My job is to present the material as clearly and logically as possible and your job is to pay attention and ask questions if what I say doesn't make sense. You'd better ask questions, because that's the only way I can figure out what your prior interests include and can tailor the material accordingly. Tests strictly cover material presented in lecture. There will be three hourly exams, each worth 100 points, and a comprehensive final, worth 150 points. Since you drop your lowest exam grade, your average is based on a total of 350 points.
All exams are closed book by individual effort and have both essay and multiple choice questions.
The ability to write coherent prose is a core requirement of this course. If you ace them, you ace the course, even if I wouldn't recognize you if I tripped over you in the Atrium. However, you are responsible for what goes on in class , whether or not it is included in the lecture outline. In my experience, people who miss classes do very poorly. In particular, the first 20 minutes of class is the most important.