Course Guidelines Math 121G
Dr. R. Beezer Fall 1999

Text   We will be using Calculus (2^nd edition) by G.L. Bradley and K.J. Smith. We will cover material from Chapters 1 through 5 - see the attached tentative schedule for the exact sections covered. There is also a packet of modules and reading assignments to purchase from the Bookstore. The Student Survival & Solutions Manual is available as an optional text.

Home Page   Start at http://buzzard.ups.edu/courses.html to locate the WWW page for this course.

Office Hours   My office is Thompson 321G; the telephone number is 879 - 3564. Making appointments or simple, non-mathematical questions can be handled via electronic mail - my address is beezer@ups.edu. Office hours will be 10-11:30 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I will always be available during these times on a first-come, first-served basis. If these times are not convenient, please do not hesitate to make an appointment with me for another time. You are also welcome to drop by my office without an appointment at any time that I am in. Office hours are your opportunity to receive extra help or clarification on material from class, or to discuss any other aspect of the course.

Calculators   This course requires the use of a graphing calculator. It should be capable of displaying the graphs of functions, solving equations and differentiating and integrating numerically. I highly recommend the Texas Instruments TI-85, which is what I will be using. These are available at the bookstore, though you must ask for them at the checkout counter. It is not required that you use this exact model, but whatever you use should have the capabilities listed above.

Homework   Homework will be assigned at the conclusion of each section, it will be due at the start of the next class session and will not be accepted late. Of course, you are not limited to working just these assigned problems. On the day homework is handed up there will be some time at the start of class for discussion. It is your responsibility to be certain that you are learning from the homework exercises. The best ways to do this are to work the problems diligently when assigned and to participate in the classroom discussion. If at this point you are still unsure about a problem, then a visit to my office is in order. Making a consistent effort outside of the classroom is the easiest way to do well in this course.

Mathematics not only demands straight thinking, it grants the student the satisfaction of knowing when he is thinking straight. - D. Jackson

Mathematics is not a spectator sport. - Anonymous

I hear, I forget.
I see, I remember.
I do, I understand.
    - Chinese Proverb

Quizzes   There will be six one-hour quizzes - see the attached sheet for tentative dates. The lowest of your six quiz scores will be dropped. The comprehensive final exam will be given at 4 P.M. on Wednesday, December 15. The final exam cannot be given at any other time, so be certain that you do not make any travel plans that conflict, and also be aware that I will allow you to work longer on the final exam than just the two-hour scheduled block of time.

Grades   Grades will be based on the following breakdown: Quizzes - 75%; Final - 25%. Homework, attendance and improvement will be considered for borderline grades. Scores will be posted on the World Wide Web at http://buzzard.ups.edu/courses.html. A reminder about withdrawals - a Withdrawal Passing grade (W) can only be given during the third or fourth weeks of the semester, after that time (barring unusual circumstances), the appropriate grade is a Withdrawal Failing (WF), even if your work has been of passing quality. See the attached schedule for the last day to drop with an automatic `W' and please read The Logger about these often misunderstood grades.

Attendance   Daily attendance is required and expected.

Purpose   One of the goals of your college education is to progress to becoming an independent scholar. To this end, you will be given a great deal of freedom in how you choose to learn calculus. Of course, with freedom comes responsibility. Read the book before the lectures, work the exercises diligently and ask questions. Arriving late to class, or having conversations with others during class, not only disrupts your peers, but tells me you are not serious about your education. I will not routinely check attendance, but our class is small enough that I will notice when you are not here, and again this will be another way that you signal me about your commitment to the endeavor.

Calculus is one of the most amazing intellectual developments of the past several hundred years and is responsible in large part for many of the advances in science and engineering that we take for granted today. Your commitment to this course will be rewarded, and your inattention will be a waste of your tuition and your time.