Fall 2007 Course Syllabus
Course: 1011.201.
Course Title: College Math.
Time: Mondays 330-610PM.
Place: M001 President Hall.
Instructor: Covitz, Howard.
Instructor Office: TBA.
Instructor Email: hhcovitz@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 215-635-5368.
Office Hours: By appointment before and after class.
Prerequisites: Purpose of Course: Math 1011/1911 is a first level course in quantitative literacy. Math 1011/1911 is not intended for an audience of students whose major areas of concentration have specific mathematical requirements. As part of Temples undergraduate Core Curriculum, the Math 1011/1911 sequence contributes to the general education of generalists. Students in Math 1911 have the additional requirement of an honors paper. The topic and boundaries of this paper will be discussed with the instructor before the 4th week of class. Please make appointment to do so.
Textbook: Text: Bennett and Briggs, Using and Understanding Mathematics, Addison-Wesley, 3rd Edition, 2005 (ISBN 0-321-22773-5) or 2nd Custom Edition (ISBN: 0-536-83573-X).
Course Goals: Purpose of Course: Math 1011/1911 is a first level course in quantitative literacy. Math 1011/1911 is not intended for an audience of students whose major areas of concentration have specific mathematical requirements. As part of Temples undergraduate Core Curriculum, the Math 1011/1911 sequence contributes to the general education of generalists. Students in Math 1911 have the additional requirement of an honors paper. The topic and boundaries of this paper will be discussed with the instructor before the 4th week of class. Please make appointment to do so.
Topics Covered: Content: The course content of Math 1011/1911 comes from Chapters 4,7,8 and 9 of our primary textbook. The suggested time division below accounts for about 36 of the 42 total hours of instruction. The remaining six hours are for quizzes, reviews, additional topics, etc. 4A The Power of Compounding (3 hours) 4B Savings Plans and Investments [pages 227 235 only] (2 hours) 4C Loan Payments, Credit Cards, and Mortgages (3 hours) 1. Test 1 7A Fundamentals of Probability (3 hours) 7B Combining Probabilities (3 hours) 7C The Law of Large Numbers (3 hours) 7E Counting and Probability [to be done before 7A] (3 hours) 2. Test 2 8A Growth: Linear versus Exponential (3 hours) 8B Doubling Time and Half-Life (3 hours) 3. Test 3 9A Functions: The Building Blocks of Mathematical Models (2 hours) 9B Linear Modeling (3 hours) 9C Exponential Modeling [to be done after 8B] (3 hours) 4. Homework Problems/Class participation 5. Final Exam.
Course Grading: Exams and Grading There will be three exams during the term and a cumulative final. Exam #1 will take place during approx. fifth week of class; exam # 2 will occur during approx. eighth week of class; exam # 3 will occur during approx. eleventh week of class (Specific dates will be) Each of those exams will count for about 20% of the final course grade. The final exam will be given during final exam week during usual class-time and will count for 30% of the grade. The remaining 10% represent attendance, participation and an optional paper. You may bring one piece of paper into an exam on which you may pen anything you wish. Grading 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 60F.
Exam Dates: Dec 10 330.
Attendance Policy: As each class represents some 8% of course, missing more than one class significantly reduces the likelihood of passing course.
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.