Grades

Grade Components

Tests: 75%

MyLab homework: 10%

Quizzes: 10%

Class participation assignments: 5%

Grading Scale

A: 90 - 100

B: 80 – 89

C: 70 – 79

D: 60 – 69

F: < 60

What will we do in this class?

Major Proctored Assessments: There will be 5 test, equally weighted.  Test 3 and 5 will have a short take home project included, valued at not more than 20% of the test grade. 

Homework: Homework will be completed on MyLab, and will be valued at 10% of the grade.

Quizzes: Written quizzes will be assigned every week and will be valued at 10% of the course grade.

Group work: Every class will include group work, and assigned work will be required each class.

What happens if I miss something?

Dropped Grade Policy: I will drop up to 2 quizzes, and 2 MyLab grades

Late Work Policy: Assigned work will be due at 9am at the beginning of class.  No late work will be accepted. 

Missed Exam Policy: There are no Make up exams.  If a student must miss an exam for an excused reason with advanced notice, The value of the other test grades will be increased.  Only 1 exam may be missed.

Attendance/Class Participation Expectations and Policy: Regular and punctual class and laboratory attendance is expected of all students. If attendance or compliance with other course policies is unsatisfactory, the instructor may withdraw students from the class.

Required Materials 

This is a First Day™ class. The cost of required course materials, including an online version of the textbook and software access, has been added to your tuition and fees bill.  

Textbook: Using & Understanding Mathematics: A Quantitative Reasoning Approach, 8th Edition by Bennett & Briggs. Pearson Publishing (MyLab software)  ISBN-10: 0137575335, ISBN-13: 9780137575336

Calculator: You will need a scientific or business calculator; it should have a yx or xy key and a square root key. Graphing calculators are fine but not required. You may be working in a computer lab depending on availability and the instructor's discretion.

Course Calendar

Note: Schedule changes may occur during the semester. Any changes will be announced in class and posted as a Blackboard Announcement.

Course Content

Course Description

Credit Hours: 3, Contact Hours: 3

MATH 1332 - Contemporary Mathematics (3-3-0). A topics-based course, with a variety of possible topics chosen by individual instructors. The selected topics may include: sets, logic, number theory, geometry, probability and statistics, and the mathematics of finance and social choice. This course is not algebra-intensive, and is designed for non-technical majors.

Course Rationale

This course is intended to provide non-mathematics and non-science majors with a survey of topics in mathematics.  The emphasis may be towards developing students' quantitative reasoning skills, illustrating the beauty of mathematics as a discipline, and/or imparting a feel for the different ways in which mathematics is used.  The students who take this course generally are in nursing, the liberal arts, communication, workforce programs, or some social sciences. This course may be used to satisfy the Core Curriculum and the General Education Mathematics requirements.

Course Objectives

1. Increase/improve your quantitative literacy.
2. Provide you with an opportunity to experience mathematics as an intellectual exercise and a way of thinking.
3. Provide you with an opportunity to appreciate the visual and intellectual beauty of mathematics.

 Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, a student should be able to:

• Apply the language and notation of sets. 
• Determine the validity of an argument or statement and provide mathematical evidence.  
• Solve problems in mathematics of finance. 
• Demonstrate fundamental probability/counting techniques and apply those techniques to solve problems.  
• Interpret and analyze various representations of data. 
• Demonstrate the ability to choose and analyze mathematical models to solve problems from real-world settings, including, but not limited to, personal finance, health literacy, and civic engagement.
• Understand that mathematics is an evolving discipline, interrelated with human culture, and understand its connections to other disciplines. 

General Education Competencies

• Communication Skills: Develop, interpret, and express ideas and information through written, oral and visual communication that is adapted to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.
• Critical Thinking Skills: Gather, analyze, synthesize, evaluate and apply information for the purposes of innovation, inquiry, and creative thinking.
• Empirical and Quantitative Skills: Apply mathematical, logical and scientific principles and methods through the manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions.