Spring 2006 Course Syllabus
Course: C055.020.
Course Title: College Math.
Time: TTh 11:40-.
Place: BB 202.
Instructor: Thornton, H. Frank.
Instructor Office: Wachman440.
Instructor Email: frank.thornton@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 215-204-1648.
Office Hours: TTh 2:30-4 in W440, Wed 6:30-9:00 at Tyler, and by appointment.
Prerequisites: Placement Test or having taken Math 45 or its equivalent.
Textbook: Bennett and Briggs, Using and Understanding Mathematics, Addison-Wesley, 2nd Custom Edition.
Course Goals: Math 55 is a QA Core course 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: Financial Planning including compounding, savings plans, loan payments and mortgages; Linear functions; Exponential growth and decay; Counting; Probability; and Expected value.
Course Grading: I will give 4 tests during the semester. I count only the 3 best grades. There are no make-ups. In addition, there is a comprehensive final exam.
Exam Dates: The 4 tests will be given at approximately equal intervals; 2 in the first seven weeks, 2 in the final seven weeks. Final - May 4.
Attendance Policy: I expect students to attend all classes. Success in math requires sustained effort. Come prepared to ask questions and to participate with an active mind. I expect proper decorum: no extraneous noises or eating.
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.