Course Information
Math 143: Trigonometry - Section 01, Spring
2007
3 Credits: MWF
9:00-9:50p.m. Bridges Room 262
Textbook: Algebra and Trigonometry with Analytic
Geometry, by Swokowski/Cole,
11th ed.
Instructor: Justin James, Mathematics Dept. Office:
Office
Phone: 477-4011 (follow
signs to the Math Department)
Office Hours: MWF 10:00-11:00am Email:
jamesju@mnstate.edu
MWF 2:00-3:00pm Webpage: web.mnstate.edu/jamesju
T/H 11:00am-2:00pm
Course Description: Trigonometric functions, identities, and applications.
Prerequisites: A passing grade in
Course Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to do the following:
Course Requirements: You are expected to complete
all daily homework and writing assignments, and to take and pass all exams and
quizzes at their scheduled dates and times.
Instructional Strategies: Lecture, discussion, small group work.
Attendance and Academic Expectations:
You are expected to attend class regularly, and on time. The penalty for unexcused absences will be that any missed assignments cannot be made up. Each day in class, you are expected to have read the material in your textbook pertaining to that day’s lecture and to have at least attempted the problems on that day’s homework assignment. During class, you should actively participate in discussions. When working in groups, you should participate in whatever the group is supposed to accomplish. You are encouraged to form groups of 3-4 students to study with and work on homework with outside of class. You should bring your book, calculator, and written solutions to recent homework problems with you to class every day.
Homework and Quizzes: Homework
will not be collected for grading, but you will need to work the homework
problems in order to succeed in this course.
I will spend a few minutes of every class session answering questions on
the homework, but the bulk of our time will be spent covering new
material. You are encouraged to discuss
homework with your classmates and with me outside of class during my office
hours. If my office hours do not match
your schedule, see me about arranging another time to meet.
Quizzes will be given
approximately once a week. Most will be
in-class quizzes, but a few may be “take home” quizzes. I typically announce quizzes the class period
before I give them so that you know to be prepared. If attendance or tardiness becomes a problem,
I reserve the right to give “pop” quizzes.
Each quiz will be worth 10 points, and your best 8 quizzes will count
toward your final grade.
In addition, to encourage
you to keep up on homework assignments, approximately once every other week we
will have an in-class “homework quiz”.
Each “homework quiz” is worth 5 points and your best 6 will count toward
your final grade. They will be given at
the beginning of class and will be closed book, open notes. You will be given a short amount of time to
write out a complete solution to one or two homework questions from a recent
homework assignment. The idea is to give
those who have completed the homework assignment enough time to write down
their solutions, but to not give enough time to complete the problems if they
have not been worked out in advance.
Since memorizing key facts
and formulas is an important part of Trigonometry, approximately once a week,
we will have an in-class “Memory Quiz”.
These short quizzes will be closed book, and will test your ability to
accurately recall key facts from the course.
They will be worth 5 points each, and your best 10 will count toward
your final grade.
Reflection Papers: Four times during the semester, you will be given a short writing assignment in which you will be asked to give your personal thoughts and reflections on different aspects of the course. These papers must be typed and should be at least 1 page long (double spaced) – longer is ok, but no need to get carried away. These are informal papers which will be graded on content and completeness, but do try to write in complete sentences and to clearly express your ideas. Each reflection paper will contribute 10 points toward your final grade. I may decide to give an additional reflection paper at the end of the semester which would count as extra credit points toward your final grade.
Exams:
There will be four unit exams in addition to a final exam, as outlined on the course syllabus. Make sure to mark the date of each exam on your calendar now, especially the final exam. The exams will be closed book, and closed notes. I will allow the use of an approved calculator, but other electronic devices (cell-phones, pda’s, etc.) are not allowed. The credit given on exam questions will be proportional to the amount of correct work shown. Little to no credit will be given when insufficient work is shown, even if the final answer is correct. In your final grade, your best three exams will be worth 100 points each, while your lowest exam will be scaled in half to be out of 50 points. The final exam will be comprehensive, and is worth 200 points.
Grading:
Your final grade in the course will be computed as follows:
Quizzes: 80 points
Homework Quizzes: 30 points
Memory Quizzes 50 points
Reflection Papers 40 points
Highest 3 Unit Exams: 300 points
Lowest Unit Exam: 50 points
Final Exam: 200
points
Total: 750 points
I will compute the percentage of the total possible points each student earned during the semester, and will assign letter grades based on the following scale. I may make a slight adjustment to this scale (down, never up), but don’t count on this happening.
97.0-100.0% A+ 78.5-81.4% B– 61.5-64.9% D
91.5-96.9% A 76.0-78.4% C+ 58.5-61.4% D–
88.5-91.4% A– 70.0-75.9% C <58.5 F
86.0-88.4% B+ 67.0-69.9% C–
81.5-85.9% B 65.0-66.9% D+
Make-up Work:
Because you are allowed to drop several scores, I will only give make-up quizzes, make-up homework quizzes, and make-up exams for extreme personal emergencies or for absences which are officially sanctioned by the University. I will expect written documentation these cases. If you miss an exam and a make-up exam is not warranted, I will allow you to replace your grade on the exam with your un-scaled percentage score on the final exam.
Special Accommodations:
Students with disabilities who believe they may need an accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact Greg Toutges, Coordinator of Disability Services at 477-5859 (Voice) or 1-800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY), CMU 114 as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.
Academic Honesty:
You are expected to do your own work. You may work with others and get
help on homework assignments, but the work you submit must be your own.
During exams and quizzes you will not be allowed to get help from
others. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated in any course at
any level. See the MSUM Academic Honesty policy for more information on
the possible consequences of cheating.
Thanks, And Let’s Have A Great Semester!!
Math 143 - Section 01 Course Page