Course Policy, Math 323

Math 323-1	Course Policy	Spring 2008

Last modified Jan 12, 2008

Course Web site: http://math.arizona.edu/~laetsch/323081/ $NO IT!$

INSTRUCTOR:

Dr. Ted Laetsch
Office: Room 205, Math Building
Phone: 621-6860

e-mail: laetsch@math.arizona.edu

OFFICE HOURS/DISCUSSION TIMES: To be announced on course website. Please feel free to ask for an appointment at any reasonable time, or, if you want to take the chance, just stop by my office and see if I'm there.

TEXTBOOK: Analysis with an Introduction to Proof by Steven Lay, 4th edition.

PREREQUISITE: The prerequisite for this coure is Math 215. Students who do not have credit in Math 215 or its equivalent may be administratively dropped from the course.

INTERNET ACCESS: Students are assumed to have access to e-mail and to the internet, both of which will be used to distribute and to post course information. E-mail should be checked daily. Students are reponsible for being aware of all material on the course website and all announcements made by e-mail.
Please send me (by e-mail ) your e-mail address.
(Note: Some of the links given on the online version of this policy may not be active or MAY NOT BE CORRECT immediately, but they should all become operational before the second week of classes.)

COURSE CONTENT: The emphasis of the course is on the principles underlying mathematical reasoning and proofs. We will cover material from Chapters 1-4, including especially Sections 1-8 and 10-12, along with selected material from Sections 16-19.

ATTENDANCE/ABSENCE POLICY: Students who miss the first two or three days will be administratively dropped, and students with many absences during the first eight weeks of class (e.g., more than 4 classes, together with missed homework or exams) may be administratively dropped. This applies also to students who are auditing the course. Students who miss an exam and do not attempt to arrange a make-up exam may be administratively dropped. (See University Administrative Drop Policy.) It is highly unlikely that you can keep up with the material in the course if you miss class. This is especially true in Math 323.
All holidays or special events observed by organized religions will be honored for those students who show affiliation with that particular religion. Absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or Dean's designee) will be excused. Since attendance is not required, this will be an issue only in connection with examinations, and with sufficient notice to the instructor, exams can be scheduled to avoid any conflicts.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with me to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If you determine that formal, disability-related accommodations are necessary, it is very important that you be registered with Disability Resources (621-3268) and notify me of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. We can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations.

HOMEWORK: Problems will be assigned regularly and you will be asked to turn in some or all of them to be graded and/or given quizzes over the assigned material. Although consultation among students is encouraged, the work turned in should not be a copy of someone else's work. More information on Homework is or will be online at Homework Policy, Homework Writing Policy, and Homework Format.

CAVEAT EMPTOR: It is not guaranteed that I will catch all the mistakes you make when I grade your papers. Your making an egregious error which I accidentally overlook is NOT necessarily an excuse for making the same error on the exams.

PROJECTS: There will be several "Projects" assigned during the semester which will contribute to your exam points. Your total project score will count as approximately one exam.

EXAMS/GRADING POLICY: There will be three or four “midterm” exams and a comprehensive Final Examination. See Exam Guidelines for more information on how to write your exams. Make-up exams will be given at the instructor's discretion and only if an exam is missed for a valid, serious reason. (As practice using the logic in Chapter 1, break this sentence down into its logical components and write it using the notation of logic.) You must notify me of the need to miss an exam as soon as possible. See below for information on withdrawals and incompletes.

The exams assume familiarity with ALL material presented in class, in addition to the material in the textbook and assigned for homework.

The dates for the “one-hour” exams will be announced in class at least two lectures in advance. The Final Exam will be given on the date scheduled by the University for classes meeting at this class time. (No exceptions for travel plans; be aware of your Final Exam dates BEFORE making travel plans.)

At the end of the semester, course grades will be determined as follows:

: 300 points will come from the total of all "one-hour" exams
: 100 points will come from Projects.
: 200 points will come from the comprehensive Final Exam.
: 50 points may come from homework, in-class work, and index cards. (The total points available for these items will be much more than 50 points; at the end of the semester, the score will be scaled to a total possible 50 points.)

The following cutoffs are guaranteed. Percentages are usually calculated out of 600 exam/project points; homework may be included, for a total possible 650 points, if it improves your % or your standing in the class:
A: 90% , B: 80% , C: 70% , D: 60% .
Actual cutoffs in the past for this course have been considerably below this.

In addition to the specific topics covered in the course, students who get a C or better will have demonstrated proficiency in the following general mathematical skills, and students will not pass unless they have demonstrated proficiency in at least some of them, to the extent that these skills are tested on the exams:

Understanding that MATHEMATICS MAKES SENSE, and avoiding NONSENSE when doing homework, quizzes, and exams.
The ability to deal intelligently with standard mathematical notation; in particular, the ability to understand
- the difference in the role of the symbols S, f, b, c, on the one hand, and the symbol x , in statements such as
  For all x in the set S, f(x) = sin(bx+c)
  and
- the difference in the role of the symbols n and a, on the one hand, and the symbol i , in expressions such as
Understanding the importance of definitions and how to use definitions properly in problems and proof.
An understanding of sets; in particular,
- An understanding of set notation.
- The ability to write down an appropriate definition of a set from a given verbal description of the set.
An understanding of functions; in particular,
- An understanding of function notation.
- The ability to give an appropriate definition of a function from a given set A to a given set B.
Understanding the difference, for given statements p and q, between the assertion and proof of a statement of the form “if p then q”, a statement of the form “if q then p”, and a statement of the form “p if and only if q”. This includes
- Not doing proofs “backwards”.
- Knowing how to prove that something is a solution of an equation.
Knowing how to begin the proof of a universally quantified statement; in particular,
- using, where appropriate, the standard method of proving that two given sets are equal, or that a given set is a subset of another given set (using the method I call "element chasing").
Knowing how to determine the date of the Final Exam as determined by the University.

WITHDRAWALS: Grades for students withdrawing from the course will be determined as follows:

Through March 11, all students will be considered to be passing the course and (if the instructor is required to sign a Change of Schedule Form) will receive the grade W.
Students wishing to withdraw between March 12 and the last day of class, inclusive, (late withdrawal) will have their grade determined as follows: Each graded exam will be given a weight of 100 points; each graded project (not counting rough drafts) will be given a weight of 20 points, up to a maximum of 100 points for projects; graded homework will be given a total weight of 50 points. Students seeking late withdrawal whose overall score is at least 50% by this scheme will be considered to be passing the course and will receive the grade W on the Change of Schedule Form. Students seeking late withdrawal whose overall score is less than 50% by this scheme will be considered to be failing the course and will receive the grade E on the Change of Schedule Form. Note that students seeking late withdrawal must also obtain a Dean's signature on the Change of Schedule Form. Exceptions to this policy for the grade of E may be granted under unusual circumstances.

INCOMPLETE: The University Policy stated in the General Catalog will be followed in awarding incomplete grades. An incomplete is not to be used as a substitute for a poor grade.
In general, the grade of I will be not be given unless ALL the following conditions are met:

The student has completed all but a small portion of the required work.
The student has scored at least 50% on the work completed according to the scheme described in Withdrawals above.
The student has a valid reason for not completing the course on time.
The student agrees to make up the material in a short period of time and reaches a written agreement with the instructor which specifies the period of time allowed and the work to be made up.
The student asks for the incomplete before the Final Exam or, if all work up to the Final Exam is completed and an emergency forces the student to miss the Final Exam, within 48 hours of the scheduled Final Exam.

DISHONEST SCHOLASTIC WORK AND INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR: Your work in this class is covered by the University's Code of Academic Integrity, and any violations of the code will be dealt with as prescribed in the Code. See also the University policy on threatening behavior (pdf document) and the complete Student Code of Conduct.

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