Requirements and Grades

  • Attendance is required and is the single most important way to ensure success in this course.

  • Reading: Reading assignments in the text are required. You are expected to read the text book and assigned material before the class. 

  • Homework: There will be 4 homework assignments, worth 10% each, for a total of 40% of the final grade. Late homework will not be accepted.

  • Exams and quizzes: There will be 4  in-class  quizzes, each worth 10% of your final grade, and a final exam, worth 20% of your final grade. Problems in the exam and quizzes are drawn from both class material and reading assignments. Anything discussed in class or in the reading assignments may appear on an exam or quiz. 

Quizzes cover material covered in recent sessions. The final will be a comprehensive exam covering all of the material covered in the course. The exam date is scheduled by the university sometime during the final week.     
  

Makeup-exam policy: 

  • If you miss an exam or a quiz because of illness or a family emergency, please contact me as soon as possible, and I will set up a make-up time. You must arrange to provide written documentation explaining your absence and provide me with a phone number of someone I can contact regarding your absence.

  • If you have to miss an exam or a quiz because of participation in a university athletic event or other university-related event, you must make arrangements for a make-up exam at least a week in advance and provide written documentation from your coach/event organizer. 

  • For undocumented excuses, oversleeping, etc., you must contact me no later than 24 hours after the exam or quiz. In general I will allow you to take a make-up with a 10%-point penalty. 

  • Make-ups may be oral- or essay-style (my option). Persons who do not contact me will receive a zero for that exam or quiz 

    
Grades will be assigned on a straight scale. Scores will be adjusted upward if an exam is too hard. 

  • The guaranteed minimum grade: 

          92%   A
          88%   A-
          85%   B+
          82%   B
          78%   B-
          75%   C+
          72%   C
          68%   C-
          65%   D+
          60%   D

  • Summary of Components of Final Grade:                             
    Final exam                             30%

    4 in-class quizzes                    40%
    6 sets of homework                 30%


ACADEMIC HONESTY: It is highly destructive when anyone cheats on an exam. It corrodes the academic environment and cheapens the value of your education. I will not tolerate cheating, nor should you. No one should expect to pass the course if they cheat during an exam. 

Houjun Mo
 Astronomy 100