Spring 2019

Instructor:  Jim Wiseman
Office:  Buttrick 331
Phone:  x6202
Email:  jwiseman@agnesscott.edu (I check email much more frequently than voicemail.)

Office hours:  Mon 1:30-3:00, Tues 2:30-4:00, and by appointment.

Course information:  Available on Moodle and the course website, http://ecademy.agnesscott.edu/~jwiseman/mat316 .

Required material:  Croom, Principles of Topology, Dover Publications, ISBN: 0486801543.

Plan: We'll cover most of chapters 1-6.  There's a more detailed schedule at http://ecademy.agnesscott.edu/~jwiseman/mat316/schedule.html, but it's subject to change.

Homework:  By now you've probably figured out that working problems is mostly how you learn math.  There will be homework assigned on nearly every topic, and many assignments will have two due dates:  one for the seminar day (see below), and one to turn in the finished assignment.   I strongly encourage you to work in groups, but you must write up the results yourself.    Assignments will be posted at http://ecademy.agnesscott.edu/~jwiseman/mat316/assignments.html – you are responsible for checking the assignments, as I won't give them in class.

Seminar days:  Roughly every other week we'll have a seminar day (see the schedule for details).  Attendance is mandatory on seminar days.  On these days we (by which I mean "you") will discuss the week's assignment.  You don't need to have finished all the problems by the seminar day, but you do need to have at least tried all of them.  By 9:00 on the morning of the seminar date, email me a listing of:
(Part of your homework grade will be based on these lists, so the third category should be pretty small.)  On the seminar day, I will assign problems to pairs of students.  You'll spend a few minutes talking about them together, then present them to the rest of the class.  Your finished assignments should be polished, but seminar days are about the messy creative process of mathematics - first drafts, half-formed ideas, getting stuck, getting unstuck, and giving and receiving criticism and ideas for improvement.

Honor code and group work:  All students are expected to follow the honor code (more details available on Moodle) throughout the semester.
I strongly encourage you to work on the homework in groups.  I suggest that you work on the problems by yourself first, making a note of anything giving you trouble; then meet with your group and work through the remaining problems together; and finally write up the problems again by yourself.
 
Getting help:  As Talking Barbie says, "Math class is tough."  (Unless she's the hacked version - then she says, "Eat lead, Cobra.")  Chances are that sooner or later you'll get stuck on something, so don't get frustrated.  Think hard, and if you're still stuck, do something else for a while.  (It's amazing how often that works.)
My office hours are above - these are times when I'm guaranteed to be in my office and willing to talk.  If you want to see me at other times, the best thing to do is to set up an appointment with me by email or after class.  Of course, you're welcome to just drop by my office, as long as you don't mind if I'm not there or don't have time to talk.
Finally, I can't emphasize enough that your classmates are your best source of help.
 
Course goals:
Exams:  We will have two midterm exams and one final exam, all closed-book.  The midterms are take-home exams, and the final is self-scheduled.  The first midterm covers all material up to that point, the second covers all material since the first, and the final is cumulative.
  Dates and deadlines:
Assessment:  Each midterm 20%, homework 30%, final exam 30%.
 
Late work:  Late work won't be accepted, and you won't be allowed to make up missed exams, except under very exceptional circumstances.  In the case of a conflict that you absolutely can't resolve (for example, a religious holiday), you may arrange to take a midterm exam early.
 
Attendance:  I expect you to be at every class, on time.  However, tardiness or absence will have no (direct) effect on your grade.

Cell phones:  Cell phone use (including texting) is of course not permitted in class.  Turn off cell phones, smart phones, etc., before class.

Course evaluation: Your feedback on the course is extremely valuable to me, the math department, and the administration.  In particular, I take your comments very seriously and use them to improve the course the next time I teach it.  You are responsible for completing an evaluation of the course at the end of the semester.

Title IX:  For the safety of the entire community, any incidence of or information about sexual misconduct must be reported immediately to Title IX Coordinator Marti Fessenden (mfessenden@agnesscott.edu, 404-471-6547) or Deputy Title IX Coordinator Karen Gilbert (kgilbert@agnesscott.edu, 404-471-6435).

Inclusion:  This course adheres to the principles of diversity and inclusion integral to the Agnes Scott community.  We respect people from all backgrounds and affirm people’s decisions about gender expression and identity.  Please let me know your preferred name or gender pronoun if different from the class roster.

ADA:  Agnes Scott College seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for people with various abilities. If you will need accommodations in this class, please contact the Office of Academic Advising and Accessible Education (404-471-6150) to complete the registration process. Once registered, please contact me so we can discuss the specific accommodations needed for this course.