Course Syllabus
Math 320 - Linear Algebra
Sections 1 and 2
Spring 2021

Text: Linear Algebra (Lay) -- Sixth Edition

The Course: This course will be an introduction to the formal and practical study of linear algebra. Linear algebra is a wonderful subject that perfectly straddles the worlds of applied and theoretical mathematics. Undoubtedly, the subject is extraordinarily applicable to almost all quantitative fields, including amongst others: engineering, statistics, physics, chemistry, and biology. At the same time, the basic ideas of linear algebra give rise to beautiful ideas that can be abstracted and the whole theory can be understood in terms of algebraic structure. We will investigate many sides of this fascinating field.

Reading: Reading your textbook is essential to success in this class. Reading assignments will be included with homework assignments and must be completed before the lecture on that topic. Read slowly with a pencil and paper in hand. Try to fill in missing steps as you read. Always try to work out examples before you read text solutions. You must be ready to discuss the material you read in class, and this will be part of the participation portion of your grade.

Participation: Each student is expected to be a productive member of the class. This means you should attend each class period and be prepared to discuss the material. Excessive absence or unpreparedness will result in deduction of points in this area. Participation will be worth 30 points of your final grade.

Homework: You will be assigned weekly written homework assignments. These homework assignments are where the bulk of your learning will occur and you should set aside a significant amount of time to work on them. You are allowed and indeed encouraged to work on your homework with other people, however what you turn in should be your own understanding of how to do the problems and should not just be a copy of someone else’s work. Your homework must follow the homework guidelines . Part of your homework may include reading and commenting on other students’ solutions.

You will also receive weekly MyMathLab assignments.

The homework for the course will be worth 150 points of your total grade.

Quizzes: Most weeks that do not include an exam will have a short quiz. The quiz will cover the most recent material from the class and should take no longer than 10-15 minutes. Although these quizzes cannot be made up except in extreme circumstances, one quiz will be dropped so missing one quiz will not greatly affect your grade. Together the quizzes are worth 120 points of your final grade.

Exams: There will be 1 exam during the course. The first will be on Thursday, March 18. Make-up exams will not be given. If you have a legitimate excuse you may use your final exam score to make up for missing exam scores. Each exam will be worth 100 points.
There will be a comprehensive 2 hour final given on Thursday, May 13 at 8 AM for section 1 and Tuesday, May 18 at 11 AM for section 2. The final is worth 150 points.

Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this class students should be able to:

• apply known computation algorithms to solve problems
• correctly apply theorems of the course in appropriate situations
• understand the importance of abstraction in linear algebra
• be able to write clear, coherent and correct proofs of simple theorems

Grading: A tentative grading scale is as follows:

This scale may be lowered if it is deemed to be unfair, but is guaranteed not to be raised.

Disability: For accommodations due to a disability please contact me within the first 2 weeks.

Academic Honesty: Cheating and plagiarism are in violation of USD’s academic integrity policy and are taken very seriously. Make sure you are aware of this policy.

Have a Good Semester!