MATH 118: Essentials of Trigonometry
Spring 2024
Course Syllabus and Class Policies
1.
Major Course
topics:
·
Traversing
Circles
·
The
·
The Sine and
Cosine Functions
·
Sinusoidal
Functions
·
Right Triangles
·
The Tangent
Function
·
Inverses of
Trigonometric Functions
·
Finding Angles
·
Other
Trigonometric Functions and Trigonometric Identities
The tentative detailed
schedule of the course can be found at http://home.sandiego.edu/~pruski/m118s24schedule.html .
2. Course
Learning Outcomes:
·
Students will
demonstrate a working knowledge of essential
topics of trigonometry. This includes knowledge of theorems with complete assumptions.
·
Students will
demonstrate the ability to explain and use trigonometric functions, and perform computations accurately and
efficiently.
·
Students will
demonstrate the ability to solve
problems involving triangles.
·
Students will
demonstrate the ability to communicate
mathematical ideas clearly.
3.
Regular attendance
is really necessary.
4.
Be aware that the
pace of the course will be quite
fast. We meet only once a week, so we have only 13 regular meetings,
and this includes the time for the weekly quizzes.
5.
You are required
to read the assigned sections of the
textbook (see below) before each class meeting.
6.
We will be using
the open-source textbook "Active
Prelude to Calculus" by Matthew Boelkins.
You can download the copy by following the link https://activecalculus.org/apc/ . A hard copy can also be purchased.
7.
Office hours:
|
Monday |
12:00 - 2:00 |
|
Wednesday |
12:00 - 1:00 |
|
Thursday |
3:00 - 4:00 |
|
Friday |
12:00 - 1:00 |
and at other times, by appointment.
8. Contact: The best way to contact me is by using e-mail (pruski@sandiego.edu). I read e-mail many times during the day and night, except for one or two weekends when I am out of town. If for some reason you are unable to contact me, try calling our departmental Executive Assistant, Andrea, at extension 4706.
9.
A primitive
webpage for the course is at https://home.sandiego.edu/~pruski/m118s24.html . You should
check the webpage regularly for assignments, announcements, and links.
10. Homework Assignments will be assigned and collected. The assignments will be graded mainly on
effort. The total homework assignment score will count for 20% of
the course grade. No late assignments will be accepted unless you
arrange it with me in advance.
11. There will be a short quiz (5-10 minutes) at the
beginning of each class meeting except for the first and the last meeting. Quiz
questions will refer to the recently covered material and to the new
material you were supposed to read on your own. Two lowest quiz scores will be
dropped, and the remaining scores will count for 40% of the course
grade. Quizzes cannot be made up unless you have a valid reason for not taking
the quiz and you notify me in advance of your absence.
12. The final exam (Friday, May 17, 5:00 - 6:00) will be cumulative and its score
will count for 40% of the course grade.
13. Calculator
policy on quizzes and exam: No electronic devices (calculators,
tablets, cell phones, etc.) are allowed. No complicated computations will
ever be required on a quiz or exam.
14. Grading criteria are as follows:
|
Total percentage |
Grade |
|
90% and above |
A |
|
80% - 90% |
B |
|
60% - 80% |
C |
|
50% - 60% |
D |
|
below 50% |
F |
Of course, pluses and minuses
will be used, close to cutoff boundaries. (In the unlikely case that the number
of A's and B's falls below 40%, I will curve the grades up appropriately.)
Based on recent years' data, my distribution of grades was close to the math
department average.
19. The Mathematics Department
strongly promotes Academic Integrity. I hope issues related to academic
integrity will not arise in our course. There have been some cases of cheating
in math courses in the past – mainly the cases of submitting someone else’s
work as well as cases of cheating during exams. Depending on the severity of
the case, the possible consequences include: assigning the score of 0 on the
given assignment, lowering the course grade, or even assigning an F in the
course. The USD
academic integrity policy can be found at https://www.sandiego.edu/conduct/documents/Honor-Code.pdf).
20.
Accommodations: Any student with a documented
disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak
with me during the first two weeks of class. All discussions will remain
confidential. A student attempting to access Disability Services for the first
time should begin by contacting the Disability and Learning Difference Resource
Center (DLDRC) in SH, Room 300 (619/260-4655),
e-mail: disabilityservices@sandiego.edu ,
website: www.sandiego.edu/disability/ It is the student's responsibility to schedule
an "intake" meeting with the DLDRC Director as soon as
possible.
21. Health
Resources: The
pandemic has taught us that we need to change the way we behave. If you feel sick, please stay home to
keep others healthy. The following USD resources are available to students:
·
· MyWellness Portal: https://mywellness.sandiego.edu/