Course policies

Basics

Office Hours

  • MW: 10am-11am
  • TH: 2pm-3pm
  • or by appointment

Textbook

A first course in topology: continuity and dimension

General Information:

This will be an introduction to the methods, basic definitions, and world view of Topology.

You might well ask why there isn't a list of topics to be covered. The answer is that more than anything this course will be about the topological world view (for want of another name). To illustrate what I mean by "a topological worldview, consider the analogous problem of learning a language. Naively, learning a language simply involves learning lists of words and replacing english words with new words in the new language. We all know that the resulting translations will range from kind of right to dangerously wrong (for hilariously wrong see http://engrish.com/ )

For example using google the translation of phrase “To be or not to be!” gives you following results:

  • Korean - “Lives dies!”
  • Dutch – “To be be or!”
  • Japanese – “Because of a certain or because it is not! ”
  • Chinese – “The survival destroys!”
  • Greek – “In order to it is or in order to it is not!”
  • Hungarian – “Be, or not be!”
  • Turkish – “had straight exist or even if not had straight exist!”

In a math class this is equivalent to simply learning lists of theorems and trying to string them together into proofs, the results are often equally successful. This is not to say that a good word list (or dictionary) isn't useful for translation, in fact it is necessary (but not sufficient). To speak a new language also requires an understanding of grammar and more subtly a grasp of the culture. Its a truism that if you know the culture and understand the grammar a minimal word list is all you need to communicate. If you don't no list of words will allow you to communicate.

Grading

After mulling the possibilities over, I have decided on the following grade scheme:

  • Exams-I will give one midterm and one final exam (in class)
  • Written Homework-There will be one homework per chapter, that amounts to 8-10 hws depending on how we progress. Most of the time the homework will have been presented in class prior to the due date so the heavy lifting will have been done in class.
  • Presentations-There will be opportunities to present every class period. You should have material to present every time you come to class, however you will probably only be able to present on occasion. You will get some credit for being ready to present and for the presentations themselves.
  • Class attendance/participation-You will get credit for being in class and actively participating.

I'm inclined to think of the grading this way; You are presumed to be getting a B ie a B is what you get if you simply meet all of the expectations we set forth for the class. This means that to get better than a B you need to find a way to go above and beyond.

Here are the standards I will use to asses your work, Proof guidelines. Please print this out, laminate it and keep it visible when you are preparing a presentation/writing your homework. Alternately, you could have it tattooed onto your arm.

The standards by which I will assign your final grade are here, Final Grade Calculation.

Academic Honesty:

Academic dishonesty is a serious offense at the College because it diminishes the quality of scholarship and the learning experience for everyone on campus. An act of Academic Dishonesty may lead to sanctions including a reduction in grade, probation, suspension, or expulsion. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and facilitating academic dishonesty. You can find the college's offcial policy in the Student Handbook in the Standards of Conduct Section, http://handbook.mscd.edu. In this class a first act of academic dishonesty will result in a grade of "0" for the assignment, quiz, exam or Final and a second act will result in a grade of "F" for the course.

Behavior:

Students are allowed to speak to the instructor and to the class as a whole after being recognized by the instructor. Private conversations between students disrupt the learning environment and are not allowed. Students violating this policy will be given one warning and will then be asked to leave the classroom.

NC Policy:

The NC policy has changed beginning with this semester. For a 100% refund the date is August 23 and for a 50% refund the date is September 1. The last day to obtain an NC is Friday Oct. 23. This is a hard deadline and will be enforced as such. The department will not approve any late NC requests. Students must request an NC through MetroConnect; faculty approval is no longer required. Holidays: Observance of religious holidays follows College policy, which is posted on the web at http://handbook.mscd.edu in the Academic and Campus Policies for Students section. Each student is responsible for understanding and abiding by the policy.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:

The Metropolitan State College of Denver is committed to making reasonable accommodations to assist individuals with disabilities in reaching their academic potential. If you have a disability that may impact your performance, attendance, or grades in this class and are requesting accommodations, then you must first register with the Access Center, located in the Auraria Library, Suite 116, 303-556-8387.

The Access Center is the designated department responsible for coordinating accommodations and services for students with disabilities. Accommodations will not be granted prior to my receipt of your faculty notification letter from the Access Center. Please note that accommodations are never provided retroactively (i.e., prior to the receipt of your faculty notification letter.) Once I am in receipt of your official Access Center Faculty Notification Letter, I would be happy to meet with you to discuss your accommodations. All discussions will remain confidential. Further information is available by visiting the Access Center website www.mscd.edu/~access.

Page last modified on August 06, 2012, at 12:04 PM EST