Goals: The main goals of this class are to evaluate your mathematical writing for the Junior Writing Requirement (which is a College requirement for graduation), and to help you review and prepare for the Comps Exam, which is also required for graduation and will be given later this semester. If you fail the comps exam, you will have a chance to take it again in spring 2012. In this course you will also need to learn LaTeX, a typesetting computer language for preparing technical manuscripts. Although you are not required to, I encourage you to start thinking about and discussing with math faculty what topic you'd like to choose for your comps project (which you will work on next fall but can start now and continue during summer). I'd be happy to help you get started if you'd like.
Grading: Your grade will be based 1/2 on your comps exam score, 1/4 on your "junior writing score", and 1/4 on your "LaTeX score". I will give three in-class writing tests and use your highest of the three scores as your "junior writing score" and also for determining whether or not you pass the junior writing requirement. Your "LaTeX score" will be determined via in-class exams. Note that passing this course, passing the junior writing requirement, and passing the comps exam are "independent" of each other: you may pass or fail any subset of the three. Without passing all three you cannot graduate. Added on Feb 2, 2012: The total score of your FIRST attempt at the comps exam will count as 50% of your Math 300 grade. Subsequent attempts, if any, will not affect your Math 300 grade. Added on Mar 17, 2012 (but announced in class on Day 2): There will be an assignment on picking sources for your comps paper and to briefly write about it in LaTeX; this will count as part of the "LaTeX score".
Attendance: You are responsible for everything that goes on in every class meeting, such as announcements, handouts, material taught, etc. This means if you miss a class even for a valid reason, it is your responsibility to contact me and find out what you missed. I may or may not decide to count attendance as part of your grade; if I do, I will let you know in advance; it will count as a small part of the "other assignments" score mentioned above.
E-mail: When necessary, I will make announcements via the class mailing list, instead of in the classroom. You are expected to check your email at least once a day. Feel free to use our class email list, math300-L@oxy.edu, to send messages to everyone in the class.
Academic Honesty: I feel strongly about protecting honest and hard-working students against unfair and dishonest actions sometimes committed by a few. I don't give warnings; I refer all suspicious cases to the Judicial Examiner without hesitation.