Course Description: Trigonometric functions, identities, applications.  Prerequisite minimum ACT math score of 24 or minimum MNSCU math test score of 20 or a passing grade in Math 127 College Algebra.

Course Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes:

The following course objectives come from the Liberal Studies description:

    Upon completion of the course, students will be able to do the following:

• Demonstrate application of inductive and deductive reasoning.

• Evaluate complex relations using symbolic abstraction and generalization.

• Demonstrate problem solving using symbolic representation and manipulation.

In addition to these, the student will understand and be able to use trigonometric functions in various applications.

Attendance: I do not take attendance.  However, I would strongly discourage you from missing any classes.  I rarely have students that even pass who do not come to class nearly every day.  Even those that do manage to pass never receive the grade that they are capable of earning.  Think of someone who works as a consultant.  They don't have to go to work every day because there is no boss keeping track of them.  But they won't get paid unless they complete all the work by the time schedule in their contract.  If you are anything like me, you'll find that it is more efficient to go to class and hear a lecture and talk to classmates (who are often just as confused as you) than trying to learn it all on your own.

Makeup exams will ONLY be given in cases of documented emergencies.  The documentation should be consistent with the emergency (doctor's note stating that you were seen for an illness, police report for the accident, obituary notice or program for the funeral, etc.).  Late worksheets will not be accepted except in the case of extended illness or similar reason (lasting at a minimum of one week, the exact time frame will be determined by me on a case-by-case basis).  Worksheets may be submitted early if you know you will be gone on the due date.  They may also be submitted by a friend/spouse/roommate/etc., who may slide them under my office door (MA 342).  The worksheet due time is 3:00 pm or whenever I start grading, whichever is later.

Academic Honesty: You are expected to do your own work.  You may certainly work with others and get help on homework assignments and worksheets, but the work you submit should be your own work.  Note that during exams you will not be allowed to get help from others.  Make sure that you learn the material while you do the homework and worksheets - that is the purpose of the assignments.  Then during the exam you can demonstrate your knowledge - that is the purpose of the exams.  Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated in any college course (or any course at any level).  See the MSUM Academic Honesty policy for more information and possible consequences of cheating.

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 222 as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

Course Requirements:  You are expected to complete daily homework, complete and submit the worksheets, and take and pass all the exams on the scheduled date.

Evaluations Standards: Your course grade will include worksheet and exam grades.  For more details, see the grade page.

Course Outline:  See the course schedule.

Calculators:  A scientific, non-graphing calculator will be required for this course.  Part of the study of trigonometry and its applications requires getting approximate, real-world answers.  For these you will need a scientific calculator (or a slide rule and trig tables, but I suspect none of you know how to use a slide rule).  I have found that graphing calculators provide a significant advantage to those students who have them.  However, I also find them too expensive to feel that their use is justified, particularly since in real life you wouldn't use them - you would use a graphing program on a computer that would be much more accurate and visually appealing.  Unless there is a student in the class who is willing to buy every other student a graphing calculator, I will not allow them.  This provides everyone a level playing field and is the fairest solution that I have been able to come up with.

A basic scientific calculator costs $15-$20 at Target, Kmart, Osco, Office Deport, or some similar store.  I have put a suggested calculator on reserve in the bookstore, but you do not need to have that particular model.

General Comments:  For all graded work in this class, you must show work for credit and give exact answers.  In general, if you have to write it down, you have to show it to me.  My rule of thumb when grading is either whether I could do a similar calculation in my head and not make a mistake or if the point of the problem is being met (i.e., if the point of the problem is to show a known result, you have to show it in some detail).  If I feel that you needed to show more work, I will indicate it.  I want to emphasize that showing work is a lesson you would much rather learn on the worksheets than on the exams.  My criteria is the same for both.

I do not curve courses of this level.  I have given a class average of a B+ in a course of this level, and I have also given a class average of a D+.  I grade you as individuals, and by whether or not you personally have mastered the material.  I also very rarely give extra credit, and when I do it is to the entire class.  If you come to my office at the end of the term and ask if you can do extra credit to improve your grade, my answer will be no.  The grading scale and weights for the homework and exams are given here.

I will in general return any work the next class day.  If you are not there, I will not give it to friends, nor will I give out grade information on the phone or via email.  (These restrictions are not arbitrary - they are based on federal law regarding student privacy.)  Normally, I include any old assignments with any current ones, but I do not try to pass them back a second time unless you have turned in the most recent assignment.  I will bring the old assignments with me every day, so if you ask at the end of class you can get them then.

I expect you to be responsible for yourself as far as getting notes from a classmate if you miss class.  (My notes rarely have answers, just problems, so are not very useful to students.)  I also expect you to turn in any homework early if you know that you will miss class.  This includes those instances when the absence is due to an official university activity.

Cell Phones:  Turn off your cell phones when you go to class (this class or any other class).  Cellular phones and other distracting devices generally have no place in a formal or semi-formal setting, such as a classroom.  If your phone rings audibly during class, I will require you to leave the classroom for the remainder of the period.  This includes those days we have exams.  Hence, if your cell phone rings during an exam, you will have to turn in what you have completed up to that point.  No extra time will be given.  I strongly suggest that you always remember to turn off your phone.  (You are free to return to class the next day, and there will be no other consequences.)  Note:  I have found that cell phones on vibrate, when in a backpack next to a textbook, are still quite loud since they reverberate against the book.  If I can hear it at the front of the room or if most of the students next to you react to it, it is still an audible ring.  Keep it on something soft or on your waistband or in your pocket.

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Last Revision:  01/04/2008

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