The Software Carpentry organization makes an explicit mention of their code of conduct at the start of every workshop they run. In terms of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, if you're hungry or fear for your safety, how can you possibly lean physics?
See also, D. Leonhardt, "Lost Einsteins: The Innovations We're Missing," New York Times, Dec. 3, 2017., Lise Meitner, or this series of case studies.
How should we treat each other in this course?
You may have heard of the psychologist A. Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs," which describes the attention people pay to their surroundings. According to the theory, humans first need air, water, food; then safety and shelter; and then love, intellectual curiosity, etc. Learning Physics is fairly high up in this hierarchy, and if you're hungry, have to go to the bathroom, or fear for your safety, it is difficult to impossible to concentrate on learning something abstract.
Over the course of the semester, we (students and instructor) will form a community. We all benefit from the involvement of everyone in this community - learners and instructor. I am committed to creating a friendly and respectful place for learning, teaching and contributing. Everyone in the class is expected to show respect and courtesy to others.
To make clear what is expected, everyone in the class is required to conform to the following Code of Conduct, which applies to all spaces related to the course, including, but not limited to, the classroom, lab, email lists, online forums, and office hours.
If you believe someone is violating the Code of Conduct I ask that you report it to me, Nathan Moore. If you feel I have violated the code of conduct, please let the department chair, Andy Ferstl (Pasteur 146, aferstl@winona.edu), know and he will anonymously relay your concerns to me.
This course should be a welcoming and supportive environment for all people, regardless of background or identity. However, we recognise that some groups in our community are subject to historical and ongoing discrimination, and may be vulnerable or disadvantaged. Membership in such a specific group can be on the basis of characteristics such as such as gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, nationality, sex, colour, ethnic or social origin, pregnancy, citizenship, familial status, veteran status, genetic information, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, age, or mac vs pc. We do not tolerate harassment of participants on the basis of these categories, or for any other reason.
Harassment is any form of behaviour intended to exclude, intimidate, or cause discomfort. Because we are a diverse community, we may have different ways of communicating and of understanding the intent behind actions. Therefore we have chosen to prohibit certain forms of behaviour in our community, regardless of intent. Prohibited harassing behaviour includes but is not limited to:
Behaviour not explicitly mentioned above may still constitute harassment. The list above should not be taken as exhaustive but rather as a guide to make it easier to enrich all of us and the communities in which we participate. All class interactions should be professional regardless of location: harassment is prohibited whether it occurs on- or offline, and the same standards apply to both.
Enforcement of the Code of Conduct will be respectful and not include any harassing behaviors. Thank you for helping make this a welcoming, friendly community for all.
This code of conduct is an adaptation of the one used by the Software Carpentry Foundation, https://software-carpentry.org/conduct/. Note that it is very similar to WSU's statement on Inclusive Excellence, http://www.winona.edu/diversity/estatement.asp
Please sign and return this form by classtime on Wednesday. If you are not willing to abide by this code of conduct, you should drop the course.