasingly used in North American universities. A page describing TurnItIn and the University’s reasons for using can be accessed here.