HONORS 125-003
FALL 2005
Instructor: Dr. J.S. Kulesza
Office: Science and Tech. 1, Room 229
Phone, email: 703.993.1488, jkulesza@gmu.edu
Office hours: Tuesday 4:20-5:50, Thursday, 3:00-4:30 or by appointment.
Textbook: D. Hughes-Hallett, A.M. Gleason, et al., Calulus, Single Variable, Fourth Edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2005.
Prerequisite: The prerequisite for this course is an appropriate score on the math placement test. Students not meeting this minimal requirement will be dropped. You can check your status online, but I will read through the list of enrolled students at the beginning of the course. If you are unsure that you meet the requirement, or feel that you do without having taken the placement test, check with the math department office (ST I, 203).
The course: We will be covering the first 6 chapters of the text, with some sections omitted. The goal of the course is to make you aware of and comfortable with the fundamental concepts of calculus: limits, derivatives and integration. These concepts are incredibly relevant and practical, and also interesting, if you give them a chance.
Homework: I will assign homework each class; that way the assignments can be tailored to what we are actually doing in class. I will not usually collect homework, but will spend as long as necessary going over problems at the beginning of the next class. You are encouraged to ask questions at that time. Most likely there are several students who will be glad that you asked. Occasionally I will collect homework; on those occasions I will announce it ahead of time.
Exams and Grading: There will be three in class exams, quizzes and homework, and a final exam. Each in class exam is 20% of your grade, the quizzes and homework are 10%, and the final is 30%.
Missed classes and exams: Do not assume that a missed class or exam is excused unless I have excused it. This is especially important on exam and quiz days. If you fall behind from missing several classes, it is your responsibility, not mine, to get you caught up. The only excused exams are those that have my PRIOR approval, and even then a note from an appropriate authority is required. Family vacations and things at that level are NOT reasons to miss an exam. Schedule trips home so they do not interfere with the course, including the final exam. If you have a serious situation, let me know as soon as possible, and always BEFORE the exam; depending on the situation we may schedule a make up, but that decision is at my discretion. This is just responsible behavior. If you have an unforeseen and sudden crisis, causing you to miss an exam, I need to be informed as soon as possible; the next class is not as soon as possible. There will be NO make up quizzes given, under any circumstance. However, I will drop your lowest quiz score. If you miss a quiz, for any reason, that is the same as getting a zero. If you show up for an exam or a quiz after someone has already finished and left the room, you will not be permitted to take it.
Honor Code: GMU has an honor code and a system for dealing with violations of it. I will report cases of cheating to the honor committee. Cheating does harm in many ways, and is unfair to the vast majority of students who do not cheat. It is unlikely that I will inform a cheater in advance of reporting them. If you are witness to an incident of cheating, you are required to report it.
The tentative dates for exams are:
These dates could change and it is your responsibility to be aware of any changes.
Other dates to be aware of:
Add deadline: September 13.
Drop deadline: September 30.