Course description

Instructor: John Holte

Office: Olin 307
Telephone: x7465
Office hours: 10:30 MF, 3:30 TR, 11:30 (if no seminar) & 1:30 W, and whenever my office door is open
My schedule
E-mail: holte@gustavus.edu   (There is no "j" in my email address.)
My homepage: http://www.gustavus.edu/~holte/

Class meetings

• 11:30-12:20 MTR in Olin 319; 11:30-12:20 F in Olin 326 (usually)
• Regular attendance, both physical and mental, is required.
• Typically we'll cover math & computer modeling on Tuesdays and Fridays, and discuss The Future of Everything on Thursdays.

Textbooks and materials

• The Everyday Writer 4/e (2009) by Andrea Lunsford, Bedford/St. Martin's.
  This handbook will serve you through all your years at Gustavus.
• Elementary Mathematical Models: Order Aplenty and a Glimpse of Chaos by Dan Kalman, Mathematical Association of America, 1997.
  This book is written to provide students with a review of high school math in parallel with the exposition of the elementary mathematical models. You may not need to read it in detail.
• Introduction to Difference Equations by Samuel Goldberg, Dover Books
  This book is a classic. We'll use it as a reference, consulting only the sections we need. Although it assumes only high school math, it requires more of the reader than Kalman's text.
• The Future of Everything: The Science of Prediction   by David Orrell, Thunder's Mouth Press, New York, 2007.
  We'll read the entire book, discussing about one chapter per week. See the syllabus for the schedule.
• A scientific calculator
• A 1/2- or 1-inch ring binder for your portfolio

Course web site

Bookmark this web site: http://www.gustavus.edu/~holte/courses/FTS-2009/
Information about assignments, quizzes, projects, etc. will be added to this site throughout the semester.

FTS components

All first-year students are required to enroll in a first-term seminar. As a first-term seminar, this course emphasizes the following essential components of a liberal arts education: critical thinking, writing, speaking, and recognizing and exploring questions of value. In addition, your first-term seminar instructor will serve as your first-year academic advisor.
• Critical thinking plus
  • This seminar, Forecasting via Mathematical Modeling, presents powerful techniques for thinking about complex issues.
  • Students will learn critical thinking and creative thinking through problem solving and critiquing of models.
  • Thinking will be required in computer labs, in-class exercises, homework, and exams/quizzes.
• Writing
  • Parts of several class periods will cover aspects of the writing process.
  • Writing assignments include: a benchmark writing assignment, a Nobel conference report, a research report, and many small assignments, including technical writing exercises, and a written report on a project.
• Speaking
  • Class members will engage in classroom discussions and lead some discussions.
  • They will make formal presentations on their group projects.
  • They will also make a number of less formal presentations, including problem solutions.
• Exploration of values
  • Questions of value will be discussed in several classes. In addition, the exploration of values will be interwoven into the thinking, writing, and speaking components of the course.
• Advising
  • I view advising as involving an introduction to the academic life. Accordingly, students will be asked to participate in sessions that further this goal.

Grading

Assuming your regular attendance, I'll figure your grade according to the following scheme.

Thinking	Problem assignments Exams and quizzes	30%
Writing	See note above.	30%
Speaking	Class discussion Formal presentations	20%
Participation Portfolio	A ring binder with dividers Some assigned problems Worksheets Labs Some writing exercises Advising/academic notes	20%
Extra credit	Special opportunities will be announced.

Participation and performance factors may modify your grade.

You are expected to contribute to a classroom atmosphere that encourages learning and is marked by respect for your fellow learners. This involves, in part, faithful attendance, preparation, and participation, particularly including attendance in the classes immediately before and after each break. Excessive absences will lower your grade. I may take into account exceptional effort and/or a trend of improvement throughout the semester. I appreciate students who are more interested in points of mathematics than in points of grading.

Academic honesty

• The Gustavus Adolphus College Academic Bulletin states in part: "The faculty of Gustavus Adolphus College expects all students to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty... In all academic exercises, examinations, papers, and reports, students shall submit their own work. Footnotes or some other acceptable form of citation must accompany any use of another's words or ideas." The complete statement may be found at: http://www.gac.edu/oncampus/academics/general_catalog/current/acainfo.cfm .
• The following code will be written in full and signed on every examination and graded paper:
  "On my honor, I pledge that I have not given, received, or tolerated others' use of unauthorized aid in completing this work."
• "By enrolling classes at Gustavus, you have taken up membership in a worldwide community of scholars, and like any community, Academia has ethical standards to which you are expected to adhere. You are expected to learn and follow the principles of honesty and integrity that apply in academic life. Among those standards are that you faithfully represent your own work, acknowledge any borrowing from the work of others, avoid falsifying data or sources, be respectful of other scholars' efforts and not interfere with their access to resources (e.g., by misappropriating or damaging library materials), do a fair share of the work in group efforts, give others the benefit of your informed opinions and observations in discussion, and be respectful of others' values, knowledge, and feelings while developing your own.... Regrettably, serious and deliberate violations of ethics may incur serious penalties.... If you are in doubt about whether your work conforms to ethical standards, please inquire--you are, after all, a learner." --John Rezmerski, Advising and Registration Manual 1995-96, pp. 60-61.
• A first violation of the academic honesty policy will result in a zero grade on the paper in question and a report to the office of the Provost. A second case will result in a failing grade for the course.

Disability services

The College Catalog states:
"Section 507 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) work together to ensure 'reasonable accommodation' and non-discrimination for students with disabilities in higher education. A student who has a physical, psychiatric/emotional, medical, learning, or attentional disability that may have an effect of the student's ability to complete assigned course work should contact the Disability Services Coordinator in the Advising Center, who will review the concerns and decide with the student what accommodations are necessary."
The Disability Services Coordinator Laurie Bickett (x6286) can provide further information.

FTS-100-146 Syllabus, Fall 2009