Raw scores on each exam will be converted to corresponding grades on the 4-point scale as determined by the section instructor. 

If your instructor includes other graded items (homeworks, attendance, quizzes,...), those scores too will be converted to corresponding grades on the 4-point scale as determined by the section instructor. 

Your weighted average for the course will be computed from your various grades on the 4-point scale using the item weights listed in the table below.  Your weighted average will then determine your course grade by the ranges indicated in the second table below.

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The S/U basis:

If you are thinking of taking this course on the S/U basis, there are several things you should consider carefully.  Trinity webpages, your academic dean, and/or the Directors of Undergraduate Studies for your major(s) and minor(s) can help you understand the possible implications of such a choice on your various university requirements (curriculum, graduation, continuation, possibly others), and/or the requirements for your major(s) and minor(s).  For some students, taking the course on the S/U basis might be a plausible option.

You should also consider carefully though exactly what you hope to gain by choosing to take the course on the S/U basis.  If you are interested in exploring the subject, not otherwise required for your academic plans, and are intending to put in a full effort, then for example the S/U basis can lower stress in various different ways.

Be aware though that earning the "S" still requires putting in pretty much a full effort in a class like this.  This is a result of the fact that the subject matter of this course is "vertical", in that most of the topics covered build on and depend critically on topics that came earlier in the course.  This vertical structure of the material means that weaknesses in understanding will tend to "snowball", causing steadily decreasing performance and exam scores, and steadily decreasing preparation to be able to catch up.  This effect can and has resulted in students receiving the "U" grade in the course, even after realizing they were in trouble weeks before the final exam.  With this risk in mind, students should not be motivated to choose the S/U basis in the hopes of decreasing the amount of effort they plan to put in to the course.

If you are thinking of taking this course on the S/U basis and have any questions about any of this, you are strongly advised to talk to your instructor about it.

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Other notes about course grades:

• It is the responsibility of the student to make sure that scores on graded items for the course have been recorded correctly.  Corrections such as this must be made before the final exam -- after grades for the course have been submitted, it is too late to make such corrections.
   
• Regrade requests on midterm exams must be submitted in the time windows noted after the return of each exam.  It is not reasonable to request reconsideration only after finding that your course average ended up being just below the cutoff for the next higher grade incidental.
   
• The ranges (in the table above) determining letter grades in this course are fixed, and are applied strictly.  Please do not request for your course grade to be "bumped" up to the next higher letter grade based on being just under that range.  Note that these ranges mostly "round" to the nearest standard letter grade value (with deviations at the extremes to account for statistical issues).  So while in such a case your grade may be "close" in a sense to the higher grade, it is even closer to the lower one.  For example, 3.14 is close to the B+ cutoff of 3.15 -- but the point is that it is closer to 3.00 (the standard B) than it is to 3.30 (the standard B+). 
   
• Duke University policy (https://trinity.duke.edu/undergraduate/academic-policies/grades-changes) clearly indicates that, with only a very few exceptions, letter grades are final after they have been reported.  Please do not request reconsideration regarding letter grades based only on previous expectations, appeals based on effort exerted, appeals based on the personal consequences of your letter grade, or subjective interpretations of how letter grades for the course could have been determined.
   
• Final exams are not returned to students in this course.  It is Department policy that all final exams remain secured.  You may come and look at your final exam in your instructor's office, but you may not copy it, photograph it, show it to others, or remove it from that office, even temporarily.  Because of the Duke University policy linked above, regrades for the final exam are considered only in the instance of an extreme error of grading; students should be aware that this is very rare, and should not come to look at the final exam with the expectation of a regrade.