Syllabus for MAC 2311, U04, Spring 2014  [#19658] Last modified on

Professor:  Steven M. Hudson. Phone: 305-348-3231. 
My Office:
DM 419B. Hours: MW, 12pm to 1pm, W 3pm, or by appt.
E-mail
: hudsons@fiu.edu, Web Page: http://www.fiu.edu/~hudsons
Learning Assistant: Justin Cata, jcata018@fiu.edu, Hours: MW 12pm-1pm and MWF 3:00pm-4:00pm in or near DM 409A.

Text: Calculus, Early Transcendentals - Tenth Edition, by Anton, Bivens and Davis.[abridged versions, such as the Single Variable edition, are OK for MAC 2311-2312]. We'll cover most of Chs 0.4 through 5.3, and Ch 10.1.

Schedule:  See  the Schedule and Homework page for more detail and updates.

Mon 1/6/14: First lecture; 11am in PC 212.
1/15 - Homework (HW 1) is due; for other HW due dates, see the Schedule.
1/20 - MLK Holiday, no class.
1/31 - Exam 1 [mostly on Ch 0 and Ch 1]; for Exams 2 and 3, see the Schedule.
3/10 - Spring Break begins
3/17 - Drop/WI date (but check this yourself)
4/16 - All late homework, excuses, projects, etc, must be in; "Last call."
4/18 - Last lecture.
4/23 - 9:45am to 11:45am. The final exam covers the entire course.

Your semester grade will be based on your average exam/HW scores - not on improvement, effort, extra credit, etc. Incompletes will not be given, except in special cases such as last-minute medical emergencies. Percentages of course grade - 3 midterm exams, 20%, 20% and 20%; Final exam, 30%; Homework 10% total. Each student will have a score between 0 and 100% at the end of the course. Letter grades will be assigned approximately as follows; 

 A 81-100%,   B 71-80 %,   C 61-70 %,   D 51-60 %, F 0-50 %. 

(+'s and -'s will be used). I will set the official scale at the end of the semester, after all grades are in, but will usually update the approximate scale after each exam. I may give additional short quizzes, either to modify your HW lists, or to average in, for at most 5 points.

Expectations
: The prerequisite for this course is PreCalculus, with a "C" or better [a College Algebra course + a Trig course can substitute]. You need a reasonable knowledge of algebra, trig values and trig identities. You should already know most of Chapter 0, though I will review it briefly, and assign some HW on it. If you have doubts about your background, try this short PreCalculus test, from one of my past classes. I may also give such a quiz in class in the first week.

You are expected to spend about 10 hours a week outside of class, on homework and reading the corresponding sections of the text. DO NOT fall behind! The lectures are intended to give you a light introduction to the material (with attention to the rough spots). The reading and HW will go a bit beyond the lectures. You are expected to ask questions, especially in my office, after class, or by email. We also have a Learning Assistant, Justin Cata, to help with questions (hours tba).

You will need to visit various pages in this website, mainly to get the HW assignments, and perhaps to practice old exams. You may need Adobe Acrobat Reader and a Javascript-enabled browser if you want to see it all. You may use a calculator for your HW, but usually won't need one, and will not be allowed one during exams.

You will be expected to write a few proofs on exams, with clear sentences and good explanations. Most of these will be explained in class and in the text, with some warning before the exam.

HW Policies:  There will be about 6-7  HWs, mainly intended to help you learn the material, but they also count into your grade for a total of 10%. Do them by yourself and turn them in on  stapled loose leaf paper. For maximum credit be neat, show all your work, and explain your reasoning. Homework is due before class. Late homework (accepted up to 2 weeks) is worth half the normal credit.

Justin will grade the HW briefly , based mainly on a few selected problems. By the end of the term, your average HW grade will probably be pretty accurate, but if you think not, you can return all your HW to me for review. If you do not want your homework to be graded, write me a note this first week.

Each exam consists mostly of problems similar to the previous 1-2 homework assignments and a conceptual question or two, such as  True-False, a textbook proof and/or a definition.

The Main Rules: (these can affect your grade):

Any beepers/cell phones, etc must be turned off during class.
If you cannot arrive and leave on time, see me and explain.
If you miss a class, get notes from a classmate.
If you must miss an exam, see me beforehand, and document your excuse, for fair treatment.
I don't generally give make-up exams (but see me anyway), and rarely give incompletes.
If you must turn in homework late for a good reason, see me, and write a note of explanation at the top.
If you find a grading error, write a note to me at the top of your paper and return it promptly.

I will try to identify any cheating that may occur in the course. To avoid unfounded suspicion, please show all your work, turn in any scratch paper you use in exams, and avoid sitting next to your study partners during exams. This covers the basics, but read over My Policies (the long version) so that you are not surprised by anything. It is unlikely, but possible, that I may have to change some policies later on (for example, if we do not get a grader for this class, or if the early exam scores are abnormal)

LINKS:

Schedule and HW 

Help - advice, tutoring at FIU, websites, online help, etc

Exam Page - practice quizzes, keys, etc 

Back to my Home page