Fall 2006 Course Syllabus
Course: C065.003.
Course Title: Elements of Mathematical Thought.
Time: MWF 12:40 - 1:30.
Place: BB101.
Instructor: Alexandrova, Olga G.
Instructor Office: Wachman 510.
Instructor Email: olgaal@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 215-204-8440.
Office Hours: MW 1:30-2:30; F 4:30-5:30.
Prerequisites: Placement test or Math 55.
Textbook: Bennett and Briggs, Using and Understanding Mathematics, Addison-Wesley, 2nd custom edition (ISBN: 0-536-83573-X).
Course Goals: To improve the level of quantitative awareness of students using familiar situations that provide a sense of purpose for studying mathematics; to help gain a mathematical perspective and deal as comfortable and critically as possible with an environment that increasingly makes use of quantitative reasoning.
Topics Covered: Topics include Statistical Reasoning, Putting Statistics to Work, Mathematics and the Arts, Mathematics and Politics.
Course Grading: A: 93 and higher; A-: 90 to 92; B+: 87 to 89; B: 83 to 86; B-: 80 to 82; C+: 77 to 79; C: 73 to 76; C-: 70 to 72; D+: 67 to 69; D: 63 to 66; D- 60 to 62; F: Below 60.
Exam Dates: See the course calendar and detailed syllabus posted on the Blackboard course site.
Attendance Policy: Three additional points are added to the final average as incentive to attend class.
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:
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.