College of the Holy Cross
Math 303: Mathematical Models
Syllabus
Fall 2006

Instructor Information
Professor: Catherine A. Roberts
Office: Swords 336
Office Phone:508- 793-2456
Email: croberts@holycross.edu
You can always schedule an appointment by sending an email.

Basic Course Info
Section 303-01 meets Tuesdays & Thursdays from 2:00 - 3:15 in O'Neil 101.
This course will also have a number of special guest visitors and field trips. I will work as hard as possible to select field trip times that work for everyone.

Texts
Mathematical Modeling in the Environment by Charles R. Hadlock (Mathematical Association of America, 1998) ISBN 0-88385-709-X.
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond (Penguin Books, 2005) ISBN 0-14-303655-6.

Information on Ordering Books: As you know, these books are available in the Holy Cross Bookstore. If you want to order them ahead of time, read this. The first book is published by the Mathematical Association of America. You may already have a student membership to this professional society, in which case you're eligible for a discounted price ( $51.95 instead of $64.95). As you visit the site, consider joiningthe MAA for $25. This group has a great newsletters and journals. If you think that your profession might involve mathematics, this is an excellent society to join. They run several conferences, including a local conference in June that I'll be encouraging you to attend to present your research from this course. The second book is a New York Times bestseller that you can order online from your favorite bookseller or pick up at a local bookstore. My copy cost $17. The author also wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Guns, Germs, and Steel. I selected this book because several applied math professors have been spreading the word that it's a great book for connecting topics from differential equations and mathematical modeling to the real world. I'll be reading the book this summer in preparation for the course, and I encourage you to do so, as well!

Grading Policy
Grades will be based on how many points you earn over the course of the semester out of a total possible of 1000 points.

Exam #1 = 150 points
Exam #2 = 150 points
Project = 300 points (50 participation, 100 presentation, 150 final report)
Activity Points = 400 points

Activity Points: Forty per cent of your course grade will be made up of "activity points" that are associated with a variety of assignments, including homework problem sets. You can earn up to 400 activity points by participating in these assignments...more than 500 points will be offered over the course of the semester, so if you miss an assignment, keep in mind that you can choose something else to earn your points. It is in your best interest to participate in most of these offerings, since they will help you prepare to succeed on the exams. Please note that no late assignments will be accepted -- so if you miss (even as an excused absence) an Activity Point generating assignment, it is your responsibility to work on additional alternative assignments to ensure that you earn your 300 points.

While there will be some scaling of the course grades, to lock in the grade you want, aim to earn a minimum of 900 total points (Activity Points plus all other 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 earned more than 300 activity points.

Attendance
Attendance is really important to me. Please make the effort to come to class on time. 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.

Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is something I value and admire. 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.

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.