Basic Info

Instructor: Dave Feldman
Email: firstinitial_lastname@coa.edu
Office: Second Floor, Turrets Annex
Office Hours: By appointment.
Help Session: TBA

Textbook


We will use The Strange World of Quantum Mechanics by Dan Styer. We'll cover about half of this book. I will also send out many articles and book chapters and the like.

Evaluation


Your evaluation will be loosely based on the following:

  • Weekly Homework Assignments: 60 percent.
  • Final Project: 20 percent.
  • Discussion Participation: 20 percent.

I recommend against grades; I believe they are more likely than not to interfere with genuine, reflective learning. However, I will assign grades (for those who so opt) by following the guidelines in the COA Course Catalog. I do not have any quota of A's, B's, etc.

Class Structure and Policies


  1. The final version of this and related documents can be found on the course web page.
  2. Homework will usually be due at the end of the day on Friday. More than one unexcused late homework assignment will result in me mentioning this in your narrative evaluation and may result in a lowering of your grade.
  3. If you need extra time for one or two of the homework assignments, it's not a big deal. But be very careful to not fall farther behind every week.
  4. I will accept late homework assignments. However, I may not be able to grade these assignment thoroughly. I'll check off that you did it, but I might not have time to make as many comments and suggestions as I normally do.
  5. More than two missing homework assignments will result in a grade no higher than a C.
  6. You are strongly encouraged to work together on homework. You can also consult me, other faculty, friends, and family. However, the homework you hand in should represent your own understanding. This means that if your friends get a homework problem and you don't understand how they did it, you shouldn't photocopy their solution and turn it in.
  7. As I plan on sending out homework assignments and other information via email, it is important that you check your email regularly.
  8. Unless we have made prior arrangements, I expect you to attend class.
  9. Academic misconduct -- cheating, plagiarizing, etc. -- is bad. Any cases of academic misconduct will likely result in a judicial hearing; see the academic handbook for details. Possible consequences range from failure of the assignment to expulsion.
  10. A more informal description of the course can be found here.

Hours of Academic Engagement


You should expect to spend a minimum of 150 academically engaged hours associated with this one-credit course. These 150 hours will be spent roughly as follows: 3 hr/wk in class, 1.5 hr/wk in discussion section, 3 hr/wk reading and preparing for class discussions, 4.5 hr/wk on homework, and 3 hr/wk on your final project.