Hello 👋, and welcome to ING8100 — Open Science and Reproducible Research.
This course is dedicated to providing an environment where people are kind and respectful to each other: a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of course participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate in any course space, including lectures, labs, and online discussions. Participants violating these rules may be sanctioned, up to and including removal from the course, at the discretion of the instructor and Polytechnique Montréal.
This could really be the end of this code of conduct, but some forms of harassment and negative behavior are fairly hard to identify at first. Please read carefully through the rest of the document to make sure you avoid them. There is also a section on what to do and expect if you experience behavior that deviates from this code of conduct.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
⛔ Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, or religion.
⛔ Sexual images in course spaces
⛔ Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following
⛔ Harassing photography or recording
⛔ Sustained disruption of lectures, labs, or other course activities
⛔ Inappropriate physical contact
⛔ Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior
⛔ Unwelcome sexual attention
Microaggressions¶
Incidents can also take the form of “microaggressions,” a damaging form of harassment. Microaggressions are everyday slights or insults that communicate negative messages to target individuals, often based on their membership in a marginalized group. Over time, microaggressions can take a real toll on mental and emotional health, and on a person’s sense of belonging in science and academia. Examples include:
⛔ Commenting on someone’s appearance rather than their work
⛔ Only directing questions at male colleagues when there are female experts in the room
⛔ Telling someone “you speak such good English” based on their ethnicity
⛔ Forcefully praising meat to someone with a vegetarian diet, or alcoholic drinks to someone who doesn’t drink
⛔ Excluding someone from a group, a common nonverbal form of microaggression
⛔ Backhanded “compliments” (e.g., “you’re too attractive to be a scientist”)
Respecting Differences¶
Course participants come from many cultures and backgrounds. We expect everyone to be respectful of different cultural practices, attitudes, and beliefs — including being aware of preferred names, titles, and pronouns, and using a respectful tone of voice. We don’t assume everyone knows the cultural practices of every group represented in the room, but we do expect members to recognize and respect differences within the community: being open to learning from and educating others, as well as educating yourself.
How to Treat Each Other¶
👍 Be respectful and value each other’s ideas, styles, and viewpoints.
👍 Be direct but professional; we cannot withhold hard truths.
👍 Be inclusive and help new perspectives be heard.
👍 Appreciate and accommodate different cultural practices, attitudes, and beliefs.
👍 Be open to learning from others.
👍 Lead by example and match your actions with your words.
Enforcement¶
Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. The instructor and teaching assistants are also subject to this policy — in particular, they should not use sexualized images, activities, or other material. The instructor may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the course or making the environment hostile for any participant.
Reporting¶
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible. You can:
Contact the course instructor directly, or
Contact Polytechnique Montréal’s Bureau d’intervention et de prévention des conflits et de la violence (BIPCV) — the office responsible for conflicts and violence across the institution, including sexual violence and psychological harassment. They can be reached at bipcv@polymtl.ca or 514-340-5151 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m.–noon and 1–5 p.m.), and all communications are confidential. This channel does not require going through the instructor first, and is available even if the concern involves the instructor.
If you need moral support, feel welcome to reach out to the instructor as well.
Adapted from the Brainhack School Code of Conduct.