Math 120B (44720) - Fall 2018
Rings and Fields
Lecturer
Dr. Neil Donaldson
Office
RH 472
Office Hours
MW 12-14:00
Email
ndonalds@math.uci.edu
Lecture Times
MWF 11-11:50 RH 114
Teaching Assistant
Ching-heng Chiu
Discussion Times
TuTh 8-8:50 SSPA 1165
Office/Hours
RH 540W/TuTh 9-10:30
Email
chinghec@uci.edu
Course Text and Syllabus
We will cover most of parts IV--VI of
A First Course in Abstract Algebra, John B. Fraleigh, 7th Ed, Addison Wesley.
The book is not required --- homework questions and (sketchy) notes will be typed and posted on the homework page.
For a more detailed syllabus including sections covered per day and assessments click
here
Assessment
The final grade for the course will be tentatively be computed as follows:
45% Final Exam, 25% Midterm, 20% Quizzes, 10% Homework
- Homework Questions
will be set most weeks, a number of which will be collected the following Tuesday. One homework will be dropped.
- Six quizzes will be given in the Thursday discussion classes (schedule changes around Thanksgiving). They will generally assume knowledge of the homework submitted that week. One quiz will be dropped.
- Midterm: during normal class time on Wednesday 31st October
- Final exam: is in the usual classroom Friday 14th December, 8-10:00.
The exam will be comprehensive.
Add/Drop & Enrollment Questions
In Mathematics classes, decisions pertaining to wait-lists, adds, drops, and pass/no-pass changes are
NOT made by Instructors. Refer
here
for information on how to navigate the system. Essentially you have til the end of week 2 to complete all adds, drops and grade changes, all of which is done online.
Class Policies + Grading
- The final exams will be available for you to consult, but not take away, in the Fall quarter.
- No calculators in the quizzes and exams.
- Make sure you have a legible ID card for the exams. If your UCI ID has a smudged picture, bring your driver's license.
Your exams will not be graded without proof of who you are.
- Late homework will not be accepted for credit although we will be happy to discuss its mathematical quality with you.
- The purpose of dropped quizzes and homework is to allow you a day off, for whatever reason, be it fun or serious.
In order to have a second quiz or homework dropped, you must provide documentation to the TA covering AT LEAST TWO assessments.
If you choose to sleep in and miss one assessment early in the term before getting sick later on, you will have wasted
your lifeline.
- There will be no opportunity for extra credit. Generally speaking, any request to be treated differently to other
students will be granted only in the case of a documented emergency.
- No curving of scores will be done. As a guide to how you are doing, you will receive a letter-grade equivalent with
your midterm score. An overall letter-grade scale will be fitted to your calculated percentage at the end of term in line with the following metrics:
- A grade of C/C- means you are should be able to cope with any class that has this one as a pre-requisite.
- An A grade means two things:
- You know the definitions and theorems well enough to be able to apply them in unfamiliar situations.
- You should be able to teach the core course material. This means being able to explain what the concepts mean, not simply being able to perform computations.
Academic Honesty
Both the Math department and UCI take a dim view of dishonest behavior with regards to assessments: submitting another's work as your own, copying during exams, bringing notes to exams, etc. Harsh penalties are in place for students who are caught; depending on the seriousness you may be given an F for the assessment, for the class as a whole, or even suspended from the University.
Other resources
While office hours and discussion sessions will hopefully be enough to get you through the course, other resources are available. In particular,
- Disability Services Center (DSC) If you have any medical condition which might justify extra time or a quiet location for examinations, talk to the DSC as early as possible.
- UCI Counseling Center an excellent place to start if you're feeling stressed...