Please print out and read this syllabus carefully. You will be responsible for all the information given here, and for any modifications to it that may be announced in class. Also, you will need to print out the Class Schedule.

Text: The textbook for this course is Calculus (6^th edition), by James Stewart. (Sorry, earlier editions will not do. Textbook companies change the new editions just enough to make the earlier ones unusable.)

Lecturer: Darryl McCullough, Professor of Mathematics

Office:	804 Physical Sciences Center
Phone:	325-2743
Email:	dmccullough + @ + math.ou.edu
Office hours:	M, W 11:00-12:15 (in 804 Physical Sciences Center), and by appointment.

Discussion section instructors:

You are expected to arrive on time for the lectures and the discussion classes, properly prepared and in good physical condition— in particular, adequately rested and up to date on the course material so that you can maintain full concentration for the entire lecture. If you cannot accomplish this, please reenroll in a different class where participation does not matter.

Since learning calculus requires your full attention, activities such as conversing with other students, eating, sleeping, reading the newspaper, listening to headsets, using cell phones, computers, or other electronic devices, and so on do not constitute class participation. If you engage in such behaviors, you will receive a warning, and if you persist in them you will be counted as absent.

Answers to the odd-numbered problems appear at the end of the textbook. Of course, just giving the answer to a problem is not worth any credit on the written homework assignments— giving an answer is not giving a solution. A solution must make clear your step-by-step reasoning and be written in grammatically correct English. Good exposition takes time and effort, indeed, it can be very challenging, but by writing down your thought processes carefully and correctly, you will greatly increase your understanding and retention of the material.

Homework assignments will be checked for completeness, and a few of the homework problems will be graded. Problems written to be turned in need not be polished masterpieces of mathematical exposition, but should be in the order listed in the assignment, should be legible and grammatically correct, and must clearly indicate the steps used to arrive at the solution. I recommend that you write out the statement of the problem, perhaps in abbreviated form, as well as your solution; this will make it easier for you to review when you are studying for exams. Your discussion class instructor may set additional formatting requirements for the written work.

You may consult with other students about the homework problems, indeed I encourage you to do so. However, you should write up the solutions in your own words. It is a complete waste of time to just copy from a solutions manual, from somewhere on the internet, or from someone else's work. If you decide to turn in work that is not your own, there is not much we can do to stop you, but you will not learn the material adequately and you will pay a heavy price on the exams which constitute 75% of your course grade.

It is absolutely essential to work a large number of problems on a regular basis. After each lecture, start on the problems for that topic. It is much more efficient to work a few problems at a time in many sessions, rather than all at once, as this will allow your mind to assimilate the ideas better. The assigned problems are a bare minimum for most students to get a basic working knowledge of the required material. Work additional problems as needed, when you are learning the topic initially, routinely reviewing, or preparing for an exam. As a university level student, you must manage your time effectively, by working extra problems for the topics that give you difficulty, and reviewing so that you retain your knowledge. Do what is necessary, no more, no less.

You must have your OU photo ID with you at all exams, and show it if requested. No books, notes, or electronic devices of any kind may be used during exams.

At the top of each exam, you will be asked to indicate your discussion section (in fact, this will be worth one point each time).

Your discussion instructor will be present at each exam. When you have completed an in-class or final exam, hand it in to your own discussion section instructor.

Do not make travel plans that prevent you from taking any of the tests or the final exam at the scheduled time. If you have a verifiable reason why you cannot be present at an exam, you must contact me in advance of the test time and make an alternative arrangement.

Tests will be returned in the discussion sections. Check the grading carefully when they are returned; all grading errors or other grading issues should be brought to the attention of your discussion instructor as soon as possible. Test scores are not renegotiable after final grades are posted.

The final examination will be held in the usual lecture room on Tuesday, December 15 from 1:30 p. m. to 3:45 p. m. University regulations require that you take it at that time. Do not arrange travel plans that prevent you from attending the final examination. It will cover all sections listed in the lecture schedule, with extra weighting to sections 4.7, 4.8, and 4.9, since these sections will not be covered on the three in-class examinations.

Information about the content of each in-class exam and the final exam will be posted on the course website approximately one week before each exam. These can help you use your studying time more efficiently. (Actually, if you are staying properly caught up, then it should not be necessary to spend much time studying for the exams— taking an exam should not be a big deal.)

Many of the problems on the exams will be similar to the homework problems from the problem lists. The exams will also test understanding of some of the theoretical ideas and additional techniques presented in the lectures. These are part of the course and need to be learned along with the basic applications drilled in the homework problems.

Getting Help: There are several resources for help if you are having difficulty. The Mathematics Department maintains a Help Center on the 4^th floor of the Physical Sciences Center (very near the Mathematics Department Office in the northwest corner of the floor). You can just walk in and receive help. It is open Monday through Friday at least 9:30-5:30, and may be open a half hour earlier or later on some days. You can get help with calculus at the Mathematics Help Center at any time. If you would like to work specifically with one of the discussion instructors of our class, their Help Center hours are listed above. You may also email your discussion section instructor and make an appointmnent to meet at a mutually agreeable time.

My office hours are listed above, and you are welcome to arrange an appointment with me at another time if those hours are not convenient for you. The success of my students is very important to me, and I am happy to work with you if you find it beneficial.

Grading system: There will be 300 points possible as follows:

The class participation grade will be determined as follows. To receive credit, you must be present when attendance is taken at the start of class, must participate fully in the class (see the Class Participation section above), and must remain for the full class (if you have an appointment that requires you to leave a lecture early, please notify one of the discussion section instructors who will be present). If your total of lectures and discussion classes missed is five or less, you will receive the full 25 points of class participation credit. Beginning with the sixth, additional absences will each subtract 5 points from the 25 points of class participation grade. Thus eleven missed classes would result in a class participation grade of −5. Attendance at the lectures will be taken near the start of class and near the end; being present at only one of those times will count as half of an absence.

I have no concept of an excused absence— I assume that you are an intelligent person, so if you are not in class, there must be a very good reason why you could not attend. Any missed class will have a detrimental effect on your learning the course material, but you can miss up to five classes because of academic or personal travel, university-sanctioned activities, illness, transportation breakdown, or whatever, without directly impacting your point total. Save them in case you need them.

For each class fewer than five missed, you will receive a token credit of 1 point. This will almost certainly not affect your grade, but it is something to be proud of.

Your final homework raw point total will be rescaled to give a score out of a possible 50 points, that is, equal to one in-class examination. Since you can just walk in at the Help Center more than 40 hours a week, or may make an appointment to meet with me or with your discussion class instructor, and are free to consult other students for hints or ideas, you should get full or nearly full credit on the homework.

Course grades will be assigned by calculating the point total for each student in the class, listing the totals in rank order, and assigning grades according to a reasonable total needed for each letter. After each in-class examination, I will post interim grades, so by the middle of the course you will have a very good idea of where you stand, and what is required for a given grade.

Withdrawal Policy: Until September 4, there is no record of a grade for dropped courses. From September 7 through October 30, you may withdraw and receive a “W” grade, no matter what scores you have so far achieved. After October 30, University regulations specify that you may withdraw only in “very unusual circumstances,” and only with the permission of the Dean. Avoidance of a low grade is not sufficient reason to obtain permission to withdraw after October 30.

Grade of Incomplete: The grade of “I” is a special-purpose grade given when a specific task needs to be completed to finish the coursework. This is typically a term paper or other special assignment, so rarely makes sense in a mathematics course. An “I” cannot be given to avoid receiving a low grade.

Calculators: A basic calculator is needed for a few of the homework problems, but use of electronic devices of any kind during exams is prohibited. I recommend that you avoid using a graphing calculator.

(In case you are curious about this policy, let me clarify that I believe that computing technology is the greatest human advance since the invention of the written word, and I utilize many kinds of technology in my mathematics. In fact, I recently developed and taught a graduate-level course on computing for mathematics research, and during my career I have done mathematical programming in ten different computer languages (you can view some of my recent software at my research software page). So I am not antiquated or somehow against the use of technology. It's simply that I've observed that the amount of time and energy needed to use calculation in introductory calculus exceeds its value as a learning aid, and encourages unhealthy dependencies. If you know calculus, you can very easily learn to use software to do it, but technology only enables knowledge and understanding to be implemented more effectively, it does not replace the need for a human brain that knows calculus.)

Academic Misconduct: If cases of academic misconduct arise, they will be dealt with according to University policies. In math classes it's rather obvious what is acceptable conduct and what is not, but just to make sure you understand the policies, you be should be familiar with the OU Student's Guide to Academic Integrity. There's really no way that any misconduct could be worth the risk, so just don't go there. As in the rest of life, totally ethical behavior is always the smart choice in the long run.

Students with Disabilities: The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who require accommodations in this course are requested to speak with me as early in the semester as possible. Students with disabilities must be registered with the Office of Disability Services prior to receiving accommodations in this course. The Office of Disability Services is located in Goddard Health Center, Suite 166: phone 405-325-3852 or TDD (only) 405-325-4173.

Final Grades: Grades will be posted on our course website as soon as they are available. You may pick up your graded final exam from me any time within one year of the end of the course, after one year they will be discarded.

Internet Resources: On the Internet there are numerous websites that contain calculus theory, tutorials, and problems with solutions. My website has links to a few calculus websites, and if you follow the link to the UC Davis Calculus Page, there is a much longer list there.

Advice: It is important to think about the subject daily or almost daily (you will learn much more in two hours a day for seven days than in seven hours a day for two days). Working problems is your most important learning technique. Work sessions with fellow students can be very productive, as long as one avoids the pitfall of becoming dependent on others. Writing up the problems carefully and completely, in your own words, will ensure that you yourself have learned the material.

Experience has shown the importance of keeping completely caught up; cramming is even less effective in mathematics than in other courses. If you need extra help, go to the office hours of any of the four instructors or go to the Mathematics Help Center; do not compound your difficulties by delaying.

Learn the definitions immediately, or you won't really have any idea what your instructors are talking about. Pay attention to correct notation and use it at all times. Sloppy, imprecise notation reflects sloppy thinking and lack of understanding. If you don't use correct notation when doing your homework, you won't suddenly start using it when you are taking an exam.

Always be aware of the type of mathematical object you are thinking about (is it a number, a set, a variable, an equation, an identity, a function, a vector, a power series, a Kleinian group, a Banach space, a de Rham cohomology class, etc.?). If you are not clear about the type of object you are working with, there is no possibility of really doing mathematical thinking.

If you use a graphing calculator for homework (not a recommended practice), avoid the trap of becoming dependent on it. It is essential to have the graphs of the basic functions of trigonometry and calculus in your head. Computing devices can enhance abilities that you yourself have, but they do not replace knowledge that is lacking in their users. Put differently: nobody's going to pay you much for making devices do something that you don't really understand yourself.

The bottom line: Stay caught up. Get full credit on the homework and class participation— those are the easy points, and are the road to good exam performance anyway. Learn the definitions, use good mathematical notation, and always know the type of object you are thinking about. Live with calculus.