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SOUTH GEORGIA STATE COLLEGE

MATH 1113 SYLLABUS FALL 2016

 

 

Faculty:  Derek Westwood

 

Office Location:  Stubbs 128

 

Office Hours: 1:00 – 2:50 PM, MW; 3 – 5:45 Tu; 1 – 4:45, Th

 

Email: Derek.westwood@sgsc.edu or DerekWesty@aol.com .  If you want to discuss any personal business, such as a grade, use the internal GeorgiaVIEW e-mail.

 

Office Phone Number: 912 260 4341.  Personal information cannot be discussed over the phone.

 

Course Title: Precalculus

Course Description from College Catalogue:

This course is an intensive study of the basic functions needed for the study of calculus. Topics include algabraic, functional and graphical techniques for solving problems with algabraic, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions and their inverses. Prerequisite: MATH 1111 or departmental permission. A grade of “C” or better is required for graduation if course is used in Area A or Area F. 4-0-4

MATH 0987. Foundations for Quantitative Reasoning. This is the first course in a year-long pathway leading to MATH 0997 and MATH 1001 in the second semester. This course integrates numeracy, proportional reasoning, algabraic reasoning, and understanding of functions. Students will develop concptual and procedural tools that support the use of key mathematical concepts in a variety of contexts. 4-0-4 (Institutional Credit)

Required Textbooks:  MyMathLab to accompany Algebra and Trigonometry by Robert Blitzer 5th edition, published by Pearson;  ISBN 978-0-321-83724-0.  MyMathLab contains an electronic copy of the text book so do not have to  have a hard copy of the book.

 

Course Objective: To provide students with an intensive study of the basic functions needed for the study of calculus.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:   

  1. Students will be able to solve a triangle.

  2. Students will be able to identify vertical and horizontal asymptotes in a rational function.

  3. Students will be able to solve trigonometric equations.

  4. Students will be able to identify components of the unit circle.

 

Student Responsibilities: Get to all classes on time and keep your communication equipment hidden from view.  Do not indulge in behaviors that disrupt your fellow students.  It is often the case that we feel we are not disturbing students around us, when, in fact we are.

Keep up to date with homework.  If you need any type of favor from me during the term the answer is likely to be “no” if your participation is inadequate.  This especially applies to makeup tests.

If any aspect of the course is causing difficulty please seek help sooner rather than later.

Methods of Evaluations:    You will be given four in-class exams and a final exam.  Exams are closed book.  Calculators are allowed on exams, but all work must be shown.  If you use a calculator to solve a problem you must write down the expression that you enter into the calculator. Each in-class exam is worth 15% of your grade and the final exam is worth 30% of your grade.  Homework will account for 10% of your grade.  We will be using MyMathLab for homework.  You will need an access code that comes with a new textbook.  The course key is Westwood80053.  You can gain temporary access to the course before getting the license for MyMathLab.  Your work may be lost if you don’t have the access code before the grace period expires.

Grading Scale: Grading will be on a ten-point scale. 90% A; 80% B; 70% C; 60% D, <60% F

Additional Faculty Instructions/Course Requirements:

Test  Make-ups:   If you want to make up a missed test during the term you must let me know as soon as possible after the test is given to the class and you must complete the make-up before graded tests are returned to the rest of the class.  Any test that you miss and do not make up will be given the same grade as the final exam. Make-ups will not be allowed if you are not up to date with your homework.

Classroom Policy:  It is expected that you come to class promptly and conduct yourself in a manner that does not disrupt the learning of your fellow students.  Students who engage in unnecessary conversations in class or interrupt proceedings will be required to leave the classroom and may face a disciplinary hearing.  With a large class, even though you feel your behavior is not disruptive when added to other small distractions it amounts to a large distraction for other students.   ALL electronic devices capable of producing a sound audible to other students must be in silent mode during all class periods. This especially includes cell phones.

Attendance Policy

Attending class regularly allows you to interact with instructors and other students in the learning process. Students are responsible for attending class and for the material presented in all classes. At the beginning of each semester, all instructors will inform students of policies regarding class absences. Instructors are responsible for counseling with students regarding the consequences of absences from classes or laboratories. Students may independently withdraw from a class by completing the necessary paperwork at the Registrar’s office. A non-punitive grade for courses dropped after the published deadline can be assigned only with the approval of the Vice President for Student Success and in cases of extenuating personal hardship.

 

Plagiarism

Plagiarism involves two kinds of wrongdoing. Using another person’s ideas, information, or expressions without acknowledging that person’s work constitutes intellectual theft. Passing off another person’s ideas, information, or expressions as your own to get a better grade or gain some other advantage constitutes fraud. Plagiarism is sometimes a moral and ethical offences rather than a legal one since some instances of plagiarism fall outside the scope of copyright infringement, legal offence. Plagiarism is almost always seen as a shameful act, and plagiarists are usually regarded with pity and scorn. They are pitied because they have demonstrated their inability to develop and express their own thoughts. They are scorned because of their dishonesty and their willingness to deceive others for personal gain. The act and practice of plagiarism is not only sometimes criminally prosecutable and always dishonest and
shameful, but it is also intellectually lazy and deprives the plagiarist of an education. Examples of plagiarism include:

• Any quotation, or even rewording, paraphrase, or summary of another person’s words, thoughts, ideas, opinions, or theories without appropriate acknowledgement. This example would obviously include any copying and pasting material from any source, including the Internet, regardless of to what degree.

• The presentation in any form of another’s artistic, literary, scientific, or other creative work as one’s own.

• Allowing someone else to write one’s paper; copying, buying, or stealing either in part or in its entirety one’s paper from another source such as a book, an article, or the Internet.

• Appropriate acknowledgement includes, but is not limited to, quotation marks around quoted material and citation appropriate to the discipline. See the APA and MLA guidelines in the Hodges’ Harbrace Handbook (Glenn and Gray 552‐650), available in the campus bookstore.

Faculty members reserve the right to add to these rules at their discretion. Any addition to the rules will be plainly stated in said faculty member’s syllabus. Ignorance of these rules does not constitute innocence and is not an excuse for plagiarism. Students accused of plagiarism will be referred via the non-criminal incident reporting system to the Student Conduct Board for hearings to adjudicate said accusation.  The sanctions for plagiarism include at a minimum a zero grade on the plagiarized assignment and may include failure of the course, suspension and even expulsion from the College. Please refer to the sanctions section of the student handbook for more information.

 

SGSC Douglas Campus Syllabus Access Statement

 

If you have a disability and require reasonable classroom accommodations, please see me after class or make an appointment during office hours.
If you plan to request accommodations for a disability, please register with the Office of Disability Services in Room 118, Powell Hall, phone number 912-260-4435.  Also, if you find that any content in this course is inaccessible because of your disability, please contact me as soon as possible.

Academic Support

Academic Support offers various resources to assist SGSC students with their academic success. These resources are available to SGSC students at no charge and are found at several locations:

* Academic Support Center in room 148A of the Dye Building on the Waycross campus

* Academic Support Center in room 216 of Powell Hall on the Douglas campus

* STEM Center in room 141 in the Dye Building on the Waycross campus

* STEM Center in room 125 of Stubbs Hall on the Douglas campus

All locations offer course-specific peer tutoring, academic skills workshops, and resources on study skills, time management, note-taking, and learning strategies. Live, online tutoring is also available 24/7 in GeorgiaVIEW through tutor.com. For more information about any of the resources available, contact Amber Wheeler, Academic Support Director, at amber.wheeler@sgsc.edu or visit our webpage at http://www.sgsc.edu/current-students/academicsupportcenter.cms.

Counseling Statement for Douglas Campus and Waycross Campus

Counseling Services are confidential and free to all SGSC students. To speak to a Licensed Professional Counselor, please call the SGSC Counseling Center at either 912-260-4438 (Douglas Campus) or 912-449-7593 (Waycross Campus). Additionally, you can contact the Counseling Center via email at counselingcenter@sgsc.edu. The Counseling Center is located on the Douglas Campus in Powell Hall, Office 119 and on the Waycross Campus in the Dye Building, Office 130.

GeorgiaVIEW

 

We will be using GeorgiaVIEW. Your syllabus will posted in this course management system and your instructor will provide additional information.  Go to Self-Service Banner to obtain your school email address. Then:

Click the Personal Information Menu tab

Click View email addresses 

Your D2L username will be the part of your email address prior to the @ sign

Go to https://sgsc.view.usg.edu/, click “Forgot Password”

Read the information, enter your username, and click Submit

A reset password link will be sent to your student email.

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP) STANDARDS FOR FINANCIAL AID

The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions of higher education to establish minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress for all students enrolled in a degree program, regardless of whether federal aid was received.  Satisfactory academic progress (SAP) means that a student is progressing in a positive manner toward fulfilling the requirements for a degree.  Failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress will result in the loss of all federal and state aid.