Sean Raleigh

Adjunct Professor of Mathematics, Miramar College

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Syllabus for Mathematics 151, Calculus/Analytic Geometry II
Spring, 2005

Instructor:  Sean Raleigh (please call me Sean)

E-mail:  sraleigh@sdccd.net
    E-mail will be the only way to contact me outside of class. On the other hand, math questions are almost always impossible to answer over e-mail, so please restrict those types of questions to class time. Otherwise, feel free to contact me about anything else any time you need. I check my e-mail regularly.

Office:  I have no office on campus so I won’t have office hours. I promise to devote lots of class time to going over homework questions so that you won’t need additional hours from me. Also, I encourage you to form study groups to work problems and prepare for tests.

Time:  MW 7:00 p.m.–8:50 p.m.

Location:  A227

Required Text:  Calculus, Larson, Hostetler, Edwards, Seventh Edition. (Since we won’t cover anything past Chapter 9, you can purchase the cheaper version, Calculus of a Single Variable, but if you are going to take Calculus III then you'll need the full text anyway.)

Optional Text:  Student Solutions Manual accompanying the main text.

Topics covered:  All of chapters 6 through 8. Sections 5.6 and 5.7. All of chapter 9 except section 9.6.

Homework:  Homework is due on Mondays unless otherwise indicated. We will plan to spend the first part of Mondays’ lectures working homework problems from the assignment.
    Homework is graded on completion only. Points are awarded on an "all or nothing" basis. This means that you must at least attempt a majority of the problems to get credit ("majority" being subject to my judgment) and if you haven't met this standard, you will get no credit for the assignment.
    Since individual problems will not be graded, it is your responsibility to make sure you understand the assignment and ask questions about anything that remains unclear after working the assignment. Most of the assigned problems will be odd-numbered since the answers to these problems appear in the back of the text. This can be a blessing or a curse. The ability to check your work and make sure you are on the right track is invaluable. Nevertheless, the temptation is strong to limit yourself to doing a minimal amount of work and then copying down the answer. Keep in mind that the homework only comprises 10% of the final grade, so its purpose is to help you learn, practice, and reinforce the material you need to perform well on the exams.
    You will be able to drop two homework assignments from your final grade.

Tests:  There will be three midterms that will take place when we reach the end of a major chapter (6, 7, and 8). They will cover mostly the material in the chapter preceding the test, but there may be questions that rely on, incorporate, or review past material. The tests will be designed to last an hour and a half, but you'll have the whole class period to work on them.
    You are allowed one normal sized piece of paper (both sides) as a "cheat sheet" for the midterms, and two sheets for the final exam. Other than this and a calculator, you are not allowed to use any other materials during exams.
    The final will be completely cumulative and will last 2 hours, 30 minutes (the last day of class). Note that the final will start at 6:45 and go until 9:15, which is different from the normal time. Please make arrangements early in the semester to be available for this changed time and notify me immediately if there is an irresolvable conflict.
    The dates of the tests are indicated in the course schedule.

Calculator:  You are encouraged to have a graphing calculator. You will be allowed to use calculators on the test, but the tests will be designed in such a way that calculators will not be necessary or even advantageous.

Grading:  The grade distribution will be whichever of the following two distributions yields the higher score. (A spreadsheet will automatically assign the higher of the two calculations.)

OR

Your letter grade will initially be based on the following scale:

I say “initially” because I always curve the final grades. However, this won’t be a strict bell curve where the majority of the class earns a C with a few A’s and a few F’s. The ultimate grade distribution will be based on a B- average with no quotas for any individual letter grade. Also, you are guaranteed to earn at least the grade indicated on the above scale. So, for example, suppose you get 85% in the class, but the class average is 90%. You will still earn a B in the class and a large percentage of the class will be in the A range.

Academic Honesty:  Cheating will not be tolerated. This includes but is not limited to copying homework, using unauthorized materials in tests, looking at someone else’s paper during a test, collaborating with another person during the test, and other similar activities. You are all adults and you know what constitutes cheating; therefore, I will never accept an excuse of “I didn’t know.” If there’s any question as to what constitutes cheating, please ask before it becomes a problem. I reserve the right to assess a penalty for cheating as the severity demands. The minimum penalty will be a zero on that particular test or assignment. More likely, though, is that you will receive an F in the class. You will also be reported to the dean for any violation. Having said that, I encourage you to work together on the homework problems (this is not the same thing as copying another’s completed homework) and study together for tests.

Attendance:  Attendance is required. I reserve the right to drop anyone from the class for excessive absences. Anyone who does not come at all in the first two weeks of class will be dropped.

Changes to the syllabus:  I reserve the right to change the syllabus as circumstances necessitate, but no new policy will be enforceable until after you have been notified in class.

Last modified: 05/18/05