Course Page

Syllabus

Schedule

Important Dates

Course description:  Studies basic properties of algebraic structures with a heavy emphasis on groups. Other topics, time permitting, may include rings and fields.

Prerequisites:
 ‒ MATH 2001 or MATH 2002 (with minimum grade C-)
and
 ‒ MATH 2130 or MATH 3130 or MATH 2135 or MATH 3135 (with minimum grade C-).
Familiarity with the following topics from the prerequisite courses will be assumed.

Lectures and Group Work: This course emphasizes proofs, and has a significant active learning component. You will be asked to read the relevant section of the book (or other assigned document) before each class. During class we will review the material, discuss questions, and solve problems.

Before each lecture, the page Schedule will show

• a brief summary of the lecture,
• the corresponding reading assignment, and
• other relevant material (e.g., worksheets for group work).

Homework and Quizzes:  There will be regularly assigned homework and quizzes. They will be assigned via Canvas. Quizzes will be assigned usually (but not exclusively) on Mondays, and will be due by the beginning of the next class (usually on Wednesdays, see Schedule). Homework will be assigned usually (but not exclusively) on Fridays, and you will have 9 days to submit your solution. No late work will be accepted. The two lowest homework scores and quiz scores won't count towards the final grade. No make-up will be given for homework or quizzes.

Exams:  There will be one midterm exam:

• March 5 (Fri), 9:10-10:00 am,

• May 1 (Sat), 4:30-7:00 pm.

No make-up will be given for a missed final exam. If you miss the final for reasons that are beyond your control, and you have a passing grade for the rest of the course (i.e., for homework, quizzes, and midterm), then you may request a grade of `Incomplete'. The eligibility criteria are described in the University Catalog.

If the final exam is cancelled in response to inclement weather or other emergencies that result in a campus closure, then in accordance with the Final Examination Policy, course grades will be assigned based on graded work completed up to the end of the term (i.e., homework, quizzes, and the midterm).

For the two exams we will be using the Proctorio Online Exam Proctoring Service. If you have not used Proctorio before, please read about it here. I will be giving a practice quiz so you can become familiar with using Proctorio, and surface any issues you may encounter with Proctorio. If you have concerns about your ability to use or consent to use Proctorio, please contact me as soon as possible, but at least two weeks before the exam to discuss alternate arrangements.

Work Uploaded for Grading to Canvas: Some of your homework and exam solutions will have to be uploaded to Canvas so that they can be graded. Work uploaded to Canvas will be accepted only if

• the file is uploaded in pdf format, and
• the background is white and the writing is dark enough so that the work is readable after printing.

Limits of Collaboration: I recommend that you first attempt to solve the homework problems alone, using only your textbooks and your notes. If you need more help, you may consult other books or persons (including me). However, I require that you write your homework solutions unaided.

• All outside sources (e.g., books other than the text for the course, collaboration with classmates, consultation with other persons, information found on the internet) used in homework solutions have to be acknowledged.
• No student is allowed to see another's written work before that work has been graded.
• No collaboration of any type is permitted on exams and quizzes.

Your final grade will be determined by the scores of your homework, quizzes, midterm exam, and final exam. To combine these items the following weights will be used:

• Homework: 25%
• Quizzes: 25%
• Midterm exam: 20%
• Final exam: 30%.

Getting Help: Don't wait until it is too late if you need help.

I am available during my office hours and many other times. If you can't see me during office hours, then make an appointment with me to see me at a different time.

Campus Policies: On the web page of Required Syllabus Statements you will find details about

• classroom behavior,
• requirements for COVID-19,
• accommodation for disabilities,
• preferred student names and pronouns,
• the honor code,
• sexual misconduct, discrimination, harassment and/or related retaliation, and
• religious holidays.

If you need special accommodation provided by any of these policies, please inform me as soon as possible (preferably within the first two weeks of class). If a short term illness or COVID-19 procedures prevent you from submitting required work, please alert me before the work is due so that we can discuss options for making up missed work. You are not required to disclose the nature of your illness.