Julianna Tymoczko: algebraic and combinatorial geometer

Grades and Expectations

Grades will be based on

online homework (worth 10%),
written homework (worth 20%),
two 2-hour midterm exams (worth 20% each),
one 2-hour final exam (worth 30%).

Of course, all students are expected to abide by the Smith College Honor Code. Aside from the obvious, in math you should write all answers in your own words (having first put away others' writing) and you should write down any resources you use on homework (websites, books, consulting with other people, etc.).

Preparing for class: Like basketball and violin, math is learned by doing not by watching. Class participation is critical: I expect that you'll do your part to keep the energy level of the class high. I also expect that you attend class every day; if illness or another serious problem prevents you from coming, let me know.

The syllabus contains links to mini-lectures on many of the topics we cover. I expect you to watch them (or to skim the assigned chapters from the text) for at least 15 minutes before class.

WebWork

We will use WebWork, an online homework system, for daily assignments to practice and consolidate new skills. The four lowest WebWork assignments will be dropped. Our WebWork page is http://webwork.smith.edu/.

Extra requirement! This is the first semester we've used WebWork at Smith. You are the Pioneers! We anticipate that at least one thing will go wrong during the semester. The extra requirement for everyone in the course (students, graders, instructor) is a sense of humor and a dollop of flexible, creative problem-solving.

Homework

There will be one group homework set due per week. The problems on these sets are more challenging than the daily assignments (and more closely resemble exam questions!).

Each group will have about four people; you will be assigned different groups throughout the semester. Part of your assignment is to work together effectively as a team. To help do that, each person in the group takes one of four roles:

Moderator: The moderator moderates the discussion, making sure that everyone's questions are answered and that everyone is comfortable with the final solution.
Investigator: The investigator (or skeptic!) asks questions, including why claims are true, whether you've solved all of the problem, and whether the explanation is detailed enough.
Writer: The writer writes a first draft of the assignment.
Reporter: The reporter writes a report of the team's activities for the homework set, noting when and for how long the team met, how roles were assigned, how the work went, and any problems or interesting points that came up. The reporter is also responsible for discussing the team's solutions in class.

Roles should change between problem sets and can change between problems on a single set. It's okay to have the same reporter on an entire set!

The whole team is responsible for all of the work on each homework set, so everyone should help edit and revise the writer's output until everyone is hhappy with the result.

Due dates are noted on the assignments and on the syllabus. The two lowest homework scores will be dropped.

Late homework will not be accepted.
Homework that is unreadable may not be graded.

Homework will be posted on the course Moodle page. The numbers will also be posted on the syllabus, for those with the same edition.

Exams

Exams are self-scheduled at the Science Library, and are closed book and closed notebook. Each is two hours long. You are allowed to bring one 3x5 index card to the first exam, two 3x5 index cards to the second, and three 3x5 index cards to the final. At least one problem on each exam will be taken from the homework with minimal modification. Calculators are not allowed on the exams. The exams will be held:

First Midterm: Tuesday 10/1 through Thursday 10/3 at 1pm.
Second Midterm: Wednesday 10/30 at noon through Friday 11/1 at 11pm.
Final Exam: during finals period.