MCS   118, Calculus with Precalculus Review I
Fall 2011

Prerequisites: Two years of high school mathematics beyond plane geometry, including trigonometry.

Text: Calculus I with Precalculus, 2nd Edition, by Larson, Hostetler and Edwards.

Calculators:  You should have a graphing calculator available for use in class and on exams. If you are buying a new one, the department recommends the TI-84 or TI-86. You may use other calculators (especially other TIs, Casios, HP or Sharp) as long as you are able to enter a simple program into your calculator and you are comfortable with basic graphing features.   Calculators with symbolic algebra capability (e.g. TI-89 or TI-92) will not be allowed during exams.   A calculator is on reserve in the library (ask at the front desk).

Course Webpage: The best source of information about this course is available at  http://www.gac.edu/~anienow2/MCS_118/ .  There you will find a complete syllabus, course description, current homework and prep problems, and so on. This information may also be found on the course Moodle Page.

Course Objectives:   By taking this class you should:

Classes: Classes will be used for discussions, problem solving, lectures, and other fun activities.  You should prepare for classes by doing the reading beforehand,  thinking about the problems in the text, doing the prep problems, and formulating questions of your own.  You should also participate as much as possible in class.  Class meetings are not intended to be a complete encapsulation of the course material. You will be responsible for learning some of the material on your own.

Attendance, both physical and mental, is required.

Absences from class: Should you need to miss a class for any reason, you are still responsible for the material covered in that class. This means that you will need to make sure that you understand the reading for that day, that you should ask another student for the notes from that day, and make sure that you understand what was covered. It also means that if we had an assignment that we did in class that day, you will get a 0 for that assignment. If there is an assignment due that day, you should be sure to have someone hand it in. You do not need to explain why you missed a class unless there is a compelling reason to do so.

Should you miss "too many" classes I reserve the right to give you a zero for the class participation portion of your grade.

Homework : You will need to read a section of the book and do problems for each day that we have class.   There are two kinds of homework: prep problems and study problems.

Prep problems are assigned to help you prepare for class. You are expected to do them after you've read a section but  before we have class on that section.   Except in extreme circumstances,  I will not accept late prep problems and you will not be able to make up missed assignments.  Note that if you have questions, you can always email them to me the night before class.  I will either answer the questions in class or by email.

Study problems are designed to help you learn the material we cover in class and in the reading.  You should read the material and attempt the problems before coming to class. You should finish the problems after class.  Approximately twice a week, you will hand in your solutions to some of the problems you did. These should be neatly written on standard sized paper, and with all of the pages stapled together. The sections and problem numbers should be clearly labeled. My grader will only grade a few sample problems.

On the day that study problems are due, you will be asked to place your work in the red homework folder.  After class, I place the folder outside my office door for the grader. Any homework that is not in this folder when the grader gets it is considered late. Late homework will be accepted as long as I get it before my grader hands back the graded assignments. (Alternatively, you can put it in the blue folder for late homework.) In that case, the homework will be graded but you will lose 30% of the points on that assignment.

Quizzes and Exams: We will have five to seven in-class quizzes during the semester, as well as a midterm and a final exam.  These tests make up the majority of your semester grade.  In particular, be sure not to underestimate the importance of quizzes.  If you do poorly on quizzes, you will do poorly in the course.  The midterm will be given in the evening on Tuesday,  October 18.  The final is tentatively scheduled on Friday December 16 from 1:00-3:00 pm in Olin 103.

Academic Integrity:  In this course, you are expected to to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty, to uphold the Gustavus Honor Code and to abide by the Academic Honesty Policy. Copies of these can be found on the Academic Information and Policies page.

On homework,  you should make a real effort to solve each problem by yourself, although  you can  and should discuss problems and their solutions with your classmates after you've made this effort.  You should give credit to any people or texts that helped you find solutions. On quizzes and exams, you are expected to work completely by yourself.

You will be expected to sign the honor pledge on every quiz and exam.  

A first violation of the honor code will result in a grade of 0 on the assignment in question.  Any further violations will result in a grade of F for the course.  In all cases, I notify the office of the Dean of the Faculty.

Course grade:
Class participation
  5%
Homework 20%
Quizzes
 25% 
Midterm Exam
 25% 
Final Exam
 25%

Disability Services   Gustavus Adolphus College is committed to ensuring the full participation of all students in its programs. If you have a documented disability (or you think you may have a disability of any nature) and, as a result, need reasonable academic accommodation to participate in class, take tests or benefit from the College's services, then you should speak with the Disability Services Coordinator, for a confidential discussion of your needs and appropriate plans. Course requirements cannot be waived, but reasonable accommodations may be provided based on disability documentation and course outcomes. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively; therefore, to maximize your academic success at Gustavus, please contact Disability Services as early as possible. Disability Services https://gustavus.edu/advising/disability/ is located in the Advising and Counseling Center. Disability Services Coordinator Laurie Bickett or x6286) can provide further information.