Syllabus    Revised Syllabus

GENERAL INFORMATION

Office Hours, Telephone Numbers:
Dr. Ken Spitze, Room 29, Cox Science, 284-5412, kspitze@miami.edu, Office hours: M 1-2, Tu 3-4

Examinations:
     Examinations will be held during the regular class period on the dates indicated in the course syllabus..

Discussions:
     Two class periods will be devoted to the discussion of papers from the primary literature. Attendance for these discussions is mandatory. You will be evaluated on your preparation for and participation in the discussions.

Presentations:
     The final three class periods will be devoted to presentations by you. We will discuss the details as the semester progresses, but basically you will: 1) divide into groups of three, 2) choose a topic for your presentation, 3) divide the presentation so that each of you is responsible for about 1/3 of a 15-minute period, and 4) be prepared to answer questions from your classmates. You should prepare some some of a summary handout at the beginning of your presentation, and prepare some visual aids for your presentation. You will select your topics well in advance with aid from your fearless leader (a.k.a, me).

Grading System:
 Hourly exams: 4 @ 100 pts. each
 Final comprehensive exam: 150 pts.
 Discussions: 2 @ 12.5 pts.
 Presentation: 25 pts.
 The final grades will be determined by the distribution of total points (of  600 possible), that is, the course will be curved. Approximate grades will be posted after each exam to allow students to assess their performance.

Policy on Missed Examinations:
      If a student has a VALID reason for missing an exam (e.g., illness, family emergency), a make-up exam can be taken if WRITTEN documentation (from MD or parent/guardian) is provided.  All make-up exams will be given as soon as possible after the exam date, contingent on the schedules of all affected students. Location of make-up exams will be arranged with affected students. If you miss an exam for a non-valid reason (e.g., over-sleeping, car running out of gas, etc.) you will receive a score of zero for that exam.

Honor Code:
     The College of Arts & Sciences requires that you be informed of the following statement of policy:
 "Cheating of any kind -- including giving or receiving help during an exam -- will automatically result in failure of the course, and the reason for the failure may become part of your permanent record."