Course Syllabus

Basic Information

Homework

New homework will be assigned each Tuesday, and will be due the following Tuesday in class. The assignments will be posted on the course website. If you think you have a compelling reason, you can request a short extension in advance by emailing me, but you should ensure this does not happen often.

Your homework should always be legible, stapled, and labeled with your name and the date.

You are encouraged to work in groups and discuss the homework problems with other students. However, your solutions must be written up independently and in your own words, and you are responsible for understanding what you’ve written.

You are also encouraged to use other books and online resources to review the material we cover. However, you may not seek out solutions to specific homework problems, and any use of our textbook’s solution manual is absolutely unacceptable.

Your homework will be graded by a qualified course assistant, whose work I will review regularly. Any questions or concerns about homework grading will be forwarded to them, but I will make the final call on a grading decision if necessary.

When you get your homework back, you should read any comments written on it, and check whether you understand any mistakes you made. Talk with a friend or come to office hours if you need help.

The purpose of completing the homework is for you to practice reasoning with and using the course material, and to enable you to get timely feedback about what you need to improve on. Homework contributes little directly to your final score, but doing it is crucial to performing well on the exams.

Midterms

There will be two midterms in class, tentatively occuring on Thursday, October 19 (Week 4) and Thursday, November 16 (Week 8). They will be cumulative, i.e., the second exam will require knowledge of material covered on the first exam. Both exams will be closed book.

Making up a midterm for credit is not allowed except in the most extreme circumstances, preferably having notified me in advance and provided me with signed documentation (e.g., a doctor’s note).

Final Exam

The University Registrar has scheduled our final exam to occur Tuesday, December 5, 10:30am – 12:30pm. The final exam must take place at this time. In particular, no final examinations may be given during the tenth week of the quarter, except in the case of graduating seniors.

Any student who wishes to depart from the scheduled final exam time must receive permission from Robert Fefferman. His office is Ryerson 360H, and his email is r-fefferman@uchicago.edu. Instructors are not permitted to excuse students from the scheduled final exam time, except in the case of students receiving an Incomplete.

Office Hours and Problem Sessions

This is a fast-paced, challenging course, so both my office hours and the weekly problem session will be vital opportunities for you to ask questions and get extra practice. Attendance is optional but highly encouraged. I suggest that you prepare your thoughts before coming so I can be as helpful as possible.

Academic Integrity

The University of Chicago has high standards for academic integrity, which both I and the course assistant fully stand behind. We will check for homework copied between students, and from the solution manual. I will check for cheating during exams. Instances of academic dishonesty will receive no credit, will be reported, and will result in every disciplinary measure the University deems fit.

Please help ensure that our quarter together is cheerful and educational.

Letter Grades

There is no predetermined distribution of letter grades (e.g., there will be this many A’s...), and no predetermined correspondence between scores and letter grades (e.g., A is this range of scores...). I will decide at the end of the quarter how your scores translate into letter grades, taking into account factors such as the difficulty of the exams, and overall class performance. If you have any questions about how you are doing in the course, I’m happy to discuss it in office hours or by appointment.

Special Circumstances

Please contact me so the appropriate arrangements can be made

• if you require accomodations for a disability,
• if you are taking this course in order to finish an Incomplete, or
• if you will be graduating at the end of this quarter.

Downloadable Copy of Syllabus

Download a PDF of this syllabus for easy reference.