Instructor: Paul Jenkins
Office: 320 TMCB, 801-422-5868
Email: jenkins@math.byu.edu
Lecture: 11:00-11:50 AM MWF, 121 TMCB
Office hours: 2:00-2:50 PM MWF or by appointment
Textbook: Abstract Algebra, An Introduction, Second Edition, Thomas W. Hungerford, Brooks/Cole, ISBN 978-0-03-010559-3.
TA: Julian Tay, juliantay@byu.net
Office hours: 163A TMCB, Monday 1:00-1:50 PM, 3:00-3:50 PM, Tuesday 9:00-9:50 AM, Wednesday 1:00-1:50 PM, Thursday 4:00-4:50 PM, Friday 1:00-1:50 PM
Grading: Homework 20%, reading assignments 10%, two midterms 20% each, final exam 30%. Grades will be available on BYU Gradebook.
Exams: In the testing center on February 9-10 (Feb. 11 late day) and March 8-9 (Mar. 10 late day). The final exam will be in the testing center during final exam week. The final exam will cover all material studied this semester.
Exam review sessions: All will be held in TMCB 112 in lieu of TA office hours that day.
Midterm 1:
Thursday February 2, 4:00 PM-6:00 PM
Wednesday February 8, 5:00 PM-7:00 PM
Midterm 2:
Thursday March 1, 4:00 PM-6:00 PM
Wednesday March 7, 5:00 PM-7:00 PM
Final exam (note that there is a review sheet available here):
Thursday April 5, 4:00 PM-6:00 PM
Wednesday April 11, 5:00 PM-7:00 PM
Homework: Homework will be assigned each day throughout the semester, and will be due at 4:00 PM in the box outside my office on the class day after it is assigned. Homework assignments will be posted on the course webpage. Your homework should be neat and should include enough detail that another student from the class could follow your arguments. Homework that is not stapled, is excessively sloppy, or is written on paper torn from a spiral notebook may receive less than full credit. Late homework will not be accepted. Working in groups on homework is encouraged, but each student should write up each problem, without looking at other students’ written solutions. The lowest three homework assignments will be dropped.
Electronic devices: Do not use mobile phones or permit them to ring during class. Calculators may be used on homework; if you use a calculator or computer, you should indicate this. Calculators will probably not be very helpful on many problems. Only testing center calculators may be used on exams.
Prerequisites: Math 290 (Fundamentals of Mathematics) and Math 313 (Elementary Linear Algebra). Many problems in this course will be theoretical and will involve proofs, so it is essential that a student be familiar with methods of mathematical proof. Other topics you should be familiar with from prior courses include basic logic and set theory, functions, mathematical induction, and equivalence relations.
This is a 3 credit class. The BYU Catalog states that “The expectation for undergraduate courses is three hours of work per week per credit hour for the average student who is appropriately prepared; much more time may be required to achieve excellence.” Thus, an average student should expect to spend at least 6 hours per week outside of lecture on working problems, reading the textbook, reviewing concepts, and completing assignments.
Preventing Sexual Harassment: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex discrimination in education and pertains to admissions, academic and athletic programs, and university-sponsored activities. Title IX also prohibits sexual harassment of students by university employees, other students, and visitors to campus. If you encounter sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please talk to your professor; contact the Equal Employment Office at 801-422-5895 or 1-888-238-1062 (24 hours), or http://www.ethicspoint.com; or contact the Honor Code Office at 801-422-2847.
Students with Disabilities: Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities Office (422-2767). Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified, documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the SSD Office. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures by contacting the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895, D-285 ASB.
Honor Code: In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. It is the university's expectation, and my own expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office (4440 WSC) at 422-2847 if you have questions about those standards.