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Math 53 Course Expectations:
This course will stress the conceptual, rather than the computational,
aspects of the topic, and this has several consequences for this course.
- First, the homework will be challenging, so don't expect to be able to
do it in an hour the night before it is due. You will need to start
working on it as soon as it is assigned, and it may take several days of
thinking about it and coming back to it before it makes sense. This is a
natural part of working on hard problems; don't give up! Many students
give up if they don't know how to do a problem immediately. Don't do
this! One of the things we are practicing is how to work through hard
problems. And don't forget, the fourth dimension is not easy for
anyone!
- Second, I expect you will do all the problems, even the ones I
don't collect. If you don't do these, you may not be able to do the
collected ones, as they frequently will build on ideas from the
uncollected homework. Don't try to cut corners; it doesn't help.
- Third, it is crucial for you to think about the class material outside
of class, and to come prepared to continue our discussions. Toward this
end, I would like you to write a one paragraph summary or short outline of
each class before coming to the next class. I will not be grading these,
but I may be collecting them. In addition, you should have at least two
questions concerning the material from homework or previous
classes written down before class. I will start each class by
listing several of the outstanding questions at the board, and I may
collect these as well.
- Finally, your writing will be an important part of your homework
assignments (see the statement on writing
philosophy for details). Some homework problems will be essay-type
questions, but even computational ones require explanation.
Up: Math 53 Home Page
Comments to:
dpvc@union.edu
Created: Mar 25 1999 ---
Last modified: Mar 26, 1999 10:06:53 AM