Course Information for Math 2441

Fall 2005

 

Instructor:  Dr. Amy Myers

Office Location: 242 Barbelin

Office Hours:  Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 2:15 – 4:15 PM, and by appointment

 

Textbook:  Enumerative Combinatorics Through Guided Discovery by Ken Bogart.

Course Website:  www.sju.edu/~amyers/TEACHING/2441/index05.htm

 

Goals

My goals for this course include the following.  I want you to:

 

You can download the course textbook for free from the course website.  The author designed it to help you discover standard combinatorial techniques on your own.  Please read the preface.  It justifies the discovery learning method and gives valuable advice concerning ways to study for a course using this method. 

 

In class we will discuss questions that arise from your work with the book outside of class.  We will also practice applying standard techniques to enumeration problems and deciding whether or not a particular technique can be used to solve a given problem.

 

Assessment

I will measure the degree to which you have met the goals in several ways.  I base semester grades on interviews (40%), written work (20%), class participation (20%), and a final exam (20%).

 

Interviews:  Several times throughout the semester I will ask you to meet with me either individually or with a partner in my office for an interview.  I will ask you to explain your solutions to a selection of homework problems.  If you come with a partner, I will ask you to take turns giving explanations.  When it is your turn to share a solution, you may ask your partner for hints if you get stuck, but you must eventually explain the entire exercise in question by yourself. 

 

Written Work:  I will choose several of the problems considered in your interview for you to write up carefully and turn in.  The ability to communicate mathematics in writing is an important skill for a math major to have.  I don’t, however, want the process of writing to overwhelm that of problem solving.  For this reason, I would like you to keep a three ring binder with your solutions to homework exercises in a form you can read and use as a guide during interviews, but I will not require you to write up nice solutions to all homework problems.

 

Class Participation:  Your grade in this category reflects the degree to which you have come to class prepared.  Coming prepared means having worked through all homework exercises assigned.  You will not always be able to solve all problems, but you should have spent at least ten minutes concentrating on each one.   When you do this, you will be able to ask meaningful questions and described all approaches you tried.  You should expect to spend 2-3 hours outside of class for every hour in class.

 

Final Exam:  The final take-home exam is due December 15 at 5 PM in my office.  You may ask me for hints, but keep in mind the grading scheme described below.  The more hints you ask for, the less convinced I will be of mastery.

 

Grades

Letter grades for interviews and written work reflect the degree to which I believe you have mastered course material.  An “A” means you have convinced me you understand the material in question.  For example, you can explain ideas clearly using your own works.  A “B” indicates skepticism.  For example, you explain a concept correctly, but can only do so by quoting from the textbook.  A “C” means your work is adequate, but I am disappointed by the level of understanding demonstrated.  A “D” indicates your work is unsatisfactory, and an “F” means it is unacceptable.