Math 105 – Course Policies
– Spring 2012
Quantitative Literacy and Environmental
Issues (Section 152)
| Classroom: HS 109
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| Instructor: Dr. Harel Barzilai
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| Meets: Mon, Wed, and Thu.
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| Office: HS 124
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| Time: 5:30-6:45 (M, W, and Th)
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| Email: hxbarzilai at salisbury dot edu
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| Text: None; materials will be distributed.
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| Phone: 543-6472 (SU Ext 36472)
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Website:
(includes office hours listing)
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The Nature of this Course —
Although the generic title for Math 105 is Liberal Arts
Mathematics, it comes in several varieties. This version of
Math 105 offered as section 152 (Spring 2012) is
Quantitative Literacy and Environmental Issues.
Several definitions of Quantitative Literacy (QL), sometimes referred to
as Numeracy or the ability to appropriately apply Quantitative
Reasoning (QR) will be shared in the opening class, and QL will be
developed throughout. Importantly, in a QL-focused course, expectations
are, even more so than in other mathematics classes, that students to be
interested, self-motivated, active learners who seek not merely
knowledge and skills but also a deep holistic understanding
and habits-of-mind which will be broadly applicable outside the course.
Students must be intellectually flexible, open-minded, and curious.
In addition, the following assumptions will be made about
students who stay in this class. It will be assumed:
- ...that you are sincerely interested in environmental
issues, using QL to better understand them;
- ...that, simultaneously, you understand this is a mathematics course, whose focus
will, therefore, necessarily be on QL-based analysis with environmental applications,
so class time spent discussing environmental applications
while included throughout the course, will thus be limited;
- ..that you are not just taking this course "to satisfy a
requirement" and that you understand this is not going to be
an 'easy course' — expect to spend at least 8 hours per
week outside of class, each week
- ...that you are ready for an active classroom in which you do not
not sit back waiting to be enlightened/entertained with a
pre-packaged lecture of pre-digested bits of information,
but ready to grapple with often challenging open-ended
questions which will strengthen your QL abilities.
Emphasis will be on groupwork explorations, board presentations
by students (including before your problem is 100% solved), and
thoughtful discussion, alongside mini-lectures.
Due do this and the structure of this course (see below)
you must be self-motivated; it will be easy to fool
yourself into thinking you can skip assignments that are not
formally collected/graded, and equally difficult to undo the
damage by the time you find out otherwise on the Tests and other
components, by which time it will be too late.
If you need to
be "forced" to do homework and to keep up by regular grading of
homework and quizzes, you will probably not happy if you stay in this
course. If you are self-motivated, want to intellectually grow and
strengthen your QL engaging in real-world questions,
and to experience exploration
in-depth with more freedom and flexibility (and responsibility) than most
100-level courses allow , while strengthening
your quantitative sophistication through environmental themes,
this course is probably a good fit for you.
- That when you arrive in class on any given day, you are
intellectually flexible enough to come ready for a possibly entirely
new and different "lab" (mathematical/QL exploration) experience
from what you saw in the previous class — we will
deliberately move back and forth
both mathematically and in terms of environmental examples —
while at the same time able to make connections, with the help
of your group-mates as well as the support of your instructor, with
preceding mathematical and environmental concepts.
Decorum
— while I prefer relatively informal classroom atmosphere, a more
'relaxed' atmosphere should not let you lose sight that learning is at
the heart of why we are here. Classroom behavior should be
courteous, polite and respectful of the course, the instructor, and
your classmates. In particular:
- You are expected to attend every class; unless there is a
legitimate reason you can document on paper (illness, official SU
away, etc) and check with me in advance. Attendance and class
participation are a full 10% of your grade. If attendance is
poor there may be a short quiz, without makeup. It's your
responsibility to participate fully in class. Your classmates gain
from your questions as well as your answers, and from in-class
teamwork. If you fail to show up or arrive late, you are not only
hurting your grade, you would also be letting down, and failing to
live up to your responsibility towards, your classmates. In a positive
vein, your classmates' insights, perspectives, questions, and support
are often among the best resources you have. Please be courteous to
them (and your professor) at all times; beyond that, bring a positive
attitude. Ask for instructor clarification after trying to sort
things out in your mind first. Get after-class and office hours help.
- Arrive on time, and, unless you are given advance approval
from the instructor, you may not leave early. (If you feel
suddenly very sick, you may leave, of course, without disturbing
the class, and explain to me later). If you are "done" with
groupwork, work on homework or ask me for additional problems
(it is not acceptable to work on one of your other courses in class! It is
rude and inconsiderate of both classmates and instructor. This should
be obvious to you)
Note: If you end up leaving
early or missing a class for any reason, including legitimate reasons,
you are the one responsible for the missed material,
assignments, announcements, etc.
- Do not carry on conversations while the instructor is speaking
or while classmates are participating in a classroom discussion. A very
brief and quiet question to your neighbor is (on an
occasional basis) ok;
anything longer than that is not appropriate, and you should raise your
hand instead, or work quietly on paper by yourself, and ask after
class. If caught reading/working on "other" things while in class,
or texting/email, your 10% participation will be penalized, heavily.
- You are adults and may to step outside of class, briefly,
if you need to use the restroom; you do not need my permission to do
this - please be courteous and do so in a quiet, non-disruptive manner.
- Turn off all cell-phones and pagers. If you have a true possible
family/emergency situation, and still feel you should be in class, you
may set the 'ring' to vibrate-only (no sound) mode. Do not make noise
with candy, wrappers, gum, etc.
Children, pets, tobacco, and cell
phones may not be brought to class without my prior approval.
Please do not litter -- please clean up after yourself and
straighten your chair at the end of class in consideration of the
classes and students using the room after us.
Academic Expectations
As noted, SU expects you to spend at least two
hours outside of class for every hour in class, on homework,
reviewing class notes, coming to office hours, etc. This means at
least eight (8) hours per week, in addition to your time spent in
class; some students with weaker backgrounds will need to spend more
time than that.
Communication: you will develop your ability to speak about
mathematics in a way others can understand, to write about
math, and to discuss mathematics in a small group or as a class. It
has been shown that the ability to communicate about a subject and the
ability to carefully express oneself, is closely connected with the
mind's gaining a deeper and fuller understanding of the material. In
this course, it is not enough to "get the right final answer"
or to only know which memorized algorithm to use. Understanding
the how and why, and being able to
explain will be expected of you.
You will work to improve your self-confidence in mathematics. Such
self-confidence does not come from just from "positive thinking" but
from positive knowing -- that is, through actual experience.
You can gain such experience only though hard work
through problem-solving, including
analyzing a problem from multiple directions,
not giving up when one method does not work, not panicking at
open-ended question (rather, pausing to 'chew on it', and looking for the 'big picture'),
and by remembering what did (and didn't) work in previous examples
which had different math specifics, but some common aspect.
Be prepared, be professional: staple all assignments (not
"origami" bent-paper!), be neat&clear in all turned in work, keep
deadlines, ask questions (well) before
before due-date.
Why does SU's Mathematics Department use in-class groupwork,
projects, written assignments, and
students presenting at the blackboard? Consider this quote:
"Tell me, and I'll forget.
Show me, and I may not
remember.
Involve me, and I'll understand."
-Native American and Chinese proverbs
Course Evaluation
Although some modification the following might be made later in the
semester due to unforeseen circumstances the course grade will
tentatively be based on the following components:
| Fixed Portions:
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Your Class Attendance &
Your Participation in Class
| 10%
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| Two Math Skills Mini-Tests
| 20%
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| Quizzes and HW Write-ups
| 10%
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| Capstone Project Presentation
| 5%
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| Student-Chosen Percent (within range and totaling 55%) for:
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Professional Expository
Mathematics Journal (PEMJ)
| 15-25%
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Group Capstone Project
(Professionally typed)
| 15-25%
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| Final Exam
| 15-25%
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| In addition to the above your
Homework Presentations (HWPs) as will be explained in class, if we
have them, "Pop-Extra-Credit" quizzes (you must keep these and
remember to turn them in with your Final to receive popXC points)
provide opportunities for "free points" added to your Final Exam.
(HWP is worth ¼ to ½ pts each. Points for popXC if any,
will be announced at the time) |
Possible modifications of the above percentages:
(a) Proportion of quizzes vs HW may be modified;
(b) A Draft Report for your Project may be due as well (either
ungraded but required, or taking up 2-5% of the Group Capstone
Project). Additional details will be provided later in the semester.
Required: read rest of handouts and information at
and check our website regularly — at least twice per week.
In particular read "Additional Course Policies" and each week,
read material and links, if any, posted online as supplements for the preceding
and/or forthcoming week's in-class work.
Quantitative Literacy involves "sophisticated thinking
with elementary
mathematics more often than elementary thinking
with sophisticated
mathematics"
-Mathematical Association of America
"Do not just pay attention to the words;
Instead pay attention to meanings behind the words.
But, do not just pay attention to meanings behind the words;
Instead pay attention to your deep experience of those meanings.
-Tenzin Gyatso, The Fourteenth Dalai Lama