Summer1 2008 Course Syllabus
Course: 3061.011.
Course Title: Modern Geometry I.
Time: MTWR 9:00-10:30.
Place: CC 617.
Instructor: Datskovsky, Boris A.
Instructor Office: CC 632.
Instructor Email: boris.datskovsky@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 215-204-7847.
Office Hours: MW 10:45-12:00 or by appointment.
Prerequisites: Math 2101 (0147), Linear Algebra.
Textbook: P.J. Ryan, Euclidean and Noneuclidean Geometry, An Analytic Approach, Cambridge University Press.
Course Goals: This course will expose students to Euclidean, spherical, projective, and hyperbolic geometries in an analytic setting with an emphasis on metric and incidence properties of each of these spaces.
Topics Covered: Euclidean geometry: distance and parallel and intersecting lines. Spherical geometry: distance, lines and their intersection properties, spherical triangles, spherical trigonometry. Projective geometry: lines and their incidence properties, Desargues' Theorem. Hyperbolic geometry: lines and their incidence properties. If time allows, we will also discuss isometries in Euclidean and spherical geometries.
Course Grading: Course Grading: : The grade will be based on three tests and a homework grade. The four grades, T1, T2, T3, and H, will have equal weight. The course grade will be computed as follows: the highest of the T1, T2, T3 and H scores will count for 35% of your grade, the lowest for 15%, and the remaining two scores will count for 25% each. Homework will be assigned at the end of every class but will not be collected. Instead, I will begin each class by answering homework questions. In addition, at the end of every week of classes, excluding the weeks preceding the three tests, I will give you a written homework assignment consisting of selected homework problems to be submitted the following week. Your homework score will be based on the three written homework assignments. Please note that it is very important to do all your homework, the problems that I collect in writing as well as those that I do not, as the exams will be based on homework.
Exam Dates: Test 1: Tuesday, June 10, Test 2: Tuesday, June 24, Test 3: Tuesday, July 1.
Attendance Policy: Regular attendance is expected. If you miss a class, please contact me by e-mail in order to find out what material you have missed and what homework problems have been assigned.
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources and Services at (215) 204-1280, 100 Ritter Annex, to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed here.
Students will be charged for a course unless a withdrawal form is processed by a registration office of the University by the Drop/Add deadline date given below. For this semester, the crucial dates are as follows:
- The first day of classes is Monday, May 19.
- The last day to drop/add (tuition refund available) is Friday, May 30.
- The last day to withdraw (no refund) is Tuesday, June 17.
- The last day of classes is Tuesday, July 1.
During the first two weeks of the fall or spring semester or summer sessions, students may withdraw from a course with no record of the class appearing on the transcript. In weeks three through nine of the fall or spring semester, or during weeks three and four of summer sessions, the student may withdraw with the advisor's permission. The course will be recorded on the transcript with the instructor's notation of "W," indicating that the student withdrew. After week nine of the fall or spring semester, or week four of summer sessions, students may not withdraw from courses. No student may withdraw from more than five courses during the duration of his/her studies to earn a bachelor's degree. A student may not withdraw from the same course more than once. Students who miss the final exam and do not make alternative arrangements before the grades are turned in will be graded F.
The grade I (an "incomplete") is reserved for extreme circumstances. It is necessary to have completed almost all of the course with a passing average and to file an incomplete contract specifying what is left for you to do. To be eligible for an I grade you need a good reason and you should have missed not more than 25% of the first nine weeks of classes. If approved by the Mathematics Department chair and the CST Dean's office, the incomplete contract must include a default grade that will be used in case the I grade is not resolved within 12 months.