Kosmos Society Honor Code:
On Civil Dialogue and Community Development
It is our goal to foster community development and to provide opportunities for meaningful conversations as we share an evolving collection of learning resources about the ancient world.
Our community includes guests, registered users, members of the Kosmos Society administration team, and entities involved in technical support (hereafter called “community members.”) Our project depends upon maintaining civil dialogue. Therefore, in order to remain a participant, Kosmos users and community members must agree to the following:
By enrolling and/or participating in the Kosmos Society, I agree that:
- I will engage in respectful dialogue with community members about readings, analysis, and content in the project. Feel free to disagree with the readings put forth by community members. Posts that attack, insult, and/or mock other community members (including team members) will be subject to moderation or removal.
- I will not disrupt community development efforts and the primary teaching and learning goals of the HeroesX team. Disruptive actions include but are not limited to: posts that insult others or discourage participation by other community members, posting or engaging in such a way as to take up a disproportionate amount of the discussion or team efforts, posting comments that disrupt the learning or positive participation of others.
- I will not “troll,”“bait,”or “flame” the community or community members, including HeroesX team members. Such actions would include sow[ing] discord, starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting or making “… inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages online…or in real life, with the intent of provoking others into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion, often for their own amusement.”[1]
- I will not misuse the Kosmos discussion forums. Such misuse includes but is not limited to posting private correspondence between myself and other community members or CHS staff or visiting scholars; disclosing personal information about others; using the discussion board to debate moderation decisions, editorial decisions, or disciplinary actions taken against disruptive participants.
1 “Internet Troll,” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., (2023-09-23). Web. Accessed 2023-09-30 (updated here from version accessed at 02-10-2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll
Kosmos Society Non-Discrimination / Anti-Harassment Statement
The Kosmos Society is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy educational and work environment in which no member of the community is subjected to discrimination or harassment in our program. Furthermore, no member of the community shall be excluded from participation in or denied the benefits of our program due to discriminatory practices or policies. All members of the Kosmos Society community members are expected to abide by Harvard policies on nondiscrimination, including sexual harassment, and the Kosmos Society Honor Code. Participants who violate the policies preventing discrimination and harassment will face corrective action, which may include dismissal from the project and related study groups; or other remedies as circumstances warrant. No refunds will be issued in the case of corrective action for such violations. If you have any questions or concerns, or to report your experience, contact kosmos.helpdesk (at) gmail.com.
Participation in study groups and events using web conferencing
Participants are expected to treat web-conference meetings as if attending in person, which includes behaving professionally, treating others with courtesy and respect, refraining from using profanity or socially offensive language as well as wearing appropriate clothing and avoiding inappropriate surroundings.
Participants are required to have and use a camera and microphone when attending web-conference meetings unless otherwise specified by the facilitator. It is recommended that participants use headphones or earbuds.
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Updated 2023-09-30 from version originally published 2017-01-06.