Exams, Homework and Grading

There will be four midterm examinations (each 60-90 minutes) and a 150 minute final exam. The midterm examinations are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, September 23 $^{\rm\textstyle rd}$, 7:30-9:10pm, in Hoyt Auditorium, Tuesday, October 14 $^{\rm\textstyle th}$, 7:30-9:10pm, in Hoyt Auditorium, Tuesday, November 4 $^{\rm\textstyle th}$, 7:30-9:10pm, in Hoyt Auditorium, Wednesday, December 3 $^{\rm\textstyle rd}$, 12:00-1:20pm, in Hoyt Auditorium. The final is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, December 17 $^{\rm\textstyle th}$, 8:30am.

The material on the midterm exams will cover course content through that covered in the previous weeks' lectures and workshops. All midterms are ``cumulative'' in the sense that early material is fair game, but the focus will be on material after that covered in the previous exam. The final examination will be the most comprehensively cumulative, but will include extra emphasis on the material at the end of the course not covered in any previous midterm.

As a very wise eight-foot tall philosopher with yellow feathers once said ``everyone makes mistakes'' to which his acolytes replied ``oh yes they do''. I therefore reserve the right to add points in a uniform way to all exam scores (``grade on a curve'') after the fact. This ``curve'' will never lower your grade, so if my mistake is to give too easy an exam, consider it your collective lucky day.

In this same spirit, of the four midterm examinations, only the three most favorable will count towards your grade. If you are missing some basic knowledge, or a key concept, or just have a ``bad test day'', think of this as your free wake up call. Alternatively, if you ace all four midterm exams and don't do as well on the final, I will substitute ``one midterm worth'' of grade from the midterms for your final grade. Again, this procedure can never lower your final grade, but may raise it.

Makeup exams will, in general, not be given. Anyone who misses an exam without first making arrangements with me (Prof. McFarland) will receive a grade of 0.