Math 131 Spring 2018
Syllabus
Section 1: MTThF 11:30-12:20 p.m., Howard Hall 254
Section 2: MTThF 12:50-1:40 p.m., Howard Hall 132
Course Description
In Pre-Calculus you build fluency with elementary functions (polynomials, trig functions, exponential functions, their inverses and compositions). In Calculus we add one more tool to this list: the limit. With the limit we examine elementary functions using derivatives and integrals. Derivatives and integrals are central to mathematics, and are a crucial part of the language of science and social science. Without them our understanding of topics ranging from population modeling to gravity to profit optimization would be vague and ineffective. In addition, by working with calculus topics we stretch our ability to think abstractly and to problem solve. To get a full understanding of course topics we will approach topics from four different points of view: geometric (graphs), numeric (tables), symbolic (formulas), and verbal descriptions.
Tentative Topic & Exam Schedule
Office Hours
Tuesdays 1:50-5:00 (Except for the first Tuesday of each month when there is a faculty meeting. On those Tuesdays office hours will be 1:50-3:30.)
Wednesdays 2:40-5:00
Thursdays 1:50-3:20
Mondays & Fridays by appointment
Text
Calculus: Early transcendental functions, by R. Smith and R. Minton, 4th edition. McGraw Hill
Calculators
Homework and classwork will sometimes require the use of graphing technology. Graphing calculators are one option to use, I also recommend the online graphing calculator called "Desmos." One nice thing about Desmos is that the graph you make can be saved to your LC Google account. Calculators will not be permitted on exams.
Homework - Problems
There is an old saying that mathematics is not a spectator sport. The true test of whether you understand a mathematical topic is if you can solve problems, even if you are able to follow everything in the text and in class. At a deeper level, research in learning theory and in mathematics education suggests that working problems on your own is not just a convenient measure of your mastery of the material, but is actually a necessary step towards understanding:
"... pupil's learning depends on their recognition and re-construction of problems as being their own. ... A problem is a problem for a student only if she or he takes the responsibility for the validity of its solution. This transfer of the responsibility for truth from teacher to pupil must occur in order to allow the construction of meaning." (p. 259 of N. Balacheff, Towards a problematique for research on mathematics teaching, Research in Mathematics Education, 21 (1990) 258-272)
This is the main reason why homework is assigned in this course. There are also two secondary reasons why homework is assigned, collected, and graded, and why late homework is not accepted. First, it gently forces you to keep up with the material. If one falls behind in a mathematics class, it is often very difficult to catch up. And second, the homework provides me with an easy way of telling whether the class and I are on track. If I find out a few days after covering a topic that most of the class is having trouble with it, we can easily go back and mend the problem; if I discover the same thing two weeks after covering the topic, we probably have a serious problem that is not easily remedied.
Homework will be due each Monday and Thursday at the SQRC by SQRC closing time. Assignments will be written on the daily sheets you receive in class. Your lowest two homework scores will be dropped in figuring your final grade.
Sometimes more problems will be assigned than the grader will have time to grade, in which case only a representative sample of the homework problems will be graded. I ask my grader to grade homework problems on a 2-point per problem scale: 2 if a correct solution was obtained by a valid method, with adequate supporting work to demonstrate your solution; 0 for no significant progress towards the solution; and 1 for anything between work warranting either a 0 or a 2. If you must turn in an assignment late please notify me as soon as possible. If the late work is not turned in within a few days of the due date it will not be accepted.
I strongly encourage you to work together on homework problems, but each of you should turn in your own homework paper.
Homework - Reading
In addition to problems collected every other class day, this course also requires daily reading. This reading will be out of the course textbook. Asking you to read about a topic before it comes up in class will allow us to use our time in class as effectively as possible. In particular we can focus class time on what seems most confusing about the topic, and move more quickly through material that everyone feels comfortable with. Each class will begin with a short reading quiz that will consist of a few questions based on the examples and definitions in the previous night's reading.
Exams
There will be three midterm exams and one final exam in this course. I intentionally make the in-class, 50-minute midterm examinations long enough so that a well prepared student who works quickly and makes few mistakes that must be corrected should be able to finish the examination and have a few minutes to look over his or her work in the allotted time. Those whose mastery of the material does not permit them to work quickly, e.g., if he or she needs to reconstruct solution techniques, and those who make several injudicious starts that must be redone, will probably feel some time pressure.When you turn in your 50-minute midterm exam, I will give you another copy of the same exam, which is due at the beginning of the next class session. (Late copies will not be accepted.) I encourage you to work together on this re-take of the exam, and I hope that you will get 100% on it! Your score for the exam will be the weighted average (2/3)(in-class score)+(1/3)(re-take score).
No one should feel any time pressure on the final examination; I will write it to take two hours and you will have three hours to complete it. There are advantages and disadvantages to both testing formats -- ample or insufficient time -- and I prefer to see your performance under both. Note that the re-take procedure described above is only for midterm exams; no re-take of the final will be given.
Exam dates are given on the Tentative Topic & Exam Schedule. Make-up exams will only be given if a valid reason for missing the exam is given IN ADVANCE. Note that travel is NOT a sufficient excuse to have an exam scheduled on a different day. Make summer break travel plans early to avoid any conflict.
Derivative Gateway
The Gateway Exam is the place to demonstrate the symbolic skills needed to compute derivatives. To pass a Gateway Exam you must answer 8 out of the 10 questions correctly. It will be conducted once in class, and if you do not pass you may take the Gateway Exam outside of class as many times as needed to pass. Note that you may take at most two Gateway Exams in one day. Failure to pass the Gateway Exam will result in your final course grade being reduced by half of a letter grade.
Grading
Your final letter grade for Math 115 will be based on the weighted total of the scores below. (Note that final grades are NOT based on fixed, pre-determined percentages, however 90% guarantees a minimum grade of A-, 80% a minimum grade of B-, etc.) See page 31 of the College Catalog for an explanation of what each letter grade signifies.
Reading Quizzes: 5%
Homework: 5%
Algebra Gateway: Pass/Fail (see above)
Midterms 1-3: 20% each
Final Exam: 30%
Call for all A's This course is not curved, nor is it a 'weeder' course. I hope very much that everyone earns an A.
Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is expected of all Lewis & Clark students. In this course, homework and hour exam re-takes can and should be worked on and discussed with others, but the work you hand in must be your own. In-class exams will be closed book and closed notes; no form of collaboration will be permitted during in-class exams.
Inclusive Classroom Statement
The College mission statement states that Lewis and Clark, "seeks to be a community of scholars who are alive to inquiry, open to diversity, and disciplined to work in an interdependent world." In this spirit I expect that all of our statements and actions be based on mutual respect for one another. If you have ideas about how our classroom could be made more inclusive, please don't hesitate to discuss them with me.
Special Needs
If you have a disability that may impact your academic performance, you may request accommodations by submitting documentation to the Student Support Services Office in Albany Quadrangle (x7191), and that office will notify me of the accommodations for which you are eligible.
HELP!
In addition to office hours, help is available at the Symbolic and Quantitative Resource Center (SQRC). The Center is located at on the ground floor of Howard Hall on the end that faces the library. SQRC hours are posted on this webpage.
Professor Contact Information
Liz's office is: 302 BoDine
Her office phone number is: (503) 768-7727
Her email address is: stanhope at lclark dot edu