Syllabus: Math 320
Foundations of Mathematics
Spring 2006
Goals for the course: To
receive a C or better in this class a student must demonstrate that he or she
is able to read, write, and verbally communicate mathematics. The student should be able to read
about a mathematical concept or proof (of an appropriate level), synthesize the
material, and communicate it to other students in the class in both oral and written
forms. The studentÕs competence in
these skills will be evaluated in three forms:
In order to achieve the
goals of the course, the class will be run in as participatory manner as
possible. I encourage
questions and the ÒlecturesÓ will be interspersed with individual and group
activities. In addition, Fridays
will be devoted to group work and student presentations. All of this classroom activity is meant
to give the students the maximum amount of assisted practice in reading,
writing, and verbally communicating mathematics. This is not a class on Òtopics
in mathematics.Ó Rather, it is
more of a study of the language of mathematics. Mathematics has a grammar and vocabulary, and there is no
way to master this language without practice. As a result, it is mandatory that students attend each
and every class meeting, are punctual, and keep up to date with homework. (Please see below for policies on class attendance,
missed exams, and late homework.)
Text: Peter Fletcher & C. Wayne Patty. Foundations of Higher Mathematics (3rd Edition) Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
There is a webpage for this
class. To find it, go to my
webpage and click on Math 320. You
will find there a tentative schedule for the class, the homework assignments,
and a copy of the syllabus.
Policies on class
attendance, exams, and homework:
Attendance:
Attendance in this class is
mandatory every day. Absences must
be excused with written verification (e.g. doctorÕs note), or arranged in
advance (e.g. athletic event or musical performance).
Mini-tests:
The mini-tests will be on
Thursday mornings and will take approximately 10-15 minutes. Only in extreme circumstances, and with
a written excuse (e.g. doctor or police report) will make-up exams be
given. These must be taken the
following Monday.
The mini-tests will be
graded on an 0-3 scale: 0 for less than half correct, 3 for perfect, 2 for correct
with trivial errors, 1 for having the idea without follow through. The topics will concern basic subject
skills (e.g. finding the contrapositive to a statement, proving set inclusions,
doing induction) that you must be able to perform perfectly to pass this
class. You will be able to repeat
any mini-test ONCE (with a different problem) and it must be on the following
Tuesday (during my office hours).
Homework:
Assignments will be posted
on the course web page (go to my web
page an click on Math
320 ). This class is about
communicating mathematics. The main tool I will use to evaluate your progress
will be your homework. Therefore,
I encourage you to take it very seriously.
1. Homework will be due on Wednesdays by 4:45PM. It will cover material up through the
previous ThursdayÕs lecture, so you should start then. You may turn in your
homework to me in class or to the secretary in the math office (FOB 114) after
class.
2. Homework may be worked on in groups of 2-3. In fact this is encouraged. However each student must turn in his
or her own write up and it must represent his or her own ideas.
3. Any homework that is two days late will be marked down
by 10%, any homework later than 2 days late will not be accepted.
4. Your lowest two homework assignments will
be dropped. Please save these for emergencies.
5. Each homework assignment will be worth 20
points: 3 problems (6 points each) will be graded thoroughly; plus 2
points per homework for following the Rules for homework:
a. Homework must be complete, neatly
written, and clearly presented.
b. It should be stapled. No spiral notebook
paper.
c.
Your
name, my name, and the due date must appear clearly in the upper
right hand side of
the front page.
d. I must be able to follow your work and
have room to comment on each problem. Rewrite or summarize each problem.
e. Write in complete sentences, which are
geared towards your fellow student. Do not rely on the expertise of the reader
(I will take everything you say literally).
f.
When
computing, indicate what your calculations are trying to accomplish.
g. When proving a statement, lead the reader
carefully through the logical argument.
Journals:
Along with the weekly
homework assignment students will turn in a weekly math journal. This should be typed on the computer
and emailed to Professor Stevenson each Monday by 9am. It should be no longer than one page
and no less than ½ page. It
should cover one or more of the following: 1. A summary of the last weeks lecture, 2. a description of
a homework or group work problem that the student could NOT solve, 3. an issue
or concern regarding the content or pedagogy of the class. Good programs to use for math
editing are LateX and MS word with the equation editor.
Projects and
Presentations:
Students will work on one
project during the semester in groups of 3. Each group will give an in-class presentation and produce a
typed report. The presentations will
take up an entire class period with each student participating to give a
coherent discussion of the topic. If you like, you may use one of the
presentation guides. These cover
about 7 topics and may be found on the webpage for this class.
At anytime other than during
the presentation, students may seek help from any source they wish. This includes me, other faculty, and
other students. The point here is
to give a clear coherent presentation. We want these presentations to be informative, not
time-wasters. Moreover, we want
full attendance for the presentations.
The three students should
work together on their presentations in the following way:
The presentations will be
graded as follows.