Syllabus
Course objectives.
Software.
A number of assigned problems will require the use of software. For
most classroom demonstrations and programs I disseminate, I will be using
OCTAVE,
a GNU-license
(free!) package which is available for all major operating systems
and is patterned quite closely after MATLAB.
(Many programs written for one will run seamlessly in the other.)
Whenever appropriate, you are expected to hand in both nicely-formatted
output (graphs, tables, etc.) and the code (which must be well
documented) used to generate it.
Evaluations.
Each of the following will be components of your overall grade:
assignments (graded for correctness), exams (probably three—dates
to be determined), and a cumulative final.
Homework will be collected, in general, once per week. Assignments
themselves may be viewed from the
homework page
or
class calendar.
Problems are placed on an assignment throughout the week prior to when
it is due, and the list should not be considered complete until the end
of that week. As these problem sets represent a significant part of
your overall grade (likely somewhere in the 20-25% range), you are
advised to give attention to content, neatness and organization.
Electronically-produced write-ups are most welcome, and TeXShop
(one of several LaTeX
distributions for typesetting mathematics) is installed on machines in
the Mathematics Department computer laboratory NH 067; the document
"The Not So Short Introduction to LaTeX2e" (subtitled "LaTeX2e in
141 minutes") does a very nice job of presenting generally (i.e., not
specific to any particular distribution) how to use LaTeX. I consider
an assignment late—and will not accept it—if I receive
it after I have graded those which were handed to me in class on the
due date.
Projects (lengthier than regular homework exercises) may be assigned
during the semester.
Written work/academic integrity.
Concerning written homework,
you may borrow someone's idea for solving a problem, but cite your
source (a classmate, peer, book—provide the usual bibliographic
information, website—provide the url, etc.). All written assignments
(except in the event a group project is assigned) are to be written up
separately on your own, using your own words. Give as much attention
to presenting your solutions in a coherent manner (using mathematical
symbols as part of your sentence structure) as you give to actually
solving problems, as it is the explanation of each problem that is graded
(not simply the answer itself). Handing in (uncited) another's writeup of
any part of an assignment will be considered an instance of academic
dishonesty (See Section
4.2.8 of the Faculty Handbook), resulting in a zero for the
entire assignment.
If any part of an exam write-up is not your own,
or is the result of unauthorized access to information stored anywhere
in any form, the result on the first instance will be a score of zero.
A second occurrence will result in automatic failure of the course.
Contacting me.
My office is NH 281. If you are having trouble in the course —
if you do not understand something important or have some special
circumstance that impedes your performance — see me about it
right away. Do not put things off. The hours
I am intentionally in my office for
meeting with students are posted on my
homepage, as they are subject to change during the semester.
If we cannot hook up at one of these times, feel free to
talk with me about an appointed time to meet, or swing
by my office and see if I am available to help.
I may be reached by phone at x66856, but a better way
to reach me for a non-technical question is by email.
If you require my approval for something, do
not consider having left a message for me
as equivalent to having obtained that approval.
Accommodations.
Reasonable academic accomodations will be made for individuals with
documented disabilities. Any student who this concerns should
notify one of the Coordinators for Services for Students with
Disabilities located in the Student Academic Services office, HH 455.
That student should also meet with me during the first two weeks of
the semester to discuss academic accomodations.
Exceptions.
I reserve the right to make changes or exceptions to course policies —
including those described in this document — either for the entire
class or for specific individuals. The ultimate goal in this course is
learning, and formal requirements should not unnecessarily stand in
the way of that. Thus, if you think that any of the conditions of the
course are interfering with learning, please speak with me about this,
and we will see what can be done.
This page maintained by:
Thomas L. Scofield
Department of Mathematics and Statistics,
Calvin College