Administrative info.
- Office: Olin 109A
Office Hours: Tu 11:00--Noon, - W 2:00--4:00PM
Th 11:00--Noon
+ whenever I'm around and available
- Phone: 465--2208
E-mail: glarose@umich.edu
WWW: http://brillig.nebrwesleyan.edu/~glarose
Math/CS WWW: http://brillig.nebrwesleyan.edu/
This page: http://brillig.nebrwesleyan.edu/~glarose/classes/calc/cal1syl.html
Grades: http://brillig/~glarose/classes/calc/gradesI/
(username for the grade page is your last name; password is your student ID number)
Text: Calculus, by Hughes Hallett et al.. We will cover most of chapters 1--6 this semester.
Luck is not chance, it is toil. Fortune's expensive smile is earned.
Emily Dickinson
Goals: Essential to learning mathematics is developing a conceptual understanding of the material being studied, which is distinct from but underlies the mechanical skills that are so characteristic of some math (e.g., algebra). Are goals, therefore, are:
- to gain a solid conceptual understanding of derivatives as slopes and rates of change, and of integrals as sums of change and areas,
- to parley this understanding into a mastery of the mechanical skills of calculus: manipulation of functions, finding derivatives algebraically & with rules, and finding antiderivatives,
- to specifically understand the relationship between functions, their rates of change, and integrals of these (the fundamental theorem of calculus),
- to improve our critical thinking & problem solving skills,
- to improve our skills at writing and group work,
- to develop a basic understanding of how to use a computer algebra system (Mathematica), and
- (last, but not least) to enjoy working hard to accomplish these goals---math and learning are intrinsically fun, and our goal is to experience them in this manner.
Expectations:: It may sound flippant to say ``Learning is fun, and learning requires work, so the hard work in this class will be fun,'' but there is a kernel of truth in the statement, and I therefore expect you to work hard at accomplishing, understanding, and enjoying the assignments for the course. In return, you may expect me to work as hard and much as I can to help you learn as much as possible and enjoy doing so.
Course Organization & Rationale:
- I will not be lecturing for the full duration of any class period. Any learning is done actively, not passively---no matter how good a lecturer I might or might not be, my talking at you will not teach anything unless you are actively thinking through the material. We will therefore be spending at least half of every regular class period working on in-class worksheets or homework.
- Working in groups with others has been shown to facilitate learning, and allow people to accomplish far more than they might on their own. Additionally , in any profession, you will have to work productively with others. We will therefore be doing group work in class and on assignments (in particular, on projects). It is therefore essential (not optional!) that you put forth effort to contribute to your group and get as much as possible from the experience.
- Explaining mathematics in writing is also well documented as enhancing learning, and is as essential to ones survival in the ``real-world'' as is being able to work with others. We will therefore have written assignments throughout the semester, including the much-loved projects.
- The three written projects we do in the semester are designed to accomplish four things: develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, require you to explore the mathematics we study in greater depth, allow you to apply the course material to real-world applications, and both learn by and enhance your skills at writing precise, mathematical prose.
| 32% | Assessment Opportunities |
| 24% | Comprehensive Final |
| 18% | Projects |
| 14% | Homework, Labs & In-class work |
| 7% | Portfolios/Journals |
| 5% | Reading Homework |
- Assessment Opportunities will tentatively be on 9~Feb (Chp 1), 2~Mar (Chp 2, 3), 30~Mar (Chp 3, 4), and 20~Apr (Chp 5, 6).
- Projects will tentatively be due on 16~February, 16 March, and 4 May. They require a 3--8 page solution write-up, and will be worked on by groups of two people. Groups change for each project, and are assigned by fiat.
- Reading Homeworks are short (3--5 question) homeworks to help you follow the reading assignments. They are due at the beginning of class and will not be accepted late.
- Portfolios/Journals are to provide another means of communication between us, and to give you the valued opportunity to write out the solutions to problems that proved difficult. A journal entry (which may be submitted by e-mail) is due every week: 2--3 sentences about anything (calculus, your opinion of how things are going or what you like or dislike in class, or anything else). Approximately every other week, I will collect a portfolio problem---a problem with a careful written explanation---in addition to your journal entry. These will not be accepted late.
``You have to respect someone who can spell
Tuesday,'' [Rabbit said,] ``even if they can't spell it right.''
A.A. Milne
- Makeups: I do not give makeups or allow alternate times for Assessment Opportunities except in cases of medical emergencies or if we have agreed to it (e.g., because of sports involvement) at least a week in advance.
- Late Work: I reserve the right to give arbitrarily small amounts of credit for late work. Please plan on doing all of the work on time. If you get behind on your work, your grade will suffer dramatically---see me if you are having trouble with the homework, rather than just stopping doing it.
- Letter Grades: I do not give letter grades until I am required to do so at the end of the semester. At that time anyone with an overall score in the 90s is guaranteed some sort of ``A,'' etc. I may also adjust these boundaries between letter grades down (but not up) if I see fit at the end of the semester.
- Homework: I will generally assign both reading due every day we have class and written homework due at least once a week.
Administrative Info
- NWU's ADA Statement: ``NWU seeks to maintain a supportive academic environment for students with disabilities. To ensure their equal access to all educational programs, activities and services, Federal law requires that students with disabilities notify the University, provide documentation, and request reasonable accommodations. If you need accommodations in this course, please notify me so that I can verify that the required documentation is filed with the Academic Affairs Office and that your accommodation plan is in place.''
- Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is one of the basic principles of a university community. Nebraska Wesleyan therefore both encourages and expects the highest standards of academic honesty from all students. The Student Code of Conduct states that ``cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic dishonesty'' are subject to disciplinary action. Refer to the Student Code of Conduct for additional information. Any student who violates these principles of academic integrity will fail this course.
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Lewis Carrol