HURON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 1021E Inquiry, Interpretation, Rhetoric: Perspectives on Technology

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1 1 Instructor: Dr. Stephanie Oliver Time: Wednesdays, 8:30-9:20 am Fridays, 8:30-10:20 am Location: A1 HURON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 1021E Inquiry, Interpretation, Rhetoric: Perspectives on Technology Office Hours: Wednesdays, 9:30-10:30 am Office Location: OR 147 (located on first floor of O Neil Ridley building) Course Description This is a full-year course that uses a variety of texts from multiple fields of inquiry to encourage students to reflect critically on the production of knowledge and to develop competence in interpretation, reading, research, writing, and oral expression. This year s course will be taught as Perspectives on Technology : What is technology? How did we understand technologies of the past, from the wheel to the assembly line? How do we understand those technologies now? How do we understand new technologies in the age of the internet and social media, cloning and the Human Genome Project, 3D printing and autonomous cars? In this course, students will study technology and discourses of technology from a range of interdisciplinary perspectives. Students will explore perspectives on technology by engaging with different cultural texts and artifacts, including literary and theoretical texts, essays and articles, news stories, films, ads, social media, and technologies themselves (including smartphones, tablets, and laptops). Learning Objectives 1) Understand the foundations of interdisciplinary studies and its methods. 2) Understand a range of disciplinary lenses (perspectives) that influence how we think about, talk about, and use technology. 3) Develop competence in interpretation, reading, research, writing, and oral expression. 4) Use the skills and methods mentioned above to reflect critically (in written and verbal formats) on how knowledge is produced about a) technology as a concept and b) specific technologies.

2 2 Class Methods Since students learn in different ways, this course will combine a variety of teaching techniques including lectures, discussions, and individual/group-based active learning strategies to cater to multiple learning styles. See the Class Participation section under Course Evaluation below for more information on expectations around class participation and technology use. Required Texts Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. 3 rd edition. Broadview, The 2015 Huron1Read book will also serve as a touchstone text for the course: Harris, Michael. The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We ve Lost in a World of Constant Connection. Harper Perennial, Note: All other readings are available online or through the course OWL site. Course Evaluation 1 st term Class Participation 10% Critical Analysis (x3) 15% (5% each) 1 st Term Presentation 10% 2 nd term Class Participation 10% Annotated Bibliography 5% Essay Starter Draft 3% Final Essay 15% 2 nd Term Presentation 12% Final Exam 20% Course Evaluation Breakdown 1 st Term: Class Participation (10%): Class participation includes: attending class each week and coming to class on time coming prepared to discuss the assigned readings (assigned readings must be read before class on the day they are assigned)

3 3 actively engaging in class discussion participating in group work, workshops, and other class activities completing in-class assignments completing comment cards and other feedback/assessment tools doing any homework tasks assigned in class. Thoughtful engagement during class is key. I expect you to bring an annotated hard copy of the readings to class with key questions or comments about the assigned readings so you can draw on these ideas in class. It is also crucial that have bring a hard copy of the readings for that week to each class, as you will need it for discussions and group activities. I also expect you to listen actively during lectures, presentations, and class discussions and make thoughtful, productive contributions to class discussions and activities. The OWL site will also feature forums and threads where you can participate in discussion online. I will provide a rubric for class participation with examples of what ideal class participation looks like. A note on technology: I encourage the use of various technologies in class as long as they are used for class purposes in other words, I expect you to use your devices in a way that facilitates, rather than prevents, your engagement with the class. For example, I may ask you to Google something or search for a news story, viral video, or Facebook post to illustrate a point. I also encourage you to use the tools you use in class (laptops, smartphones, tablets, pen and paper, books, etc) as tools to think with in other words, you can reflect on the technology you use in class and how you use it to make points about readings, discussions, activities, etc. Critical Analysis (3 x %5 each = 15%): For each Critical Analysis, you must write a short response in paragraph-form in which you analyze a text using your close reading skills. Each Critical Analysis should be 1 page double-spaced in 12 point Times New Roman font and printed on 8.5 x 11 paper (single-sided) with 1 margins. Further instructions will be provided in class. A rubric will also be provided for you to use as a guide. You must fill it out and submit it with your assignment. Assignments are due on the date indicated on the class schedule. 1 st Term Presentation (10%): 1 st term presentations are 10 minutes in length and topics will be discussed in class. Further instructions will also be provided in class and an oral expression workshop will be held to help with preparing and presenting your presentation. A rubric will be provided for you to use as a guide.

4 4 2 nd Term: Class Participation (10%): See Class Participation section for 1 st term. Annotated Bibliography (5%): For this assignment, you must research and write an annotated bibliography for 3 sources that you will use for your final essay. Annotated bibliographies should be 1-1½ pages double-spaced in 12 point Times New Roman font and printed on 8.5 x 11 paper (single-sided) with 1 margins, and should follow proper APA or MLA format. Further instructions will be provided in class. A rubric will also be provided for you to use as a guide. You must fill it out and submit it with your assignment. Assignments are due on the date indicated on the class schedule. Essay Starter Draft (3%): The essay starter draft includes: 1) a draft introductory paragraph with a thesis statement underlined or bolded; 2) a draft first body paragraph; 3) point form notes that outline what you will say in your other body paragraphs/concluding paragraph (including topic sentences, list of points you will make, and evidence you will use). Your argument must draw on the 3 sources from your annotated bibliography (unless my feedback on the earlier assignment suggests otherwise). Starter drafts should be 3-4 pages double-spaced in 12 point Times New Roman font and printed on 8.5 x 11 paper (single-sided) with 1 margins, and should follow proper APA or MLA format. You must also include a References or Works Cited page, which is not included in the page count above. Further instructions will be provided in class. A rubric will also be provided for you to use as a guide. You must fill it out and submit it with your assignment. Essay topics will be provided in class. You must also submit the hard copy of your Annotated Bibliography with my written feedback. Assignments are due on the date indicated on the class schedule. Final Essay (15%): The final essay is an extended and revised version of the essay starter draft. The essay must take into account the feedback you received on your starter draft. Like the starter draft, the essay must engage with the 3 sources from your research assignment (unless my feedback on earlier assignments suggests otherwise). The essay should be 8-10 pages double-spaced in 12 point Times New Roman font and printed on 8.5 x 11 paper (single-sided) with 1 margins, and should follow proper APA or MLA format. You must also include a References or Works Cited page, which is not included in the page count above. Further instructions will be provided in class. A rubric will also be provided for you to use as a guide. You must fill it out and submit it with your assignment. You must also submit the hard copy of your Annotated

5 5 Bibliography and Essay Starter Draft with my written feedback. Assignments are due on the date indicated on the class schedule. 2 nd Term Presentation (12%): 2 nd term presentations are 15 minutes in length and topics will be discussed in class. Further instructions will also be provided in class. A rubric will be provided for you to use as a guide. Final Exam (20%): The final exam is comprehensive, meaning that it will cover the year s worth of course material including readings and anything discussed in class (including lectures, class discussions, and OWL threads discussed in class). Material discussed in guest speaker and student presentations may also be on the exam. The exam will be in 3 parts: 1) identify and define key terms/concepts; 2) short answer close readings/critical analysis; 3) essay questions. Further instructions for the final exam will be provided in class and a workshop will be held to help you prepare for the exam. Extensions and Late Policy If for some reason you cannot submit or complete an assignment on the designated due date, please let me know as soon as possible. Extensions will only be granted with proper medical certification or other extenuating circumstances and must be arranged in advance with me and/or an academic counselor. For further information, please see the section on Academic Accommodation below. Assignments handed in (either in person or online) after the designated time on the due date will be given a late penalty of 1%. Assignments submitted after the due date will be given a late penalty of 2% per day, including weekends/holidays. If required, hard copies of late assignments should be handed directly to me or submitted to the essay drop-box outside Room A116 (please note that the submission date for drop-box assignments will be assessed by the date stamp from the office). Assignments received during the day before 3:00 pm are stamped with the current days date. Attendance Attendance is mandatory, as it allows you to fully participate in the course. If you miss 3 or more classes due to unexcused absences, you will receive a warning via . If the absences continue, you may be reported to the Dean and could be prevented from sitting the final exam. Please see the section on Attendance Regulations for Examinations below for more information.

6 6 Class Schedule First Term *Please note that the reading schedule may be subject to change. Week, Theme, Topics Dates & Assigned Readings WEEK 1: Introduction - Welcome - Icebreaker/Introductions - Overview of Course/Syllabus Sept. 11: WEEK 2: What is Interdisciplinarity? - Creation of a course code of conduct - Discussion of learning methods/styles - Discussion of key concepts in the theory and practice of interdisciplinary research (e.g. disciplinary lenses, assumptions, phenomena, etc.) - Discussion of interdisciplinary approaches to tech-related issues Sept. 16: Sept 18: Allen F. Repko, Chapter 1, Interdisciplinary Research: Process and Theory (Online: WEEK 3: Technology and Rhetoric - Discussion of different perspectives on technology/technologies - Discussion of key concepts (e.g. rhetoric, signification, representation, semiotics, mythologies, discourse and power) - Discussion of close reading and rhetorical devices Sept. 23: Sept 25: Susie O Brien and Imre Szeman, excerpt from Representation and the Construction of Social Reality (OWL) & Barry Brummett, excerpt #1 from Rhetoric in Popular Culture (OWL) MODULE 1: PERSPECTIVES ON TECHNOLOGY WEEK 4: Full Steam Ahead: Technology and Progress - Discussion of progress and rhetoric in relation to archaeology, anthropology, etc. - Discussion of stone tools and other early tools as technologies Sept. 30: Brian M. Fagan, excerpts from People of the Earth: An Introduction to World Prehistory (OWL) Oct. 2: Fagan (cont d)

7 7 WEEK 5: Full Steam Ahead: Technology and Progress (cont d) - Discussion of progress and rhetoric in relation to history - Discussion of Industrial Revolution and technology Oct. 7: Daniel R. Headrick, Chronology (OWL) Oct. 9: Daniel R. Headrick, The First Industrial Revolution ( (OWL) WEEK 6: Full Steam Ahead: Technology and Progress (cont d) - Discussion of visual rhetoric - Discussion of rhetoric and progress in relation to technology advertising Oct. 14: Barry Brummett, excerpt #2 from Rhetoric in Popular Culture (OWL) *Critical Analysis #1 Due Oct. 16: Technology ads (OWL) WEEK 7: Questioning Progress: Science, Technology, and Playing God - Discussion of the relationship between science and technology - Discussion of technology and the rhetoric of fear, desire, and ambivalence - Discussion of these topics in relation to science fiction, the gothic, and Frankenstein Oct. 21: Mary Shelley, Frankenstein Oct. 23: Frankenstein (cont d) WEEK 8: Questioning Progress: Science, Technology, and Playing God - Discussion cont d Oct. 28: Frankenstein (cont d) Oct. 30: No Class (Fall Study Break) WEEK 9: Questioning Progress: Science, Technology, and Playing God - Discussion cont d Nov. 4: Frankenstein (cont d) *Critical Analysis #2 Due Nov. 6: Frankenstein (cont d)

8 8 MODULE 2: TECHNOLOGY, PRODUCTION, REPRESENTATION WEEK 10: Assembly Lines and Alienated Labour: Technology and Production - Discussion of capitalism and rhetoric - Discussion of Marx and Engel s theories of the relationship between technology and alienated labour, capitalist modes of production, commodity fetishism Nov. 11: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, excerpt from Economics and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 (OWL) ---, excerpt from Chapter 1: Commodities, Capital (Vol. 1) (OWL) ---, excerpt from Chapter 10: The Working-Day, Capital (Vol. 1) (OWL) Nov. 13: Marx and Engels (cont d) WEEK 11: Auras and Authenticity: Technology, Production, Representation - Discussion of the relationship between art, Benjamin s concept of the aura, and mechanical reproduction Nov. 18: Walter Benjamin, excerpt from The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (OWL) Nov. 20: Benjamin (cont d) WEEK 12: Media Messages: Technology, Media, and Representation -Discussion of technology, media, representation, and McLuhan s concept of the medium is the message Nov. 25: Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Message (OWL) *Critical Analysis #3 Due Nov. 27: McLuhan (cont d) Oral Expression Workshop WEEK 13: Presentations Dec. 2: *Presentations Dec. 4: *Presentations

9 9 WEEK 14: Presentations (cont d) Dec. 9: *Presentations Class Schedule Second Term Week, Theme, Topics Dates & Assigned Readings MODULE 3: PERSPECTIVES ON THE POST-HUMAN WEEK 1: Introduction - Introduction to second term - Discussion of the relationship between technology, rhetoric, and the concept of the human and the post-human - Discussion of body modification and virtual/augmented reality Jan 6: Jan. 8: Photos/videos of Stelarc and Orlan, Google Glass and wearable technologies, etc (OWL) WEEK 2: What Makes Us Human? - Discussion of the Turing Test and artificial intelligence (AI) - Discussion of rhetoric around AI Jan 13: A.M. Turing, Computing Machinery and Intelligence (SUMMON - journal Mind) Jan 15: Turing (cont d) WEEK 3: Progress and the Post- Human - Discussion of progress, rhetoric, and Moravec s vision of the post-human - Discussion of Descartes concept of I think, therefore I am and the mind/body split Jan 20: Hans Moravec, excerpt from Chapter 4: Grandfather Clause, Mind Children: The Future of Robot and Human Intelligence (OWL) Jan 22: Moravec (cont d) Research Workshop

10 10 WEEK 4: Blurred Lines: The Biotech Revolution - Discussion of the relationship between science and technology today through the lens of biotechnology - Discussion of progress in relation to biotechnology rhetoric Jan 27: Screening of the BBC Documentary Visions of the Future Part 2: The Biotech Revolution Jan. 29: Documentary (cont d) *Annotated Bibliography Due WEEK 5: Fear of a Post-Human Future - Discussion of the rhetoric of fear, anxiety, and ambivalence in relation to biotechnology and advances in genetics/genetic engineering Feb. 3: Francis Fukuyama, Why We Should Worry, Our Posthuman Future (OWL) Feb. 5: Fukuyama (cont d) WEEK 6: Ethics and Genetics - Discussion of the ethical implications of advances in genetics and the concept of genetic engineering in relation to GATTACA Feb. 10: Screening of GATTACA in class Feb. 12: GATTACA (cont d) WEEK 7: READING WEEK No classes MODULE 4: TECHNOLOGY 2.0+ WEEK 8: There s an App for That: Technology and Global Networks - Discussion of the rhetoric of the Apple brand - Discussion of sociological and economic perspectives on working conditions in Apple factories Feb. 24: Jenny Chan et al., The Politics of Global Production: Apple, Foxconn and China s New Working Class (SUMMON) Feb. 26: Chan et al (cont d) Tim Worstall, The Apple Boycott: People Are Spouting Nonsense about Chinese Manufacturing (Online:

11 11 l/2012/01/29/the-apple-boycott-peopleare-spouting-nonsense-about-chinesemanufacturing/) Essay Workshop WEEK 9: The Social Network?: This Is Your Brain on Facebook - Reflection on personal uses of Facebook and social media - Discussion of psychological perspectives on Facebook use - Discussion of representation and rhetoric in relation to social media Mar. 2: Verduyn, Philippe et al., Passive Facebook Usage Undermines Affective Well-Being: Experimental and Longitudinal Evidence (SUMMON Journal of Experimental Psychology) Mar. 4: Verduyn (cont d) *Essay Starter Draft Due WEEK 10: The Revolution was Tweeted : Social Media and Political Activism - Discussion of rhetoric and representation in social media vs. mainstream media - Discussion of citizen journalism in relation to the Arab Spring and other recent political movements Mar. 9: Nahed Eltantawy and Julie B. Wiest, Social Media in the Egyptian Revolution: Reconsidering Resource Mobilization Theory (Online: w/1242/597) Mar. 11: Eltantawy and Wiest (cont d) WEEK 11: Guest Speaker & Presentations Mar. 16: Guest Speaker Mar. 18: *Presentations WEEK 12: Presentations Mar. 23: *Presentations Mar. 25: No Class (Good Friday)

12 12 WEEK 13: Presentations Mar. 30: *Presentations Apr. 1: *Presentations *Final Essays Due WEEK 14: Final Exam Workshop Apr. 6 (last day of class): Appendix to Course Outlines Prerequisite Information Students are responsible for ensuring that they have successfully completed all course prerequisites. Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites. Conduct of Students in Classes, Lectures, and Seminars Membership in the community of Huron University College and the University of Western Ontario implies acceptance by every student of the principle of respect for the rights, responsibilities, dignity and well-being of others and a readiness to support an environment conducive to the intellectual and personal growth of all who study, work and live within it. Upon registration, students assume the responsibilities that such registration entails. The academic and social privileges granted to each student are conditional upon the fulfillment of these responsibilities. In the classroom, students are expected to behave in a manner that supports the learning environment of others. Students can avoid any unnecessary disruption of the class by arriving in sufficient time to be seated and ready for the start of the class, by remaining silent while the professor is speaking or another student has the floor, and by taking care of personal needs prior to the start of class. If a student is late, or knows that he/she will have to leave class early, be courteous: sit in an aisle seat and enter and leave quietly. Please see the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities at: ine Technology It is not appropriate to use technology (such as, but not limited to, laptops, PDAs, cell

13 13 phones) in the classroom for non-classroom activities. Such activity is disruptive and is distracting to other students and to the instructor, and can inhibit learning. Students are expected to respect the classroom environment and to refrain from inappropriate use of technology and other electronic devices in class. Academic Accommodation for Medical/Non-Medical Grounds Requests for Accommodation on Medical Grounds for assignments worth 10% or more of final grade: Go Directly to Academic Advising University Senate policy, which can be found at f, requires that all student requests for accommodation on medical grounds for assignments worth 10% or more of the final grade be made directly to the academic advising office of the home faculty (for Huron students, the home faculty is Huron), with supporting documentation in the form (minimally) of the Senate-approved Student Medical Certificate found at: The documentation is submitted in confidence and will not be shown to instructors. The advisors will contact the instructor when the medical documentation is received, and will outline the severity and duration of the medical challenge as expressed on the Student Medical Certificate and in any other supporting documentation. The student will be informed that the instructor has been informed of the presence of medical documentation, and will be instructed to work as quickly as possible with the instructor on an agreement for accommodation. The instructor will not normally deny accommodation where appropriate medical documentation is in place and where the duration it describes aligns with the due date(s) of assignment(s). Before denying a request for accommodation on medical grounds, the instructor will consult with the Assistant Dean, Student Success. The instructor s decision is appealable to the dean. Requests for Accommodation on Medical Grounds for assignments worth less than 10% of final grade: Consult Instructor Directly When seeking accommodation on medical grounds for assignments worth less than 10% of the final course grade, the student should contact the instructor directly. The student need only share broad outlines of the medical situation. The instructor may require the student to submit documentation to the academic advisors, in which case she or he will advise the student and inform the academic advisors to expect documentation. The instructor may not collect medical documentation. The advisors will contact the instructor when the medical documentation is received, and will outline the severity and duration of the medical challenge as expressed on the Student Medical Certificate and in any other supporting documentation. The student will be informed that the instructor has been informed of the presence of medical documentation, and will be instructed to work as quickly as possible with the instructor on an agreement for accommodation. The instructor will not normally deny accommodation where appropriate medical documentation is in place and where the duration it describes aligns with the due date(s) of assignment(s). Before denying a request for accommodation on medical grounds, the instructor will consult with the Assistant Dean, Student Success. The instructor s decision is appealable to the dean.

14 14 Requests for Accommodation on Non-medical Grounds: Consult Instructor Directly Where the grounds for seeking accommodation are not medical, the student should contact the instructor directly. Apart from the exception noted below, academic advisors will not be involved in the process of accommodation for non-medical reasons. Where a student seeks accommodation on non-medical grounds where confidentiality is a concern, the student should approach an academic advisor with any documentation available. The advisors will contact the instructor after the student s request is received, and will outline the severity and duration of the challenge without breaching confidence. The student will be informed that the instructor has been informed that significant circumstances are affecting or have affected the student s ability to complete work, and the student will be instructed to work as quickly as possible with the instructor on an agreement for accommodation. Before denying a request for accommodation where documentation has been submitted to an academic advisor, the instructor will consult with the Assistant Dean, Student Success. The instructor s decision is appealable to the dean. Statement on Academic Offences Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site: grad.pdf Statement on Academic Integrity The International Centre for Academic Integrity defines academic integrity as "a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to five fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. From these values flow principles of behaviour that enable academic communities to translate ideals to action." (CAI Fundamental Values Project, 1999). A lack of academic integrity is indicated by such behaviours as the following: Cheating on tests; Fraudulent submissions online; Plagiarism in papers submitted (including failure to cite and piecing together unattributed sources); Unauthorized resubmission of course work to a different course; Helping someone else cheat; Unauthorized collaboration; Fabrication of results or sources; Purchasing work and representing it as one s own. Academic Integrity: Importance and Impact Being at university means engaging with a variety of communities in the pursuit and sharing of knowledge and understanding in ways that are clear, respectful, efficient, and productive. University communities have established norms of academic integrity to ensure responsible, honest, and ethical behavior in the academic work of the university, which is best done when sources of ideas are properly and fully acknowledged and when responsibility for ideas is fully and accurately represented.

15 15 In the academic sphere, unacknowledged use of another s work or ideas is not only an offence against the community of scholars and an obstacle to academic productivity. It may also be understood as fraud and may constitute an infringement of legal copyright. A university is a place for fulfilling one's potential and challenging oneself, and this means rising to challenges rather than finding ways around them. The achievements in an individual s university studies can only be fairly evaluated quantitatively through true and honest representation of the actual learning done by the student. Equity in assessment for all students is ensured through fair representation of the efforts by each. Acting with integrity at university constitutes a good set of practices for maintaining integrity in later life. Offences against academic integrity are therefore taken very seriously as part of the university s work in preparing students to serve, lead, and innovate in the world at large. A university degree is a significant investment of an individual s, and the public s, time, energies, and resources in the future, and habits of academic integrity protect that investment by preserving the university s reputation and ensuring public confidence in higher education. Students found guilty of plagiarism will suffer consequences ranging from a grade reduction to failure in the course to expulsion from the university. In addition, a formal letter documenting the offence will be filed in the Dean s Office, and this record of the offence will be retained in the Dean s Office for the duration of the student s academic career at Huron University College. All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com. Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating. Personal Response Systems ( clickers ) may be used in some classes. If clickers are to be used in a class, it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the device is activated and functional. Students must see their instructor if they have any concerns about whether the clicker is malfunctioning. Students must use only their own clicker. If clicker records are used to compute a portion of the course grade: the use of somebody else s clicker in class constitutes a scholastic offence, the possession of a clicker belonging to another student will be interpreted as an attempt to commit a scholastic offence. Policy on Special Needs Students who require special accommodation for tests and/or other course components must make the appropriate arrangements with the Student Development Centre (SDC).

16 16 Further details concerning policies and procedures may be found at: Attendance Regulations for Examinations A student is entitled to be examined in courses in which registration is maintained, subject to the following limitations: 1) A student may be debarred from writing the final examination for failure to maintain satisfactory academic standing throughout the year. 2) Any student who, in the opinion of the instructor, is absent too frequently from class or laboratory periods in any course will be reported to the Dean of the Faculty offering the course (after due warning has been given). On the recommendation of the Department concerned, and with the permission of the Dean of that Faculty, the student will be debarred from taking the regular examination in the course. The Dean of the Faculty offering the course will communicate that decision to the Dean of the Faculty of registration. Class Cancellations In the event of a cancellation of class, every effort will be made to post that information on the Huron website, ( Class Cancellations ). Mental Western Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Western for a complete list of options about how to obtain help. Academic Advising For advice on course selections, degree requirements, and for assistance with requests for medical accommodation [see above], students should contact an Academic Advisor in Huron s Student Support Services (huronsss@uwo.ca). An outline of the range of services offered is found on the Huron website at: Department Chairs and Program Directors and Coordinators are also able to answer questions about their individual programs. Their contact information can be found on the Huron website at: