Class Participation and Extra Credit: 10%. The remaining 10% of your grade will be based on class participation,
which includes regular attendance, cooperative behavior in class, and participation in the in-class activities (such as responses via
index cards, which will be solicited roughly once per week). These can be supplemented through certain approved outside activities,
such as documented attendance at a Astronomy Department-sponsored Star party or at special relevant lectures that may occur during
the semester. However, you can only earn a maximum of 10% credit from the combination of class participation and extra credit.
IMPORTANT DATES THIS SEMESTER (THESE APPLY TO ALL FALL 2007 CLASSES):
First class meeting: Thurs., Aug. 30
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Last day of the official add/drop period: Tues., Sep. 4
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12th Class Day (Last day to drop with a possible refund): Fri., Sep. 14
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Last day to drop a class with an automatic "Q": Wed., Sep. 26
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Last day to drop except for non-academic reasons: Wed., Oct. 24
(I will grant a Q-drop up until this date, but you will still need approval from your dean's office; after this date it
becomes very hard to drop any course.)
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INSTRUCTOR POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS: In order to get your money's worth and do well in this course, it
is important that you attend regularly and keep up with the reading and coursework. We will be moving at a fairly rapid pace,
and will do our best to keep the class website current, but it is your responsibility to stay informed.
Classroom Behavior: I expect you to be attentive in class, and to be respectful of your instructor and classmates.
The classroom is not the place for non-class-related social interactions or cell phone conversations. Please turn off the ringer
on your cell phone before the beginning of class. First time violators will be merely grimaced at, but subsequent cell-phone
disruptions will adversely affect your participation grade. In addition, although some instructors allow students to use laptops
in class, it will not be allowed in Ast 307, as it is distracting to the instructor and fellow students.
Scholastic Integrity/Academic Dishonesty: The University of Texas at Austin has recently adopted a rather
vague "honor code" statement, but it does not spell out expectations for student conduct in any detail. More useful information
can be found on the web pages of the Dean of Students, under Student Judicial Services:
http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/index.php;
see especially the links called "The Standard of Academic Integrity" and "Scholastic Dishonesty." The College of Natural Sciences
takes these rules seriously. We will not tolerate copying or cheating on exams, homeworks, or other classwork. If we find duplicated
work or evidence for cheating, neither student will receive credit. We may also impose more severe academic penalties, depending
on the circumstances, not excluding an F for the course, or a report of academic dishonesty to the Dean of Students.