Appendix H — Syllabus

H.1 Course Basics

  • Instructor Office: CMC 321
  • Class Location: CMC 209/CMC 209
  • Class Time: 2a/3a
  • Drop-In Location: CMC 306/328
  • Drop-In Time: M (1:45–2:35), W (2:30–3:30), F (1:30–3)
  • Websites:
  • Textbook: Calculus: Early Transcendentals, 9th Edition, by Stewart, Clegg, and Watson.
  • Prerequisites: Math 101 or Math 111; a score of 4 or 5 on the Calculus AB Exam or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Math IB exam; assignment via the Carleton placement exam.

Course description

What we call calculus—the mathematical science of continuous change—is fundamental to virtually every subfield of the physical sciences, but also to statistics, engineering, economics, actuarial science, medicine, and countless other endeavors. Math 120 builds on what you learned in Calculus I and is a prerequisite for Linear Algebra, Probability, Calculus III, and more. Topics include integration methods, improper integrals, differential equations, vectors and planes, partial derivatives, Lagrange multipliers, and iterated integrals. An important aspect of this course involves using software to carry out computations, visualize problems, and communicate ideas. The course will highlight various applications and hold space to reflect on how math relates to the world.

How to succeed

  • Pre-read actively and come to class with questions,
  • Begin homework immediately after it is assigned,
  • Work with each other and work towards building a supportive community,
  • Visit my office hours frequently and ask lots of questions!

Talk to me!

I have specifically worked to design a course that challenges the ways we think and allows us to grow together. If you need help, or even if you don’t and just have suggestions or thoughts, please come to my office! I promise to treat your problems with respect and to keep any sensitive conversations as confident as I can, but note that (under Title IX) I am a mandatory reporter of sexual misconduct.

H.2 Course Outline

Schedule is subject to change! While the material we learn is building up a coherent and interrelated set of ideas, the primary content evaluated in a particular Midterm corresponds to the Module of the same number (the final Exam corresponds largely to the final Module).

Module 1: Calculus in One Variable

Week 1: Warm-Up

Materials Due
  • Homework 0, Friday at 4 PM
  • Journal 1, Saturday at midnight

Week 2: Integration

Materials Due
  • Homework 1, Wednesday at 4 PM
  • Quiz 1, Friday at midnight
  • Journal 2, Saturday at midnight

Week 3: ODEs and Modeling

Materials Due
  • Homework 2, Monday at 4 PM
  • Journal 3, Saturday at midnight

Module 2: Geometry of Space

Week 4: Vector Foundations

  • Monday: 3D space & vectors. §12.1–12.2
    • Coordinates and directions in 3D
  • Wednesday: Dot products. §12.3
    • Magnitudes
    • Angles, orthogonality, projections
  • Friday: Midterm I.
Materials Due
  • Homework 3, Monday at 4 PM
  • Quiz 2, Tuesday at midnight
  • Journal 4, Saturday at midnight

Week 5: Analytic Geometry

Materials Due
  • Homework 4, Monday at 4 PM
  • Journal 5, Saturday at midnight

Week 6: Differential Calculus

Materials Due
  • Homework 5, Wednesday at 4 PM
  • Journal 6, Saturday at midnight

Module 3: Multi-Variable Calculus

Week 7: Extrema and Critical Values

Materials Due
  • Homework 6, Monday at 4 PM
  • Journal 7, Saturday at midnight

Week 8: Optimization Problems

Materials Due
  • Homework 7, Monday at 4 PM
  • Quiz 3, Friday at midnight
  • Journal 8, Saturday at midnight

Week 9: Integrals in Many Variables

Materials Due
  • Homework 8, Monday at 4 PM
  • Quiz 4, Friday at midnight
  • Journal 9, Saturday at midnight

Week 10: Polar Integration

  • Monday: Polar integration. §15.3.
    • Area in polar form
    • Integration in non-Euclidean coordinates
  • Wednesday: Review.
    • Course evaluations
Materials Due
  • Homework 9, Wednesday at 4 PM

Exam Period

Week 11: Final Exam

H.3 Grade Details

Grading

This class will be graded on an A–F scale, as detailed below.

A–
[90%, 93%) 		A
[93%, 100%]
B–
[80%, 83%) 		B
[83%, 87%) 		B+
[87%, 90%)
C–
[70%, 73%) 		C
[73%, 77%) 		C+
[77%, 80%)
D
[60%, 67%) 		D+
[67%, 70%)
F
[0%, 59%]

I reserve the right to change this distribution, but will only do so in a way that would make your grade better (never worse). In general, a B indicates that you have learned the key concepts of this course and could reliably apply them in the future. An A indicates that you have demonstrated a deeper understanding not only of how to apply ideas but also in communicating and exploring concepts beyond the scope of the course.

Grade breakdown

Final marks for the course will be computed using the following weights.

  • Community, worth 2% of your grade. There are chances to do this every day—by contributing to discussions, working with others on homework, representing your group after breakouts, and contributing to the Notes. Your presence benefits you, your classmates, and me!

  • Journaling, done weekly, in total worth 3% of your grade. These are written assignments due at the end of each week that provide space for self-evaluation, chronicling what you’ve learned, synthesizing concepts from previous classes, and providing ongoing course feedback.

  • Homework, nine assignments, in total worth 20% of your grade. These problem sets allow you to exercise techniques that we have discussed in class and also build experience in mathematical communication. You are encouraged to work in groups! Much of the work of this class will happen in these assignments, where you connect with peers and cement your own knowledge. Turn in homework during class or directly to the course mailbox. Late Homework is accepted with a penalty, detailed in the Late work policy; Homework that is more than a week late will not be accepted. Your lowest assignment will be dropped in computing your final grade.

  • Quizzes, four in total, worth 20% of your grade. These are take-home medium-stakes group-based activities in which you will design and solve questions to assess concepts we are developing in class, supplemented by graphing software. You will be writing Quizzes! These will push you to think creatively and pedagogically about material as you encounter it and serve as another way to cement core aspects of the course, and will be graded using a provided rubric. Because of the collaborative nature of these projects, Quizzes will contain a peer review component. Quizzes are not Homework—unexcused late submissions are not accepted.

  • Exams, two midterms and a final, in total worth 55% of your grade. The exams are spaces for you to demonstrate the material that you have mastered on your own. If you require additional accommodations for these forms of assessment, let me know well in advance.

H.4 Support and Other Policies

Drop-in hours

These are times that I set aside during my week to be available for you. Just show up! You do not need to make an appointment and you are not annoying me.

Late work

For every day that a Homework assignment is turned in late, the associated grade will be dropped \(\frac{1}{2}\) of a letter grade (e.g., an assignment turned in Wednesday that was due Monday and would have received an A would receive a B). You will have 4 Late Credits to apply to late Homework assignments. Each Late Credit is worth 1 day to turn in an assignment late without penalty: e.g., turning in an assignment due Wednesday on the following Friday would use 2 Late Credits. Late assignments will not be accepted beyond a week after the original deadline, except in explicit cases of extension. As per College policy, Late Credits cannot extend deadlines past the last day of class.

Collaboration and academic integrity

Math is a collaborative activity! Even when we publish a paper alone, mathematicians are part of a sociopolitical fabric animated by our roles in institutions of education, research, and industry. You should work with your classmates to learn this material; you will do this in class! However, you may not copy anyone else’s work. Rather, you must write up your own solutions and give credit to classmates and other collaborators for important insights. Cases of academic dishonesty are taken seriously by the College and I am required to report them.

Large language models and generative AI

I understand the increasing ubiquity of these technologies, but I discourage their use in this course. While I can imagine some applications—helping you experiment with SageMath, for example—I encourage you to always critically reflect on whose labor is being replaced or which relationships lose out when you invoke these tools. If you are interested in thinking about sociological dimensions of automation and mathematical labor, this paper is a good place to start. Remember, I ask you to grapple with complex ideas in this course because we grow from productive struggle.

Usage of LLMs. In general, I view “generational use” of LLMs as inappropriate for this class, while “assistive use” can be appropriate. You may not ask an LLM to solve a problem for you, or ask questions of such a system that you would not ask of a classmate or me. You are welcome to ask me for help debugging code that you wrote, but I will not debug LLM-generated code. Moreover, I ask you to only turn to LLMs towards understanding a homework problem (never on exams or projects) after working with classmates and me. I do not authorize the sharing of my course materials with AI platforms. Lastly, transcription software is not allowed in class except with explicit permission via accommodation request.

Sources of support

You should expect to be challenged in this course! If you are stuck, know that you are following in the footsteps of all who came before you. Here is a list of available resources, some of which will be expanded upon below:

Student health

Your well-being should be your first priority. It is important to recognize stress you may be facing, which can be personal, emotional, physical, financial, or academic. Sleep, exercise, and building a supportive community are important! Please do not come to class if you are sick—instead, stay in communication with me and other students. If you cannot attend class for an extended period of time, reach out to me on how we can make accommodations for missed material and late work.

Accommodations for students with disabilities

The Office of Accessibility Resources is the campus office that collaborates with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations. If you have, or think you may have, a disability (e.g., mental health, attentional, learning, autism spectrum disorders, chronic health, traumatic brain injury and concussions, vision, hearing, mobility, or speech impairments), please contact oar@carleton.edu to arrange a confidential discussion regarding equitable access and reasonable accommodations. The College also makes available assistive technologies including audio recording Smartpens, text-to-speech and speech-to-text software, and more.

Personal electronics

There are no restrictions on phones, tablets, laptops, or other electronic equipment in the classroom, provided that said equipment is being used respectively and non-disruptively. Please silence your devices and be mindful of others, especially in discussions or other collaborative contexts.

Title IX

Be aware that all Carleton faculty and staff members, with the exception of Chaplains and SHAC staff, are “responsible employees.” Responsible employees are required to share any information they have regarding incidents of sexual misconduct with the Title IX Coordinator. Carleton’s goal is to ensure community members are aware of all the options available and have access to the resources they need. If you have questions, please contact Carleton’s Title IX Coordinator or visit the Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response website.

Land Acknowledgement. Carleton derives wealth and prestige through ownership of ancestral homelands of the Wahpekute and Mdewakanton bands of the Dakota Nation and more broadly as an academic institution in the United States. I urge you to support organizing work of Indigenous peoples seeking liberation through direct action, advocacy, and education.