(Last
Revised on 09/07/2004
)
Fall
2004
TR
8:30-9:55, Fowler North 1
Instructor
Information:
Ron Buckmire, Fowler North Academic Offices #14, x2536.
You may contact me via e-mail at ron@oxy.edu.
You may email the entire class at math105-L@oxy.edu.
This is a closed listserv. My AOL Instant Messenger name is Buckmire2536.
Office
Hours:
My official office hours for Fall 2004 are MWF 3:30-5:00pm and R
10:00-11:30am. I am committed to be available to you when you need
assistance. You may make an
appointment with me (in class, via chat, via email, or at x2536) at any time
when I am available. I’m often available online via chat on AOL Instant
Messenger for “virtual office hours.”
Course
Objectives:
The following are some of the objectives I hope we can accomplish
together through this course this semester.
Required
Textbook:
Keith Devlin, Mathematics: Science of Patterns, Scientific
American Publishing, 1997. This text will serve as primary reference to get us started
with each group of topics. I expect
you to read each chapter thoroughly. You
will quickly see that some topics in the book we will discuss in the class;
others we may not talk about at all. I
will give you a reading guide for each chapter to help you sort through what
might be our focus and what might not, as well as some ideas to key in on while
reading. The idea behind each
chapter is essential and I will assess your reading via questions posed on
Blackboard “quizzes.” The
on-going assessments will focus on what we discuss and do in and out of class.
Assignments: I will update assignments after every class meeting on
Blackboard. You should refer to our
Blackboard site frequently as your source for what is due the next class
meeting, and for assignments further in the future. It is your responsibility to check Blackboard and to keep up
with all the assignments.
Student
Work Expectations: We will spend different
amounts of time focusing on each theme (by chapter) provided in Devlin,
depending on how many topics we address and activities we do related to each
theme. You will have a mid-term
exam, a final group project (consisting of a group paper and a poster session to
be held on December 7) and a final exam.
You will also have regular Blackboard “quizzes,” frequent assignments
to do for the next class meeting or to email me between class meetings, and you
will have a weekly problem set to turn in.
Readings. You are to read the corresponding Devlin chapters before and
during the course of our discussion of each theme. Part of your Blackboard “quizzes” will be based on
readings you will have done, guided by the reading guide give you for each
chapter.
Blackboard. We will use Blackboard as one of the learning and feedback
tools in this class. In addition to
keeping you updated with class assignments and expectations and making
announcements as needed, I will post regular “quizzes” that will address
both issues brought up in the readings and from in-class and at-home activities.
The
first thing you must do is enroll yourself into this course on Blackboard.
To do so, follow these steps:
You
should then take some time to explore the site to see where I will post various
things, including the daily assignments and “quizzes.”
Again, it is important for you to check Blackboard regularly – I would
advise at least twice a week – and keep up with the assignments and
expectations as posted there.
Exams. You will have a mid-term exam on Thursday October 28 that will
cover material up to spring break. You
will have a final exam Thursday December 16 at 8:30am that will cover the
material after the mid-term (i.e., it will not be cumulative).
No make-up exams will be given
without prior approval of the
instructor, and approval will only be given for extreme circumstances.
Classes. The time in class will be spend discussing related ideas,
building on the themes, and working on some real mathematics.
You will experiment, conjecture, test, refine, and sometimes prove your
ideas about this mathematics. Because
this work is important in terms of your immersion in mathematics, your
attendance and participation will be part of your final grade.
You will often be asked to work on problems introduced in class or
related to the class discussion for homework and bring it to the next class
meeting. You will also often be
asked questions on Blackboard “quizzes” about class activities and
activities you are to work on at home. These
will be assessed and will be part of your attendance, participation, and daily
work grade. No
late work will be accepted without prior
approval of the instructor for your absence.
Problem Sets. A problem set
will be due nearly every Thursday in class.
It will be based on material we discuss the week prior to give you a
chance to refine and deepen your understanding.
I will usually give this problem set to you the previous Thursday.
By having them well in advance of the due date, please do not wait until
the last minute to complete them! Work
on them over the weekend and throughout the week, and seek help from classmates
or from me early in the week. While
I encourage you to work together on these, and on all assignments, what you
actually put on your own paper must represent your own understanding of the
material and must be written independently of others.
Copying someone else’s work will be considered cheating and will be
treated as such. No
late work will be accepted without prior
approval of the instructor.
Final
Project and Accompanying Paper and Presentation. During
the last part of the semester, you will work on a final project, preferably in
groups of 2 to 4 people. The
subject matter for the project is completely open as long as it involves
mathematics. I highly encourage you
to work on this final project in teams that you choose.
Approval of teams and final project topics must be given by October 28.
Additional details on the projects will be handed out separately, but a
brief description follows.
Each
team will submit a well-written paper on November 30 describing the work
you did in detail. This paper
should explore both the process as well as the final product of the project and
should contain appropriate citations and a bibliography. In addition, you will prepare a “representation” of your
work for an open “poster” presentation on December 7.
I will show you some examples of past work.
This representation may simply be a poster describing and showing your
work, may consist of physical constructions you have made for your project, may
be a short video, a collection of pictures, etc.
The class and invited guests will have the opportunity to walk around and
view everyone’s presentation and ask each group questions about their project.
Each team will be graded on the quality of your paper, the quality of
your “poster” presentation, and the overall quality of your project.
The group will receive one grade. Each
individual will be held accountable for her or his contribution to the team
effort, and everyone on the team will complete a self and group assessment of
everyone’s contribution. This
self and group assessment may alter individual’s grades from the group grade.
If you are absent on either of these poster presentation days and do not
have prior instructor approval for your absence, your grade on this
project will be lowered by 10 points for each absence.
Academic
Honesty:
I expect the highest level of academic honesty from all of my students.
You should read the appropriate sections of the Student Handbook that
discuss the “Spirit of Honor” and Academic Honesty.
Any instance of plagiarism or cheating will be dealt with strictly and in
accordance with the procedures found in the Handbook. Copying someone’s homework or problem set solutions is
considered cheating. Including
other sources in your papers without appropriate quotes and citations is
considered plagiarism. You may
discuss ideas and problems as appropriate, but what you ultimately write and
submit must be your own work, written up independently of others.
Grades: Your final grade will be based on the following accumulation
of points:
| Mid-term exam | 100 points |
| Final exam | 100 points |
| Weekly problem sets | 200 points |
| Final project (paper, “poster,” individual accountability) | 200 points |
| Preparation, attendance, participation, daily work, Blackboard “quizzes” | 200 points |
| TOT |
800 points |
720
total points will guarantee an A-, 640 a B-, 560 a C-, and 480 a D.
But I take into account a whole range of performance indicators when
assigning final grades.
Late
work will
not be accepted and exams may not be made up without prior approval of the
instructor. Approval will normally
be given only for extreme circumstances (serious illness, death in the family,
etc.) or for college-sponsored programs. Even
for college-sponsored programs, you must request prior approval from the
instructor. I will not excuse
things like a Glee Club trip, an academic field trip, or an athletic trip
without knowing about it (well) in advance.
Caveat:
This syllabus will be available on Blackboard and at http://faculty.oxy.edu/ron/math/105/04/syllabus.html
. The version online is the official version for the course and is subject
to change.