MATH 154 SYLLABUS, SPRING QUARTER, 1997

Instructor: Audrey Morrow

Class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00 - 3:50, in Room 208. There are no scheduled holidays during the quarter, so we will meet for a total of 22 class sessions, excluding the final exam.

Text: Understanding Algebra for College Students by Hirsch and Goodman.

Important dates:

Final day of "late registration": Friday, April 18

Last day to drop this class with no record: Friday, May 2

Last day to drop this class with a `W': Friday, June 6

Final exam date: Tuesday, June 24, 2pm - 4pm in Room 208.

Graduation: Friday, June 27

Material covered:

Math 154 covers Chapter 8; Chapter 9 Sections 1-4; Chapter 10 Sections 1 and 4, Chapter 11 Sections 1-4; Chapter 12 and Chapter 13. We will cover second-degree equations and inequalities; conics and their graphs; both linear and nonlinear systems of equations; relations and functions including inverses; exponential and logarithmic functions; and last, sequences and series. The reading amounts to about 160 pages, roughly 15 pages of college-level mathematics per week.

Homework will be assigned each lecture, with problems selected to coordinate with the material covered in class. Many of the problems will resemble those demonstrated in lecture, with others selected to challenge and motivate further thinking and comprehension.

Quizzes will be given every other week or so, and will be unannounced. The quiz material will usually nearly duplicate a homework question or two, giving the student the chance to demonstrate new skills, and me the opportunity to assess our progress as a class.

Tentative midterm dates: Exam on May 6, covering Chapter 8, 9 and the material covered in Chapter 10. Second exam on June 3, covering the material from Chapter 11 and 12. The exam may include any material from Chapter 13 already covered in class. Dates can't deviate by much, but will remain tentative until a week or so prior to each exam. Every class progresses at its own pace, and exams are more effective when students feel "ready".

GRADING POLICY

During the course of the class, students will take 3 exams including the final, 6 or 7 quizzes, and complete 20 or so homework assignments. My grading structure is as follows: Each of the exams given during the quarter counts 25%. The homework and quizzes combined count 15%, and the final, which is comprehensive, will count 35%. Since most or all of Chapter 13 will be tested only on the final, about one quarter to one third of our final exam will be based on that chapter. The rest will cover the highlights from the remaining material. My practice is to distribute a "study sheet" for each exam which outlines points that I want to emphasize on the test. Please note that the exam may in fact include questions not specified on the study sheet, the sheet simply offers the student a guide to the points I consider most essential. My practice is to drop the lowest quiz score.

I grade on a "curve" which means that students who perform at the top of the class can usually expect A's and B's, though this system by no means compels me to give D's or F's unless warranted. Students who feel strongly about attaining a high overall grade, (with the added though perhaps less coveted benefit of high retention of material), should follow a few basic rules for almost certain success:

1) Attend each and every lecture, if you possibly can.

2) Take notes on the material presented. This is absolutely essential in mathematics, which is assimilated far more effectively by those who work along in class than by those who sit and watch. Never mind that the pace kept in lecture prevents perfect penmanship, you can clean up your notes at home and add in any further details that occur to you. Keep a glossary of unfamiliar terms, and pretty soon they won't be.

3) Do the assigned reading before the class discussion, so that you can use class time to clear up any points you may have found problematic in the reading. Work the example problems that accompany the reading for greater ease in handling the homework.

4) Work all of the assigned homework problems. Any that seem "overly simple" will go quickly, and those that are out of reach can be tackled in class, once you learn where you go off the track with them.

5) Ask questions in class. At the outset of each lecture we'll spend some time going over homework problems that were difficult, but I'll need you to tell me where you experienced the difficulty. You have a mouth, use it.

6) Speaking of which, please do any and all socializing outside our classroom. Regardless how you might try to keep it low, chit-chatting will be resented by those around you, and it is most disruptive in general to the quality of the class. Please note that this request is contained on my grading policy, no coincidence of running out of room on the syllabus page. Disruptive behavior in class may affect your grade, so please be respectful of others and keep your focus on math during the lectures.