Spring 2009 Course Syllabus
Course: 0824.000.
Course Title: Mathematical Patterns.
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Instructor: Wald, Doreen.
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Instructor Email: doreen.wald@temple.edu
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Prerequisites: Placement Exam or having taken Math 701 (Elementary Algebra) or an equivalent.
Textbook: Bennett and Briggs; Miller, Heeren and Hornsby: Using and Understanding Mathematical Ideas, Custom Edition, Pearson, Addison-Wesley; ISBN: 0536801711. MyMathLab package can used instead of the actual hard text since the text can be viewed through this computer package. Students will be saving money but they do not have the actual hard copy of the text.
Course Goals: Math 0824 is designed to improve the level of quantitative awareness of students using familiar situations that provide a sense of purpose for studying mathematics. The objective is not to make mathematicians of the students, but to help gain a mathematical perspective and deal as comfortably as possible with an environment that increasingly makes use of quantitative reasoning.
Topics Covered: Topics include: financial planning including compounding, savings plans, loan payments and mortgages, exponential growth and decay, statistics, counting techniques, probability and expected value.
Course Grading: Of tests 1 through 4, the lowest grade can be dropped to get the average of the three highest test grades. The final CANNOT be the dropped test. The average of the three highest test grades would count as 75% of the grade, the final as 15% and homework as 10%. MyMathLab may be used to assign and grade homework. Numerical averages translate into letter grades as follows: 93 to 100:A; 90 to 92:A-; 87 to 89:B+; 83 to 86:B; 80 to 82:B-; 77 to 79:C+; 73 to 76:C; 70 to 72:C-; 67 to 69:D+; 63 to 66: D; 60 to 62: D-; Below 60:F.
Exam Dates: Test 1:Feb.10, Test 2:Mar.5, Test 3:Apr.2, Test 4:Apr.29, Common Final is Wednesday, May 13, 2:00 to 4:00.
Attendance Policy: As an incentive to attend class, two additional points are added to the final average for perfect attendance.
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 Tuesday, January 20.
- The last day to drop/add (tuition refund available) is Monday, February 2.
- Spring recess is the week of Monday, March 9.
- The last day to withdraw (no refund) is Monday, March 30.
- The last day of classes is Monday, May 4.
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.