Math 205 Course Policies
Syllabus
Here is the Practice Final. Note
that it is much harder than the actual final will be. (I think you'd
rather I make the practice harder than the real thing rather than the
other way around.) You are welcome to get help from anyone you want.
You should also ignore the point values on the problems since I didn't
make sure they added up correctly.
Textbook
Introductory Calculus I: James Madison University -- Math 205 ed.,
by S. T. Tan
Math 205 Meeting Place and Times
| Day of Week | Time | Place |
| Mon., Wed., Fri. | 8:00am-8:50am | Roop 129 |
Course Description
This course is designed to introduce students from social science,
business, and management disciplines to Calculus. We develop the
notions of limits and continuity, and then spend a considerable amount
of time studying derivatives and their applications. After that we
learn about anti-derivatives, integrals, and their applications.
Graphing Calculator
A graphical calculator is recommended for this course. You are
free to use any type of graphical calculator you wish but graphing
calculators such as the TI-83 or higher are sufficient. You will be
on your own to figure out how to use your graphical calculator as
there are dozens of brands and I don't know how to operate them all.
(In fact, I only know how to use HP calculators.) Most of the student
helpers in the Science and Math
Learning Center are skilled with the TI series calculators, so
that might be a good choice.
You will be allowed to use your graphing calculator on exams.
Grading
Your grade for the semester is determine by you course average. You
course average is computed as a weighted average of you exam average
and your final exam as follows:
| Item | Weight |
| Exam Average | 85% |
| Final Exam | 15% |
There will be five exams given during the semester plus a final
exam. All exams, including the final exam, are individually curved up
to a mean of 75% and a standard deviation of 13% using a
Gaussian
normalization procedure.
In addition, I have a final exam replacement policy. See below.
Your exam average is the average of your five curved exam scores taking
into account any exams that get replaced by the final.
Final Exam Replacement Policy
Any curved exam score that you have which is lower than your curved final exam
score will be replaced by your curved final exam score.
Which means that you
don't worry about making up missed exams. Instead, any exam
you miss just gets replaced by your final exam score. So, for example, if
you need to miss a week of class because you lose a loved one or you have
an important religious observance then you just don't worry about missing
the exam. I'll simply substitute your curved final exam grade for the missing
exam.
The dates of the exams are listed in the syllabus.
Your average determines your grade for the class on the standard 10pt
scale:
Greater than
or equal to | But less than | Grade |
| 93% | - | A |
| 90% | 93% | A- |
| 87% | 90% | B+ |
| 83% | 87% | B |
| 80% | 83% | B- |
| 77% | 80% | C+ |
| 73% | 77% | C |
| 70% | 73% | C- |
| 67% | 70% | D+ |
| 63% | 67% | D |
| 60% | 63% | D- |
| 0% | 60% | F |
If you miss the Final Exam
If you know in advance that you will need to miss the final exam,
you should alert me as soon as possible. I will attempt to find
another Math 205 professor who is giving his or her final exam at
a time that can meet your needs, and I will ask permission from that
professor to let you take his or her final exam.
If something urgent comes up (illness, death in the family, etc.)
which prevents you from taking the final exam and from rescheduling
with another section, then I'll deal with it on a case-by-case basis.
An Urban Legend
For some reason, many students seem to believe that if they have more
than some number of final exams in some period of time then their
professors are required to reschedule their final exam. There is no
such policy at JMU. While it is true that some professors will
do this with some courses (I often do it with my smaller classes), this
is done out of the goodness of the professor's heart, not because there
is any policy requiring it. Unfortunately, in a class as large as this
one, it simply isn't possible for me to make this kind of accommodation.
So, if you're in this situation, try approaching the professors in your
smallest classes first. They usually have the greatest scheduling
flexibility. Whatever you do, don't try telling a professor that he or
she is required to move your final just because you have two other
finals on the same day. It isn't true, and it will just make the
professor think poorly of you. Instead, ask politely and remember that
you are asking for a favor which could require a tremendous amount of
work on the professor's part.
Extended Time and Special Needs Exams
If you have a learning or physical disability which requires extended
time on the exams, please come tell me as soon as possible. Since our
class meets at 8:00am, I will general accommodate extended time testing by
beginning the test at 7:00am for those who require it.
I assign homework for every section. The homework is neither graded
nor collected. However, 50% of the material on every exam will
come exactly from the homework. So, it is in your
best interest to do the homework regularly! I strongly recommend that
you read each section in the book and begin the homework for that
section before we cover that material in class. That way you will be
prepared to ask questions about the concepts and homework problems
that gave you trouble.
A list of the material and assigned homework problems is in the course
syllabus.
Attendance
I do not take attendance, nor do I require it. You are an adult, and
you can spend your time as you wish. However, it has been my
observation that, in general, students who miss a large number of
classes rarely do well in the course.
Some Important Dates
| Date | Event |
| 01/15/08 | Last day to add without signatures.
Last
day to drop without a "W". |
| 01/21/08 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day
(No
classes) |
| 01/24/08 | Last day to add a class. |
| 03/03/08-03/07/08 | Spring break |
| 03/14/08 | Last day to drop with a "W".
Last day to
change grade option. |
| 04/25/08 | Last day of classes |
| 04/30/08 | Final Exam (8:00am-10:00am) |
Inclement Weather Policy
Since we have a morning class, we may be affected by JMU deciding to
have a "snow delay". Monitor the local radio stations or JMU's
website on snowy mornings to determine if we are having class or not.
If JMU cancels classes (or has a snow delay which cancels our class)
on a test day, then the test will be at our next class meeting.
Academic Integrity
JMU has an honor code, and I expect you to abide by it. Simply put:
don't cheat; report anyone you think has cheated.