What should I do if my light meter isn't working?

I'm going to be in a film class at school this year and I recently got a Nikon n8008 from a family friend. However, the light meter isn't working. Will this be a problem for the class? Does the sunny 16 rule really work?

Also, it is my first time working with film and I don't know a lot about the camera. If you could give me some help on what I might want to know before I start class that would be great. I don't really know much about f-stop, light metering, aperature, shutter, and things like that. Thanks!

ALSO- the three lenses for the camera I have are:
- Nikon AF nikkor 28mm 1:2.8
- AF micro nikkor 105mm 1:2.8
- Tamron AF Aspherical 28mm-200mm 1:3.8-5.6

Are there anything about these lenses that I'm not able to do on my camera? I don't think they are autofocusing. Anything else about them I should know?

You need to estimate, know your film and know your shutter speed, aperture, and film. If you have a really good shot take more than one picture on different settings.