Click Here to See the Course Schedule & Lecture Notes

Contrary to popular (and false) belief, I consider that an excellent final grade should be the result of excellent performance both at the Testing Center and in the classroom. An "A" should not be given simply because someone is "nice" (whatever that means) or has a testimony of the gospel. That high grade should be reserved for those who read all the assignments, attend class regularly, participate in classroom discussion frequently, and study for the exams diligently.  This is the breakdown of the total points possible in this class:

Paper (final version) Final Exercise Class Participation Total Points

250 points 250 points 100 points  (Attendance, Comments) 600 points

And the final grades will be assigned according to the following scale:

A    585-600	B-   525-539	D+  460-474
A-   570-584	C+  505-524	D   445-459
B+   555-569	C    490-504	D-  430-444
B     540-554	C-  475-489	F   001-429

House Rules I like to use BYU-H's Honor Code to our advantage. This Honor Code is based on mutual trust. That implies a commitment to be "... honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous ..." (The 13th Article of Faith). In practice, that requires us to give credit to others' ideas, to speak the truth and accept full responsibility for our actions--or for the lack of them. That commitment also requires us to respect and to develop love for each other as children of the Most High and heirs of eternal kingdoms, independent of our differences in ideas, beliefs, gender, race, or national origin. As a consequence of the commitment to accept full responsibility for our actions, there will be no make-up exams, and no assignments for extra credit. The exercises (or exams, if you prefer) will not be given on dates different than the ones mentioned here, except in cases of extenuating circumstances. Extenuating circumstances do not include the following: forgetfulness, early travel arrangements, homesickness, your best friend's wedding, a mid-semester family vacation, the death of your family's dog, a great fishing day, the discovery of your eternal companion, assignments for other classes, pizza parties, and other similarly unholy and impure excuses. Cases of conflicting final exam schedules, serious infirmities, or other truly extenuating circumstances, should be reported immediately and not postponed until the day before an exam. If you are planning to get married within the next 4 months, please, schedule your ceremony for a non-conflicting date. (This request does not apply to births, of course ...) Classroom Etiquette I believe that the university's dress and grooming standards reflect the standard that any educated and civil person should adopt anywhere in the world.  As a professor as well as a Church high priest I adhere to that standard and expect all my students to do the same. In the past I never made a big deal out of this, but from now on I would like to ask that you refrain from wearing hats and of enjoying foods and drinks in the classroom.  Falling asleep occasionally is forgivable, but chatting during lectures is not. Disabilities & Special Circumstances If you have a diagnosed disability or believe that you have a disability that may require reasonable accommodation, let me know right at the beginning of the semester. My role and function as a teacher are to assist you in achieving spiritually enriching, rewarding, and intellectually stimulating experiences in and out of the classroom. Your concerns and suggestions--whenever you have them--will always be appreciated. What If You Are Not LDS? No problem at all.  I am a convert to the LDS Church, and I respect whatever religious background you come from. I will never be my intention to offend you or hurt your feelings.  I will teach you according to my beliefs in the hope that if you do not accept the restored gospel, at least you will become a friend of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and help dispel many of the myths and misconceptions about it.

Participation Class participation will be judged on both the amount and the quality of your questions, comments and contributions to the progress of your peers. The breakdown for those 100 precious points is the following:  Attendance     up to 50 points A lot of money and resources are spent in your maintenance in college. So, the least one can do is to attend classes and try to gain the most from them. Occasionally, circumstances may lead you to miss one class period. Absences due to illness, job interviews, athletic & performance groups, or field trips in other classes will count as absences and there will be a penalty of minus 5 points for each absence.  Students who accumulate more than 7 absences will automatically receive a failing grade in the class.   Comments in Class      up to 50 points In every class period 4 or 5 students will be invited to share their thoughts, impressions, or questions on that day's reading assignment. Every participation in this "sharing time" will represent 15 points towards the total participation points in the course. Those who miss their opportunity twice will not receive any points for that particular round of sharing time. Our objective with this exercise is to learn from the inspired insights we will gain while studying the scriptures. Please, avoid "half-baked" remarks (i.e. overly simplistic or unrelated to the assigned chapters) or mere quotations from general authorities. As a college student you must develop analytical skills and find the practical implications of your readings. Our class periods should be seen as opportunities for mutual enlightenment. I encourage and expect many exchanges of ideas and gospel-based life experiences. If you consider yourself shy, I recommend that you put your shyness in a box and mail it to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean (the Pacific isn't far enough). While in college, take advantage of the resources available to you and "re-engineer" yourself, thus becoming an active participant in a society. Semester-long silence will be rewarded with 0 (zero) points. Frequent "parallel conversations" may be penalized with a 5-point discount. Still, I recognize that shyness might not be conquered in a single semester.  So, for those who do not want to speak up, I will accept an alternative assignment: A monthly written (2-page, double-spaced) remark that the student (or myself) will read in class.  One per month, each due before the end of the month and each worth 10 points. What If English Is Not Your Native Language? Once again, no problem.  You are welcome to pray in class in your own language ... provided that there is someone available to translate your words into English--for the benefit of all those present.  Take a look at the Apostle Paul's words on the subject: "For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.  ... [When] thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room ... say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?"  (1 Corinthians 14:14, 16)