Tuesday and Thursday, 5:25-6:40
MB 106
Instructor: Dr. Cynthia Verjovsky Marcotte
Office: André 305e-mail: cynthm@admin.stedwards.edu
Phone: 464-8878webpage: http://www.stedwards.edu/~cynthm
Texts:·Mathematical Ideas, 9th ed. by Miller, Heeren, and Hornsby. Addison Wesley, 2001
·Student Packet for Math 1312.
Office Hours:
·You do not need an appointment to see me during regularly scheduled office hours. This is your time: stop by and say hi, come discuss a problem, get help organizing yourself, or doing the homework.
·Office hours can be very valuable, so make use of them.
Tuesday, 11:00-12:30
Wednesday, 10:00-11:50
Thursday, 11:00-12:30
These office hours are in André 305
Or call or e-mail me to make an appointment.
Any changes to these hours will be announced in class or by e-mail.
Course Content:
This course serves
as a final overview of algebra and geometry for non-science majors. Topics
include real number operations, geometry, algebra of polynomials, linear
equations and inequalities, linear programming, and elementary probability
and statistics. Emphasis is on a problem-solving approach to mathematics.
Communication:
Messages concerning this class and all official notices (from the Business office, Registrar, and so on) are sent to you by e-mail to your official St. Edward’s e-mail address. You should check your e-mail on a regular basis. If you use another e-mail provider (AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.), be sure to take the simple steps needed to have your mail forwarded automatically.Directions for doing this are at EdWeb for Students:
http://www.stedwards.edu/regist/stuinfo.htm
(click on “Forward Email”)
Course Expectations
Students are expected
to spend a minimum
of 6 hours per week studying for every three
hours spent in class. Students who spend the minimum time studying usually
get lower grades than those who do more than that.
Homework: You will
be asked to hand-in an assignment nearly every class. They will be due
at the start of the following class. You can – and are encouraged
to – work together on the problems; however, you each must turn in your
own paper.
Individual Projects:
Your “portfolio” will consist of several different projects. You will
be assessed not only on content, but also on format, organization, clarity
and grammar.
Tests/Exams: There will be two tests plus a mid-term exam and a final. The dates are scheduled as follows:
Test
IThursday, February 6
Mid-term
Exam(Departmental)Thursday,
March 6
Test
IIITuesday, April 8
All three tests will be 50 minutes long.If you have any conflicts on these dates, let me know ASAP. (The day after the test is not ASAP.)
Final: The class final is scheduled for:
Tuesday, May 6 from 5:30-7:30 in our regular classroom.
This exam is required and you must be present.In particular, do not make plans to leave town before you are done with finals. You will receive a grade of zero in the final if that is the case.
Group Work: There are two different types of group work:
Formal: Formal groups work on problems in class, and usually last throughout the semester. Every person in a formal group must contribute to solving the problem. Each group will contain at least four people, and each has a different role in attempting to solve the problem:
1. Reader/Leader: reads the problem, keeps group running.
2. Recorder: Writes comments, data, and responses.
3. Checker: Checks understanding and agreement; responsible for filling out evaluation sheet.
4. Presenter/Reporter: Meets with professor to report on group work, and brings the completed evaluation sheet.
(These roles will rotate among the group members.) Each group must agree to each answer for each problem. Formal groups will be put together within the second week of class. The deadline on formal group assignments is one week: the reporter must meet with me within the next seven days. Each reporter should set up an appointment to see me.
Informal: The informal group work consists of in-class work – usually in pairs, sometimes in larger groups. Informal groups are temporary, i.e., the groups are formed for one class only.
Quizzes: There will be unannounced quizzes from time to time throughout the semester. They will be short – usually 5 to 10 minutes – and will be given at the either beginning or end of class.
Journal: I encourage you to maintain a journal about this class, making an entry at least once a week. Each entry should consist of one or two (short) paragraphs, in which you can write what you have learned (especially outlines of procedures, fully worked out examples, and common mistakes made), what difficulties you have encountered, or any other comments or ideas about the class. Comment on specific problems, and answer the question “What have I learned?” You can also write outlines of methods or techniques you have learned in class. Bring your journal on exam days, as I will request you to hand it in then.
Grading: Your grade will be calculated based on the following weights:
|
Projects |
Group |
Quizzes |
Homework |
I & II |
Exam |
Exam |
Informal
Group Wk. |
Journal
|
|
10 % |
5% |
4% |
16% |
30% |
15% |
20% |
credit on quizzes |
Extra credit on homework
|
Letter grades are awarded as follows: 90-100A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
Below 60 F
Missed exams: There are no make-up exams. However, for a documented medical or family emergency, the missed grade will be made up with the final exam. For example, if you miss the first test due to a documented medical emergency, then the final exam will be worth 35% of your final grade, to make up for the 15% of the missed test.
Syllabus: Should you lose this course syllabus, I will provide a replacement copy upon request. A copy is also available through my web-page.
Math Lab: If you
need additional help in the class, there is a Mathematics Lab where you
can go for extra tutoring. It is in Moody Hall 118 and is run by Brother
Louis Coe. The times will be announced soon. No appointment needed.
Academic Honesty: All test and quiz answers must be the product of your own thought and effort. When a breach of the honesty policy is discovered, university procedures will be followed. The penalty for an honesty violation is at the very least a grade of “F”.
Learning Disability:
If you have a medical, psychiatric or learning disability and require accommodations
in this class, please inform me as soon as possible so that appropriate
arrangements can be made.You will
first need to provide documentation of your disability to the Student disability
Services Office in Moody Hall 155 in Academic Planning and Support.
Attendance: Show up, on time. While you will not be directly graded on your attendance, not attending class regularly will have a significant impact on your grade. You absolutely, positively cannot do well in this class by missing classes. If you find yourself missing classes, contact me immediately. In an extreme situation, I reserve the right to drop a student from this class with the grade “WA”.
Some important dates:
Friday,
January 17: Last day to change
sections or add undergraduate courses
Monday, January 20:MLK Day holiday.
Wednesday, January 29: Last day for unrecorded drop or withdrawal.
Last day to file undergraduate Pass/No Pass declaration.
Monday, February
24:Last day to withdraw undergraduate
Pass/No Pass declaration.
Monday, March 23: Mid-semester
Deadline to convert Incomplete grades
Sunday, March 9
¾Saturday, March 15: Spring break
Thursday, March 31: Last day to withdraw from any undergraduate class.
Thursday, April 17
¾Sunday, April 20: Easter break
Friday, May 2: Last day of classes
Monday, May 5
¾Thursday, May 8: Final exams.
The information on this
handout is subject to revision as the semester progresses.
Homework Guidelines: In order to clear up any confusion before it starts, please read the following comments:
·Assignment
intervals (such as p.25 40-43) are all problems (in example given:
40, 41, 42 & 43) unless otherwise specified (e.g. odd, even, thirds,
fifths). In the case of thirds and fifths, this means every third or fifth
problem: Thus 1-16 thirds means 1, 4, 7, 10, 13 &16 (i.e.,
you do the first one listed, skip two, do the next one, and so on) and
26-46 fifths means 26, 31, 36, 41 & 46 (i.e., you do
the first one, and skip four, then do the next one, and so on)
·Homework
assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date. If you can’t
hand homework in on time, and have a valid excuse, let me know. Late homework
will be recorded as late, but not graded. The final homework grade will
based half on your homework average, and half on the percent handed in.
So if you hand everything in (even if it’s late or not complete you are
guaranteed at least 8 percentage points. However, the more complete, on
time homework you hand in the higher the number of points you can get (up
to 16 points¾two
full letter grades!!!!)
·Format:
Messy homework will not be graded. You must show all work to
get full credit.
Homework that is more than one page long should be stapled. Every homework must be headed as follows:
First
page:
YOUR NAME
Math
for Liberal Arts
Math 1312-04
Dr.
Verjovsky Marcotte
TITLE* List of problems
done... 1.Neat,
complete, legible work....Solution 2.Neat,
complete, legible work....Solution 3.Neat,
complete, legible work....Solution |
YOUR NAME
MATH
1312-04
Title 4.Neat,
complete, legible work....Solution etc.... |
*Title:
Homework 1; Individual Project 3; Handout 7; Geometry Handout I, etc.