course info for calc iv

instructor: me

text: stewart's calculus (8th ed)

goals: to gain both conceptual and practical understanding of multivariable calculus. specifically, we will cover chapters 14-16 of the text.

class attendance: while you are encouraged to attend class regularly, you will not be graded directly on attendance. however, i may take attendance/participation into account in your final grade if you are on a borderline.

homework: there will be regular written homework, usually be posted about a week in advance on homework page on the course website, and due by the start of the class period on the due date (usually a friday--note there is a homework due the first week of class). while you may discuss the problems with other students, you must write up solutions in your own words. you may turn in up two 2 problem sets late (at the start of the next class period) without penalty. in exceptional circumstances, i may grant additional extensions--if you need one talk to me.

exams: there will be 2 in-class exams (sep 29 and tba) as well as the final exam during the scheduled final exam period. more info about the exams will be posted on the exams page of the course website later in the semester. make-up exams are only given in exceptional circumstances at the instructor's discretion.

grades: at the end of the semester, i'm required to give you some grades. these will represent an approximation of my assessment of your understanding of the material in the course and ability to do problems. the grades are weighted as follows:

1/3 homework
1/3 in-class exams (each weighted equally)
1/3 final exam

to be more precise, i will assign a letter grade (possibly with a plus or minus) to each of the 3 categories (the exam letter grades will likely be "curved"--e.g., an 85% might be an A- on an exam), and your final letter grade will come from averaging these 3 letter grades, with borderline cases being decided on an individual basis (e.g., if your 3 letter grades are ABB or AAC then the average is bewteen an A and a B, so I will consider other factors such as effort and your overall understanding at the end of the course to assign an A or a B. if the grades are AAB i will round up to A). in exceptional cases (e.g., a poor start but a strong finish), i may adjust a final letter grade to be higher than what the above procedure dictates.

to get a sense of how you are doing in the class, i will give you projected letter grades around the time of the in-class exams. if you have questions about your performance or grade during the semester, please feel free to see me.

elevator policy: if one of the tower elevators is inoperative, class may start 5-10 minutes late. if both of the tower elevators are inoperative, there may be no class.

final remark: if you have a question about course policies or expectations, just ask.

oh, also there's some stuff my bosses make me say

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