College of the Holy Cross
Math 131: Calculus for Physical & Life Sciences I
Syllabus
Fall 2009

Please read the course description to determine if this is the right course for you.

Instructor Information
Professor: Catherine A. Roberts
Office: Swords 336
Office Phone: (508) 793-2456
Email: croberts@holycross.edu (*this is the best way to reach me*)
Instructor homepage: http://mathcs.holycross.edu/~croberts
Office Hours: The duration of each session is one hour:
Monday 11:00 & 1:30; Tuesday 1:30; Wednesday 1:30; Thursday 11:00 & 1:30; Friday 11:00 & 1:30
You can always schedule an appointment by sending an email.

Basic Course Info
Section 131-01 meets M, Tu, W, F from 8:00 - 8:50 in Swords 321. Please plan to arrive five minutes early each day.

Resources (Text, etc.)
James Stewart, Single Variable CALCULUS Concepts & Contexts 4
Access to the online homework system called WebAssign (access code comes bundled with your text book
A scientific calculator will be permitted during exams & some quizzes.
It is not necessary for you to bring your text to class. You will use the same book if you continue to Math 132.

General Calendar
First class meets on Wednesday, Sept 2.
No class meeting on October 12 & 13, November 25 & 27.
Last class meets on Tuesday, December 8.
Comprehensive final exam scheduled for Friday, Dec 18 from 2:30 - 5:30.

Exam Calendar
There are three in-class exams on Wednesdays: Sept 23; Oct 28; Dec 2
The exams are designed to take an hour. You will be given the option to begin the exam at 7:15 AM so that you can have extra time.
Final Exam: The comprehensive final exam is scheduled for Friday, Dec 18 from 2:30 - 5:30.

In general, I do not offer make-up exams. If you have a conflict on exam dates, you must alert me at the earliest possible time so that we can discuss the possibility of making alternative arrangements. There will be no make-up Final Exam offered, nor will it be available at a time other than those scheduled -- so when making your holiday travel plans, please keep this in mind.

Grading Policy
Exam 1 = 10% (100 points)
Exam 2 = 15% (150 points)
Exam 3 = 15% (150 points)
Comprehensive Final Exam =30% (300 points)
Activity Points (quizzes, homework, etc.) = 15% (these points will accumulate to total at least 150 points - see below)
WebAssign Homework = 15% (worth an undetermined number of points that will be converted at the end of the semester to correspond to 15% of your course grade)

Most of the components of the course will be given point values that are logical. For example, an exam worth 10% of your grade will be worth 100 points, whereas an exam worth 15% of your grade will be worth 150 points. For this reason, you can estimate your grade throughout the semester by keeping in mind that you'll end up with a grand tally of points that could total as high as 1000 points. While there may be some scaling of the final course grades, plan on earning a minimum of 900 points to earn an A in the course. A point total in the 800's will earn you a B, and so forth. Considerations in scaling final grades include things such as attendance and class participation, as well as whether or not you've shown improvement over the course of the semester. Students residing on the cusp of two grades may be boosted to the higher grade if they've demonstrated continued improvement and strong effort throughout the semester.

Class Work has two main components: Activity Points & WebAssign Assignments. Read below for more info:

Activity Points: There will be quizzes and homework that you turn in to be graded. These will carry point values that will accumulate over the course of the semester. You are limited to earning 150 Activity Points during the semester, but these are counted in a special way. If you only score 7 out of 10 points on a quiz, I'll simply +7 to your ongoing tally of Activity Points. It doesn't count as a grade of C....it just means that you are 7 points closer to your target of 150 points. I will provide more than 150 points-worth of assignments over the course of the semester (final number is to be determined). These assignments will be designated as "AP#1", "AP#2", etc. I will never, ever accept an AP assignment late -- so it is in your best interest to accumulate as many AP points as you can, in case you get sick or have an emergency that takes you away from Calculus for a few days. If you are sick, just don't worry about the AP assignments -- concentrate on getting better and put in more effort later to make up your progress towards your total.

WebAssign Assignments: There will also be homework on WebAssign, which is an online system. The system assigns point values to these problems that I will scale at the end of the semester to correspond to 15% of your course grade. These assignments will be listed on WebAssign as "HW#1", "HW#2", etc.

Calculators in Class
A graphing calculator is recommended for this course, but it is not required. The TI-81 or TI-83 (or similar models) is sufficient for this course. The TI-86, TI-89 and TI-91 calculators are powerful tools that may be appropriate choices if you plan a career in engineering, physics, or mathematics. During class discussions, I may invite students with graphing calculators to engage in an activity that will provide insight into the course material. My exams are conceptual, rather than computational, in nature. For this reason, graphing calculators are not allowed on the exams. The Department will loan simple scientific calculators during the exams -- you may provide your own with prior approval from your professor.

Attendance
You are taking a course that starts at 8 AM -- it is absolutely essential that you arrive in time and are prepared to begin at 8 AM. Attendance is really important to me. Please make the effort to come to class on time. It is not easy to catch up in a mathematics course, where each lecture builds on the previous material.

That said, the College is preparing (along with the rest of the planet) for the H1N1 flu to impact our campus. This flu does not spread through the air, but it does spread if you touch the virus and transfer it to your mouth or eyes. The best defense against this strain of flu is to wash your hands often. If you do end up feeling sick, please do not come to class. Read the link about the flu that is posted at the top of your Moodle site for this course. Please contact me via email and send in any assignments that are due with a friend. If you contact me ahead of time and the absence is excused, then I will make every effort to provide you with the information that you missed. Otherwise, it is your responsibility to get notes from one of your peers and to make sure that you understand the material. I will pass a roster around each day for you to sign and will use your attendance record as a deciding factor in the event that your final grade computes to be on the cusp between two grades. If you miss more than a couple of classes, expect to hear from me and/or your Class Dean!

Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is something I value. Because I allow (indeed, encourage!) students to study and work together on problem sets, it is of critical importance that every student clearly understand the difference between collaboration and plagiarism. I support the College policy on academic honesty (see the course catalog) and also the Department of Mathematics and Statistics policy.

I quote from the College policy statement: "Plagiarism is the deliberate act of taking the words, work or statements of someone else, without full and proper acknowledgement, and presenting them as one's own." So, while you are welcome to collaborate and work together on assignments, the work you turn in must represent your own thoughts and be in your own words. This is true for mathematics as much as it is true for any other subject. Please do not allow others to copy your homework answers and do not be tempted to copy answers from others. Sometimes students mistakenly believe that math answers all look the same, but they don't, so please plan to write up your solutions in your own words.

I won't hesitate to write-up students who are found to have cheated in my course. More will be said in class about academic honesty in class. Please communicate with me directly if any aspects of my policies are unclear.