2023 Fall Course Syllabus - Mathematics 3096.001

Course: Mathematics 3096.001.

Course Title: Introduction to Modern Algebra.

Credits: 3.

How this course will be taught: In person.

Time: Recitation: M 8:00-8:50. Lecture: TR 9:30am--10:50am.

Place: Recitation: Wachman 009. Lecture: Wachman 306.

Instructor: Martin Lorenz.

Instructor Office: Wachman 528.

Instructor Email: martin.lorenz@temple.edu

Instructor Phone: Use email: lorenz@temple.edu.

Office Hours: TR 1:30--3:00pm and by appointment.

Prerequisites: Math 2111 (Basic Concepts of Mathematics).

Course Materials: Abstract Algebra: An Introduction, by Thomas Hungerford. 3rd ed.

Course Goals: This course will primarily deal with the theory of rings; possibly, we will also give an introduction to group theory. A particular emphasis will be on writing mathematical proofs in these areas. Students should learn to communicate mathematical ideas in written form in the context of modern algebra. Written proofs must offer the reader a logical and well-organized narrative explanation of an approach to a solution of a problem. Proofs should be written in clear, carefully edited prose. Students will also be expected to research a topic relevant to the course, write a paper on the topic, and report on the topic to the class.

Topics Covered: Integers and modular arithmetic, Rings, Polynomial Rings, Ideals and Quotient Rings, Groups (if time allows).

Course Grading: There will be two midterm exams, each of which will count for 13% of your grade, a comprehensive final exam counting for 20% of your grade, and a presentation counting for 10%. In addition, there will be regular quizzes counting 14% total and homework counting 30%.

Exam Dates: The midterms are tentatively scheduled for Thursday, October 5th and Thursday, November 16th; both will be given during the class period. The final exam will be on Thursday, December 14, 8:00am-10:00am. All exams will be in our regular class room.

Attendance Policy: Attendance will be recorded in both lectures and recitations; it will be taken into account in midterm ratings and in borderline grade cases at the end of the semester. Office hours may not be used to cover material missed due to unjustified absences.

Attendance and Your Health: To achieve course learning goals, students must attend and participate in classes, according to your instructors' requirements. However, if you feel unwell or if you are under quarantine or in isolation because you have been exposed to the virus or tested positive for it, you should not come to campus or attend in-person classes or activities. Students have the responsibility to contact their instructors to create a plan for participation and engagement in the course as soon as they are able to do so and to make a plan to complete all assignments in a timely fashion when illness delays their completion.

Canvas: This course will use Canvas. Homework, short summaries of material covered in lectures and recitations, and other important announcements will be posted there regularly.

Teaching Assistant: The TA for this course is Nizar Bou Ezz. He will hold the recitations and grade all quizzes. Nizar's office hours are on Wednesday 11 am-2 pm in Wachman 519. You can also find Nizar at the Math Consulting Center (MCC) in Wachman 1036 on Wednesday 6-8 pm.

Recitations & Quizzes: Our weekly recitations will serve to (1) practice material covered in class, often in the form of worksheets to be worked on during recitation; (2) answer any questions that you might have; and (3) give regular short quizzes, starting with Recitation #2 (on Sept 11). Each quiz will have a maximum score of 10. Your lowest two quiz scores will be dropped from the calculation of your course grade.

Homework: Written homework (HW) will be assigned approximately every other week; it will be posted and collected through Canvas. Each assignment will consist of four problems and will go through two rounds of grading, with one revision. Three of the assigned problems will just be checked for completeness, with possible scores being 0, 1 or 2. The fourth problem, chosen after the deadline, will be graded and annotated with detailed rewriting instructions (if needed). In the first round, I will assign a preliminary score to this problem, with a maximum score of 6; you will have the opportunity to resubmit a revised solution to improve your preliminary score. Thus, the maximum score for each HW will be 12. Your lowest HW score will be dropped from the calculation of your course grade.

Presentations: Each student is expected to give a presentation to the class on a topic of their choice, which must be related to the material covered in this course. Details on appropriate topics as well as possible resources to research them will be communicated in class and posted on Canvas. A first written version of the presentation must be submitted before the presentation. I will comment on this version and the oral presentation. A revised final version of your write-up can then be submitted afterward.

Academic Integrity: You must complete your exams without any help from other people, websites, books, tools, etc. If you are caught receiving help on an exam, possible penalties include receiving a zero on the exam and referral to Student Conduct. You are permitted to receive help on homework, including working with other students. However, the answers that you submit must be your own work, written in your own words. (That is, you can solve the problems with your classmates, but you should write the solutions by yourself.) If you submit someone else's writing as your own, that is plagiarism, and it will be penalized as such.

Disability Statement: Any student who has a need for accommodations based on the impact of a documented disability or medical condition should contact Disability Resources and Services (DRS) in Howard Gittis Student Center South, Rm 420 (drs@temple.edu; 215-204-1280) to request accommodations and learn more about the resources available to you. If you have a DRS accommodation letter to share with me, or you would like to discuss your accommodations, please contact me as soon as practical. I will work with you and with DRS to coordinate reasonable accommodations for all students with documented disabilities. All discussions related to your accommodations will be confidential.

Academic Freedom: 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 (opens in new tab/window).

Add/Drop Policy: Students will be charged for a course unless dropped by the Drop/Add deadline date. Check the University calendar (opens in new tab/window) for exact dates.

During the Drop/Add period, students may drop a course with no record of the class appearing on their transcript. Students are not financially responsible for any courses dropped during this period. In the following weeks prior to or on the withdrawal date students may withdraw from a course with the grade of "W" appearing on their transcript. After the withdrawal date students may not withdraw from courses. Check the University Calendar (opens in new tab/window) for exact dates. See the full policy by clicking here (opens in new tab/window).

AI Policy: The use of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, etc.) is not permitted in this class unless specifically announced for a particular assignment; therefore, any use of AI tools for work in this class may be considered a violation of Temple University's Academic Honesty policy and Student Conduct Code, since the work is not your own. The use of unauthorized AI tools will result in a grade of zero on the assignment; a second offense will be reported to the Student Conduct Board.

Incomplete Policy: The grade "I" (an "incomplete") is only given if students cannot complete the course work due to circumstances beyond their control. It is necessary for the student to have completed the majority of the course work with a passing average and to sign an incomplete contract which clearly states what is left for the student to do and the deadline by which the work must be completed. The incomplete contract must also include a default grade that will be used in case the "I" grade is not resolved by the agreed deadline. See the full policy by clicking here (opens in new tab/window).

Student Support Services: The following academic support services are available to students (all links open in a new tab/window):
    The Math Consulting Center
    Student Success Center
    University Libraries
    Undergraduate Research Support
    Career Center
    Tuttleman Counseling Services
    Disability Resources and Services
If you are experiencing food insecurity or financial struggles, Temple provides resources and support. Notably, the Temple University Cherry Pantry and the Temple University Emergency Student Aid Program are in operation as well as a variety of resources from the Division of Student Affairs.