Math 321
Algebra Syllabus
Fall 2006
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00-11:50 in Sci. 308
Instructor: Jim Wiseman
Office: Buttrick 331
Phone: x6202
Email: jwiseman@agnesscott.edu (I
check email
much more frequently than voicemail.)
Office hours: Monday 3-4, Tuesday 2-4, and by
appointment.
Course information: Available on Blackboard
and the course website, http://ecademy.agnesscott.edu/~jwiseman/mat321
.
Textbook: Fraleigh, A First Course in Abstract
Algebra, 7th ed., available in the bookstore.
Plan:
We'll cover most of chapters I-VI, and part of VII.
There's a more detailed schedule at http://ecademy.agnesscott.edu/~jwiseman/mat321/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 nearly every week, and most assignments will have two
due dates: one for the seminar day (see below), and one to
turn in the finished assignment. Assignments will be posted
at http://ecademy.agnesscott.edu/~jwiseman/mat321/assignments.html
– you are responsible for checking the assignments, as I
won't give them in class.
Seminar days:
Most Tuesdays and one Wednesday (see the schedule for details) will be
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 5:00 the evening
before the seminar date,
email me a listing of:
- which problems you know how to do
- which problems you've made progress on, but haven't finished
- which problems you haven't made progress on.
(Part of your homework grade will be based on these lists, so the third
category should be pretty small.) On the seminar day, I may ask
you to present problems that you know how to do or have made progress on;
I won't ask you for problems that you haven't made progress on.
(I may or may not tell you in advance which problems you'll be
presenting.) 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.
Take-home quizzes:
Roughly every chapter there will be a short (~15 minutes)
closed-book take-home quiz on the definitions and theorems that we've
covered. If you've been keeping up with the reading and
homework, you should have no problem with the quizzes.
Honor code and group work: All students are
expected to follow the
honor code 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
solutions by yourself.
Every group member must write up her own solutions independently; just
copying the group's answers is plagiarism and is unacceptable.
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: Learn to
- understand the concepts of abstract algebra
- write concise algebraic proofs
- communicate mathematics effectively, both orally and in
writing
Exams and deadlines:
- First midterm: Wednesday, 10/11 (take-home).
- Second midterm: Wednesday, 11/15 (take-home)
- Final exam: self-scheduled.
Assessment:
Each midterm 15%, take-home quizzes 10% total, 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
(e.g., the sasquatch attacks - and even then you should get a note from
the sasquatch). In the case of a conflict that you absolutely
can't resolve, you may arrange to take a midterm exam early.
Attendance:
I expect you
to be at every class, on time. Attendance is
mandatory on seminar days. Tardiness or
absence on other days will
have no (direct) effect on your grade.