Calculus of Several Variables,  MATH 230, Summer 2009
Instructor: Dr. Joseph Previte
Section 1: MTWR, Room 126 OBS, 9:00 - 10:55 AM

Instructor: Joseph Previte                                 Email:jpp4@psu.edu

Office: 17 Prischak Building                                     Telephone: 898-6091

Office Hours: MTWR: 11:00AM- 11:55 AM   (I swim at noon).;
                        You can make an appointment to see me at other times. I am generally not available on Friday. 

Textbook: Calculus Early Transcendental Functions: 4th Edition by Larson, Hostetler and Edwards, Published by Houghton/Mifflin. We will be covering material from Chapters 10-14.  The calendar on the course website contains general information regarding daily course content. A copy of Study and Solutions Guide Volume II is on reserve at the library under Math 230.  You may take this out for up to two hours at a time.  It contains detailed solutions for the odd numbered problems.

Calculators:   A graphing calculator is recommended. However, calculators will not be allowed during testing.

Homework, Quizzes, and Projects: Two sets of homework problems will be given every class day, one list mandatory and one list suggested. Homework assignments will be collected weekly and will consist of the small list of mandatory problems to be submitted and graded. All students are strongly suggested to do the recommended problems as well, as many quiz and exam problems will be based off of these. At the beginning of every class (except test days), I will take questions from the previous day's assignment. I urge you to do the assignments as they are given. Homework will be graded on correctness (as a quiz or test). You don't get any credit for just trying a problem. Homework assignments may include MAPLE labs and group projects. At least 2 of your lowest homework scores will be dropped. All quizzes are announced (generally there may be 3-6 quizzes in a semester).

Tests: There will be 3 or 4 half-period exams and one cumulative final exam. The half-period exams will take place during the second half of the 2-hour period. Test dates will be announced at least 1 week before the test. The final exam will be given JULY 22 or 23 AFTER THE CLASS ENDS!!

Grading:   Grades will be calculated as follows:

Exams (4 at 15% each or 3 at 20% each          60%

                        Homework, Projects, & Quizzes                      20%

Final Exam                                                       20%

 

Grade cutoffs will be as follows:

A: 93, A-: 90, B+: 87, B: 83, B-: 80, C+: 77, C: 70, D: 60

Make-up Exams: A Make-up exam will only be given with a documented University-approved excuse. 

Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and typically results in a failing grade for the class. The school's academic integrity code can be found at:  http://www.pserie.psu.edu/faculty/academics/integrity/htm

Conduct in class: You are expected to act appropriately in the classroom. Below are some examples that, depending on their severity or frequency, may inhibit or interfere with normal classroom operation: Cell phone/beeper interruption, direct challenges to instructor authority, eating/drinking in the classroom, arriving late/leaving early, vulgar or offensive behavior, excessive chattering, reading newspaper or other overt inattentiveness, talking out of turn and/or dominating discussion. As per Penn State guidelines, I have the authority to request that a disruptive student leave the classroom.

A note on summer class: This is a hard class normally. We need to cover the same amount of material in half the time. This means you are learning it 2 times faster than a normal student, with no real chance to digest the material! If you want any chance of passing this class, you will need to live an breath calculus. So, I strongly advise against other summer classes or having a summer job. Think of these 7 weeks as bootcamp and you will be fine, other wise....