American River College
Department of Mathematics
Spring 2017
January 15 – May 17
Instructor: C. Heeren
Course: Math 300 (Mathematical Ideas)
Course Code: 10759
MyMathLab ID: heeren33757
Schedule: MW 12:00-1:20
Location: Portable 604
Office: Howard Hall #127
Office Hours: MW 9:00-10:30, T Th 10:25-11:25
Office Phone: 484-8605
Email: [email protected]
Units: 3
Prerequisite: MATH 120 (Intermediate Algebra), 124 (Intermediate Algebra, Part II), 125
(Intermediate Algebra with Applications), 129 (Elementary and Intermediate Algebra), or 133
(Combined Algebra – Part III) with a grade of "C" or better; or placement through the assessment
process.
Description: This course makes fundamental concepts and processes more meaningful for
non-mathematics majors through a study of several mathematical topics, including the
history of mathematics, numeration systems, logic, geometry, algebraic modeling,
combinatorics, probability, statistics, sets, matrices, consumer mathematics, equations and
inequalities, functions and graphs, problem solving, graph theory, voting and apportionment,
and number theory. This course is not recommended for students entering elementary school
teaching or business administration majors.
Materials:
 Text:
o MyMathLab Student Access Kit (required)
o Mathematical Ideas, Miller/Hornsby, 13th ed., Addison Wesley, 2016 (optional)
 Calculator: Scientific calculator required (Texas Instruments recommended)
 Graph paper and pencil.
Grading:
Weighting
Homework
Quizzes:
Exams:
Final Exam:
Total:
15%
15%
50%
20%
100%
Grade Assignment
90% - 100%
A
80% - 89%
B
70% - 79%
C
60% - 69%
D
Below 60%
F
Attendance: Regular attendance is critical for your success in any mathematics course. If you choose to
stop attending class meetings, it is your responsibility to drop the course. You may be dropped for three
unexcused absences (and will be if your current grade is an F), as this exceeds 6% of the total class
hours (see the catalog). Any student dropped after the deadline (see Critical Dates below) will be given
an “F” grade. Work (including exams) missed due to unexcused absence will earn no credit. Absences
due to illness verified by the Health Center or personal physician may be excused and arrangements may
be made to make up missed work.
Critical Dates:
Jan 16: Last day to bring verification of prerequisite
Jan 27: Last day to drop to qualify for fee refunds
Jan 29: Last day to drop without notation on record
Feb 20: Washington’s Birthday
Apr 10-16: Spring Recess (No classes held)
Apr 16: Last day to drop class with “W” grade
Monday, May 15: Final Examination (12:45-2:45)
-1-
Homework: Homework will be assigned daily, via MyMathLab. The online homework affords you
the ability to choose similar problems to try if you are struggling with concepts, and you have access to
step-by-step hints.
Homework will be due two class meetings after it is assigned, unless announced otherwise. Please
attempt homework early so you know what questions to ask before the due date. Late homework is not
accepted, but your lowest 2 homework scores will be dropped. Pace yourself. It is reasonable to
expect 2-3 hours of study/homework time for each hour spent in class.
Quizzes: These will generally be short quizzes based on recent material. They will be given often, but
may be unannounced, and may occur at any time during class. Some quizzes will be group quizzes,
and some may be "take-home" quizzes. You may not make up missed quizzes. Your lowest quiz score
will be dropped.
Exams: There will be five exams and a final exam. Each exam will cover material from approximately
five sections in the text. If a student misses an exam due to an excused absence (see attendance policy),
he or she is responsible for making arrangements with the instructor to make up the exam. Exams
missed for any other reason will be given a “zero” grade. One 3" by 5" card of notes/formulas will be
allowed while taking each exam, including the final exam. Your final exam score will replace your
lowest nonzero exam score, if this helps your overall grade. (Please note: this does not mean that
your lowest test score will be dropped, and a zero exam score will not be replaced.)
Class Time: We will typically spend the first several minutes of class discussing homework problems.
Quizzes will often be given following this discussion time. Brief lectures will be given, and there will be
opportunities to practice doing problems both individually and in groups. Questions are always
encouraged.
Academic Integrity: Cheating in any form will result in a “zero” grade for that assignment (including
exams). Specifically, cell phones must be turned off and put away during exams. Individual
assessments (tests, quizzes) are meant to measure your understanding of the concepts covered in this
course. If you obtain information from any other source (i.e., a friend who is texting you, a classmate
who is communicating with you in any way, the internet, etc.) during the assessment, you are cheating.
Support Services: Students needing help beyond what is offered during class are encouraged to
consider one or more of the following:
 Form a study group with other students in the class. Discussing mathematics with others is an
excellent way to learn.
 Take advantage of the tutoring available in the Learning Resource Center.
 See your instructor during office hours or communicate by email.
 If you need special accommodations due to a disability, please feel free to communicate this to
your instructor via email, during office hours, or before/after class. Your instructor wants you to
succeed in this course.
Learning Outcomes and Objectives: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:




discuss several branches of mathematics, including their history and uses beyond
mathematics.
identify appropriate procedures and solve exercises from selected mathematical
topics.
apply critical thinking skills to solve exercises in new settings.
explain the process and results of several mathematical procedures.
-2-
Hints for Success: Here are some proven practices for enhancing your learning. If you have struggled
with math in the past, then these strategies will likely lead to a different experience this semester.
1) Pre-reading: It is a good idea to read ahead in the book. For example, if you know that sections
3.2 and 3.3 will be covered in the next class meeting, you should read them before class meets,
and perhaps even try a few problems to see if you are getting the idea.
2) Participate: If you have a gym membership, you may have noticed that the gym you belong to
has no bleachers. This is because no one gets in shape by watching others work out. The study of
mathematics is a mental discipline. It is virtually impossible to make progress by merely
observing others engage in the discipline. On the other hand, when you engage yourself in class
discussion and group activities, you will find yourself making progress and feeling good about it.
3) Form a study group: Discussing mathematics is a good way to learn (after all, you must be
thinking about it in order to discuss it). Answering questions forces you to think about concepts
more thoroughly than you would ordinarily.
4) Take notes and review them: In order to gain mastery of mathematical concepts, one must
spend time thinking about them. This is particularly true of definitions and formulas. Spending
time reviewing your notes before (or while) attempting homework problems is a good way to
solidify your understanding of key concepts. It is also a good way to prepare for exams.
5) Keep short accounts: If you feel lost, please feel free to ask questions. Take advantage of
office hours. If you let unanswered questions accumulate, you run the risk of becoming very
discouraged about your progress. It’s sort of like building up massive credit card debt and failing
to pay the balance every month. After a while, with growing debt and outrageous finance
charges, one can become financially depressed. On the other hand, if you “pay as you go” (as
challenging as that may seem at times), you don’t build up debt, and the future looks much
brighter. In this course, the best way to “pay as you go” is to do homework consistently and ask
questions regularly so you can keep your “learning debt” as close to zero as possible.
6) Be organized: Keeping an organized notebook makes a course much less stressful. In particular,
studying for an exam is not so daunting when one has consolidated all the study materials (notes,
handouts, homework, exams, etc.) in an orderly fashion.
7) Don’t waste time worrying: If you find yourself experiencing math anxiety or test anxiety, you
are not alone. In fact, your instructor knows what it is like to experience doubt when an exam
looms on the horizon, or when a homework assignment is due the next day but is not nearly
finished. But worrying is a complete waste of time. Rather than expending “mental energy” on
worrying, set the anxiety aside and focus on learning. \
-3-