For Students

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for your interest in taking one of my courses. I am delighted to see such enthusiasm for these subjects and look forward to the opportunity to explore them with you. Recently, some of my courses reached full capacity within the first few days of enrollment.

I am pleased to offer a waitlist for those who are still interested in joining if a seat becomes available. The waitlist will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Should a seat open up by the end of the first week of the semester, I will email students to register for the class in the order in which their requests were received.

In the meantime, I encourage you to add your name to the waitlist and take two additional steps. First, continue to regularly check the registration platform, as some seats may become available before I am notified. Second, consult with your academic advisor to explore alternative course options that align with your academic goals.

Thank you for your understanding and for being proactive in your course planning. I look forward to the opportunity to learn with and from you!

To join the waitlist, please provide the following information here:

Waitlist

Wishing you continued success at Rutgers and beyond.

Cheers,
Nate

 

Dear Students,

Thank you for considering enrolling in one of my courses.

I recommend directly after the first class, add all due dates and homework assignments to your online calendar and sync across all your devices (e.g., phone, tablet, and desktop).

Make sure to set automatic reminders to keep you on track. Pay particular attention to the time you allocate for completing all reading and writing assignments, as some weeks will have more content than others.

My online, hybrid, and onsite classes meet for a total of three hours each week, typically split into one three-hour or two 90-minute sessions. Please add these sessions to your personal calendar.

Additionally, plan for two hours of studying for every one hour spent in class, which includes reading, writing, and completing course assignments. Why is this the case?

• According to federal and regional accreditation guidelines, one three-credit undergraduate course includes six hours of study per week.
• Combined with class time, this leads to a total commitment of nine hours per week (3 class hours + 6 study hours).

Download Scheduling Template

Taking four college classes, therefore, is a 36-hour weekly commitment, equivalent to a full-time job.

Number of Classes	Total Credits	Online or In-Person Learning per Week	Study Hours per Week	Total Hours per Week
1	3	3	6	9
2	6	6	12	18
3	9	9	18	27
4	12	12	24	36

 

The pace, content, and difficulty level of my courses require students’ full engagement of nine hours per week.

Understanding the following credit-hour breakdown will help you plan your schedule effectively.

For these reasons, I do not recommend enrolling in my course if you are also enrolled in more than five courses per semester.

I want to set you up to succeed, starting with building an academic schedule that will support you rather than crush you.

I hope this calendaring formula will aid in your continued success.

Cheers,
Nate

 

Dear Students,

Thank you for coordinating with the Office for Disability Services to send your accommodation requests. Please know that I am here to support you every step of the way! I have three learning disabilities and understand the importance of accessible education. That’s why I use an accommodation-by-design approach when creating my courses, especially those hosted on ReligionAndPublicLife.org, to be inclusive and accommodating by default.

I’m pleased to share that the course includes many built-in accommodations (please see the companion demo video of a sample class):

• Reading Materials: Available in multiple formats—text on screen, flipbook, and downloadable PDFs.
• Multimedia Content: My video lectures and audio messages are available on-demand, complete with closed captions for accessibility and increased engagement.
• Edutainment: I love combining entertainment with education. For example, many handouts are accompanied by a NotebookLM podcast to enhance retention through engaging discussions.
• Gamified Learning: Interactive games and quizzes can be completed at your own pace, with instant feedback and no time limits.
• Journals: Written assignments are journal entries with prompts provided, serving as study notes for our live Socratic Seminars.
• Live Discussions: I often design my courses using a live Socratic Seminar, either in person or via Zoom. There are usually 3-5 other students majoring in your chosen character, allowing you to build upon one another’s ideas.
• Personalized Coaching: Unlimited one-on-one coaching sessions are available—schedule via sites.rutgers.edu/walker.

I care deeply about not just what you learn but how you learn it. Through this experience, I want you to gain confidence and a deeper sense of intellectual self-worth.

I look forward to learning with and from you!

Cheers,

Nate

 

Netiquette, or internet etiquette, is crucial for effective and respectful online communication. This guide will cover various aspects of netiquette, with a focus on email but also applicable to other digital platforms. Following these guidelines will help you communicate professionally with professors, staff, and peers.

I. Email Communication. Emails are formal communications that document important information. Before writing, consider: Who needs this information? What is your main point? When do you need a response? Where: Is email the best way to communicate this information, or is an in-person meeting better?

II. Key Recommendations

1. Subject Line: Use clear, specific subjects. Examples: “Question about [Course Name] Assignment Due 9/15” or “Request for Letter of Recommendation”
2. Salutation: Address the recipient appropriately. For professors: “Dear Professor Smith” or “Hi Dr. Johnson,” for staff: “Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name]” or “Hi [First Name]” (if they’ve introduced themselves that way), for peers: “Hi [Name]” is usually fine. If you use the salutation “Hello,” make sure to remember to include the letter “o”!
3. Format: Keep it simple and readable. Use paragraphs or bullet points for clarity.
4. Conciseness: Be brief but complete. For longer communication, attach a formal letter or proposal.
5. Context: Clearly state your class and section if applicable. Example: “I’m in your [Class Name], which meets Mondays at 10 AM.”
6. Sign-Off: End with a professional sign-off: “Thank you, [Your Full Name]”
7. Signature: In your signature, include your full name, major/minor, college/school, email address, and phone number.

III. When Not to Use Email

• Emergencies: For urgent matters, visit office hours or use the method specified by your professor.
• Disputes: Conflicts are better handled in person, either after class or during an advisement or coaching session.
• Personal Issues: For sensitive topics, schedule a face-to-face meeting.

IV. Additional Tips for College Students

1. Emails are not Texts: Do not write emails as if they are one-line text messages. This can come across as unprofessional.
2. Response Time: Don’t expect immediate replies. Allow two to three working days before expecting a follow-up.
3. Office Hours: Use these for complex questions or discussions that don’t fit in an email.
4. Attachments: Clearly label files (e.g., “LastName_HIST101_Memo1.docx”). Mention attachments in your email body.
5. Proofread: Always check for spelling and grammar errors before sending an email or assignment. Students are encouraged to use Grammarly Pro to proofread their emails and assignments.
6. Tone: Stay professional. Avoid emoticons, slang, or overly casual language.
7. Email Etiquette Don’ts: Don’t use all caps (it seems like shouting), and don’t use “Hey” or no salutation.

By following these guidelines, you’ll communicate more effectively in your academic career and prepare for professional communication in the future.

Center for Learning and Student Success

The Center for Learning and Student Success (CLASS) provides comprehensive, high-quality academic support programs in partnership with offices and academic departments across Rutgers-Camden. CLASS programs are facilitated by professional staff, graduate students, and trained undergraduate peer leaders who have previously excelled in their courses. CLASS supports students to achieve their academic goals through one-on-one tutoring sessions, supplemental instruction, workshops, and peer academic coaching.

• One-on-One and Small Group Tutoring: Each student has unique learning needs. CLASS offers personalized assistance in various subjects through individual sessions or small group tutoring. These sessions are about learning and making every student feel valued and important in their academic journey.
• Writing Support: The writing specialists at CLASS help students at any stage of the writing process, from brainstorming and drafting to revising and finalizing their work.
• Student Study Groups: CLASS strongly believes in the power of peer-to-peer learning. Students can opt in to “Study Buddies,” a feature within the Navigate Student application that connects them with other students interested in creating study groups outside of class. Studying with a partner or in groups is an excellent way to supplement the material students are learning in class and helps them stay motivated!
• Support for Students on Academic Warning or Probation: Dedicated learning specialists offer tailored support for students on academic warning, probation, or continued probation. These professionals work closely with students to identify challenges, develop action plans, and provide the necessary tools and strategies to help them regain good academic standing.
• Success Coaching: CLASS provides success coaching for new students, students earning between 54 and 66 credits, and incoming transfer students. Our success coaches help students navigate their academic journey, offering guidance on goal setting, time management, and successful transitions to Rutgers-Camden.

CLASS services are offered to all Rutgers-Camden undergraduates at no additional cost. You are invited to call CLASS at (856) 225-6442, visit https://class.camden.rutgers.edu/ or come to the CLASS office located on the 2nd floor of Armitage Hall.

Recommended Copyediting Service

I highly recommend that all students purchase the premium plan with Grammarly. It will help you identify typos and grammar errors. It will suggest corrections to transform the passive voice to the active voice. See video.

If you want additional support, I recommend purchasing credits with Wordy.com, which provides 24/7 copyediting support. Two days before your assignment is due, upload your draft memo in MSWord, and the copyeditor will use track changes to help you fix your typos and give you feedback about your essay. Accept or reject those proposed changes and revise your essay based on the copyeditor’s comments.

Paul Robeson Library

Paul Robeson Library, located in the heart of the Rutgers–Camden campus, serves as an exceptional learning and study environment and a center for research at all levels. Through the Robeson Library, the Rutgers–Camden community can access the global resources of the Rutgers University Library System, as well as a host of online services.

Rutgers-Camden Law Library

Rutgers-Camden Law Library is one of New Jersey’s most prominent law libraries and offers excellent research facilities for students, legal practitioners, and the general public. The Law Library houses 440,000 bibliographic units in book and microform, and the collection is comprehensive in its holdings of American, English, Canadian, and foreign legal periodicals. A selective federal depository, the Rutgers Law Library hosts numerous online collections of public documents related to federal and New Jersey courts.

Division of Student Affairs

The Division of Student Affairs works to improve the quality of student life on and off campus. It is an excellent resource if you need help with concerns that are wider than comprehension of the material in this class. For example, it can help with academic advising, health concerns, stress management, new or transfer student issues, international student concerns, etc. For more information regarding their resources, contact the Division of Student Affairs at (856) 225-6050 or visit studentaffairs.camden.rutgers.edu.

Office of Disability Services

Suppose you need academic support for this course. In that case, accommodations can be provided once you share your accommodations indicated in a Letter of Accommodation issued by the Office of Disability Services (ODS). If you have already registered with ODS and have your letter of accommodations, please share this with me early in the course. If you have not registered with ODS and you have or think you have a disability (learning, sensory, physical, chronic health, mental health, or attentional), please get in touch with ODS by first visiting their website success.camden.rutgers.edu/disability-services. The website will further direct you to who to contact and how to contact them, depending on the free, confidential services you need. Please Note: Accommodations will be provided only for students with a Letter of Accommodation from ODS. Accommodation letters only provide information about the accommodation, not the disability or diagnosis.

Support for Students with Disabilities

Rutgers University welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University’s educational programs. To receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, a student with a disability must contact the appropriate disability services office where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation: ods.rutgers.edu/students/documentation-guidelines. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with a Letter of Accommodation. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them on the first day of class. To begin this process, please complete the Registration form on the ODS website at ods.rutgers.edu/students/registering-for-services.

Basic Needs Security

If you have difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, lack a safe and stable place to live, and do not have regular access to technology and believe this may affect your performance in the course, you are urged to contact the Dean of Students for support. You can utilize the Rutgers University-Camden Food Pantry.

Dean of Students Office. You can learn more about the free services by calling 856-225-6050, emailing deanofstudents@camden.rutgers.edu, or visiting the website at camden.rutgers.edu

Rutgers-Camden Food Pantry. You can learn more about this free service by calling 856-225-6005, emailing scarlet-raptor-foodpantry@camden.rutgers.edu, or visiting the website at camden.rutgers.edu/ru-camden-raptor-pantry

Building a Support System

Consider sharing your calendar with a classmate. This mutual sharing can be a great way to stay accountable to your study objectives. Additionally, I expect every student to use the writing center, irrespective of their current writing skill level.

Student Success

1. Meet with the student success center to discuss time management strategies;
2. Sign up for student study groups;
3. Sign up for success coaching;
4. Sign up for tutoring; and
5. Sign up for writing support.
6. And of course, sign up for a student coaching session to meet with Dr. Walker.

Grammarly for Education

Leverage the “Grammarly for Education” plan, which is free for all Rutgers Students. Features include vocabulary suggestions, genre-specific style checks, tone recommendations, plagiarism detection, grammar-checking, citation assistance, and more. I recommend using this software to copyedit all of your communications, from assignments, emails, cover letters, resumes, social media posts, and text messages.

Writing Tips

1. Step 1: Plan. Begin by thoroughly reviewing the assignment. Use this understanding to organize your reading schedule for the week.
2. Step 2: Reflect. During your reading, note the main points made by the authors and differentiate these from your thoughts. Before writing, brainstorm or create a mind map of the key ideas you want to highlight. Think about the primary and secondary arguments you wish to present.
3. Step 3: Outline. Formulate a central thesis and link it to the sources you plan to use. Strengthen your arguments by citing credible sources, adding validity to each point you discuss.
4. Step 4: Draft. Compose your initial draft. Read it out loud to yourself, or use text-to-speech software on your computer for a different perspective. Reflect on whether your writing effectively communicates your ideas and if your points are reinforced with appropriate supporting material.
5. Step 5: Revise. Look for and correct typos and eliminate unnecessary wording to enhance clarity and conciseness.
6. Step 6: Submit. Once satisfied with your draft, submit it by the specified due date and time.
7. Step 7: Incorporate. I will provide feedback using the Track Changes feature. Use this guidance to refine and improve your final submission.

Are you interested in joining the AI Ethics Lab as a research assistant? Here’s a link to job opportunities.

Hello Colleagues,

Students often ask me about best practices for presenting themselves in today’s disruptive and dynamic job market. Here are a few tips to consider.

1. Cultivate and Present Your Unique Voice

Whether you are applying for an internship, a job, or a research position, remember that you are your greatest asset. Your unique voice and character strengths are valuable. The insights and aspirations that motivate your job search deserve to come through in genuine ways.

AI can help lightly copyedit your writing, but do not let it become your voice. If you allow AI to write your cover letter or resume, it may erase your essence.

Instead of asking AI to write for you, ask it to coach you. Give it something real about yourself, like a list of your aspirations, experiences, interests, and skills. Then use your AI coach to help you dive deeper into understanding your motivations and the unique contributions you can make to an organization. This approach allows you to learn more about yourself while still sounding like yourself.

To check your work, run your final drafts through an AI detector (e.g., Pangram, GPTZero). A better test, though, is to ask whether someone who knows you would recognize your voice on the page.

2. Be Intellectually Honest

Intellectual honesty is a commitment to integrity in the pursuit of knowledge. Writing with integrity means ensuring that how you present yourself aligns with how you see yourself and how verifiable third parties see you.

An effective job application presents your best self. It does not undersell your achievements, but it also does not inflate them in ways that might lead others to question the authenticity of your presentation.

Some are tempted to let AI take over their work. Not you. You are committed to going deeper into who you are and what motivates you. Your critical self-awareness, along with your compassion and patience with yourself, are essential strengths you bring to the ambiguity of any job search.

3. Be a Colleague

Finding a job is one thing. Working well with others is another. When applying, present yourself first as a kind, competent, and collaborative colleague. Your online presence can help others imagine what it would be like to work with and learn from you.

Start by making sure that everything you share is accurate. Use a professional email address from a reputable domain, one that is not likely to be mistaken for spam.

Given that photos show up in email readers, make sure your email account includes a clear, professional headshot that matches the one on your other platforms.

Include a link to a complete LinkedIn profile. Choose a clear, approachable photo. Adding an audio file for name pronunciation. Use the profile sections to tell a story about your education, work experience, and volunteer service. Write succinct descriptions that explain not only what you accomplished but also why it mattered and what you learned.

4. Remember: HR Stands for Human Resources

The most important thing to remember is to put the human in human resources. In the age of AI, people are more likely to question what is real. The way you communicate will help others assess your trustworthiness.

Future employers want to know who you are, not just what you have done. They rely on their intuition and intellect to sense what is genuine. They want to feel your interest, your sincerity, and your respect for them and their work.

If you rely too heavily on AI to represent you, you may miss the chance to build a real, lasting collegial relationship. In this age, real connections are rare.

You are your greatest asset. Any team would be fortunate to work with you and learn from you.

Good luck. I wish you continued success in work and in life.

Cheers,
Nate

 

Dear Students,

Thank you for inviting me to write a letter of recommendation.

The strongest letters typically come from faculty who have significant knowledge of a student’s work and their growth over time. In that context, I am generally best positioned to write references for students with whom I have worked closely in multiple contexts. This might include those who have:

• taken two or more of my courses, one of which should have been in person.
• served as my teaching assistant or research assistant;
• participated in research seminars or independent study projects;
• collaborated on campus programs;
• co-published or co-presented with me on articles or speeches; or
• engaged in sustained academic advising or mentorship over time.

If none of these circumstances apply, I am unlikely to write a strong or useful recommendation on your behalf. You may be better served by seeking a reference from someone who knows your work deeply and can speak to your growth over time.

If you do meet these requirements, please follow these steps:

 

Four Weeks Before the Due Date

 

Step 1. Complete Form

• Please complete the Request a Letter form to help me prepare the letter accurately.
• Please provide clear instructions on how and where to submit the recommendation letter, including any specific formats or due dates.

Step 2. Send Admissions Essay or Cover Letter.

• Email me your personal statement or cover letter articulating your motivation and goals. This will help me tailor the recommendation to align with your aspirations.

Step 3. Send a Resume or CV.

• Attach your resume or curriculum vitae to this email, summarizing your academic achievements, work experience, and volunteer activities.

Step 4. Send Academic Transcript.

• Please provide a copy of your unofficial academic transcript to help me accurately comment on your academic performance.

Step 5. Send Calendar Invitation.

• Please send me a calendar appointment via email at least one week before the final deadline. Once I accept the invitation, it will sync automatically across my devices.

One Week Before the Due Date

 

If you don’t hear from me, please send me a reminder email to ensure I am on track with your recommendation. If you haven’t received confirmation from me 48 hours before the due date, feel free to follow up.

Please note that I only submit letters as part of a confidential recommendation process to ensure they are as credible and constructive as possible. Therefore, please request a recommendation from me only if you have waived your right to view the recommendation.

Thank you for including me in this formative time of your life. I am honored to support your academic and professional aspirations.

Cheers,
Nate