Dr. Austin's M325K, Spring 2020
Discrete Mathematics
Unique #52765


CLASS MEETINGS     MWF 1:00 - 1:50 pm in RLM 7.124

INSTRUCTOR                  Dr. Austin
Jennifer K. Mann Austin, Ph.D.
Office: RLM 8.112
Office Hours: Wednesdays 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, Thursdays 11:45 am - 12:45 pm, Fridays 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, and by appointment
Email: jmann@math.utexas.edu <<---This is THE way to communicate with me outside of class and office hours!
Website: http://www.ma.utexas.edu/users/jmann/

TEXT               Discrete Mathematics: Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning by Susanna S. Epp, First Edition (Brief Edition)

STUDENT OBJECTIVES
M 325K Discrete Mathematics students will:

HONOR CODE          The class is expected to uphold The University of Texas at Austin Honor Code. The core values of the University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the University is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.

INDEPENDENT INQUIRY
This course carries the Independent Inquiry flag. Independent Inquiry courses are designed to engage you in the process of inquiry over the course of a semester, providing you with the opportunity for independent investigation of a question, problem, or project related to your major. Therefore, you should expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from the independent investigation and presentation of your own work.

ATTENDANCE POLICY
You are expected to attend all class meetings. If you are absent, there is no need to email me to ask what material we covered during class, what the assignments are, what sections the exams will cover, or any other questions that I have answered or will answer during class. All of this information can be found via our Canvas course calendar, files, announcements, assignments, etc. I realize that sometimes absence is necessary. In such a situation, you should contact a classmate to get notes and information for the class you missed. As it is a good idea to work together throughout the semester, we will take time in class on Day 1 to meet our classmates and for you to share contact information with classmates.

SEMESTER EXAM DATES
There are three in-class exams during the semester. There will be no makeup exams. If you miss an exam and have a valid excuse (e.g., “a broken leg,” not “a party the night before”), then your score will be replaced by your score on the final examination. If you miss an exam without a valid excuse, your score will be a zero. Use of approved calculators is expected during exams. If a student misses a semester exam, then he or she will need to meet individually with Dr. Austin to determine whether a medical withdrawal or an incomplete is appropriate.
Exam 1: Friday, February 14
Exam 2: Friday, March 13
Exam 3: Wednesday, April 15

FINAL EXAM DATE             Saturday, May 16, 2020, 2:00 - 5:00 pm
See the university schedule here: http://registrar.utexas.edu/schedules/202/finals
The mandatory final exam will be a cumulative, in-class exam. You cannot miss this, thus plan accordingly. Final exams are not returned to students.

HOMEWORK
Homework will be posted on Canvas. Students are encouraged to discuss all aspects of the course with each other. Homework is your opportunity to practice and try the concepts of our course in a low-stakes assignment. I want to strongly encourage you to give an honest attempt on the variety of problems that I will assign as homework. Utilize my office hours and really work to fully understand each homework assignment.

Homework is due via online submission with all due dates as posted on the Canvas calendar. You must upload a pdf file of your homework in Canvas. It is preferred that homework is typed using appropriate mathematical typesetting, such as LaTeX or MathType. It is acceptable to write out the homework by hand, but your only means of homework submission is by uploading a pdf of your work in Canvas. Only a portion of each homework assignment will be graded for accuracy, although all problems will be graded for attempt. Students are encouraged to discuss all aspects of the course with each other. However, each student should type or write their own solutions to homework problems. Copying another student's solution or that from another text is a violation of the honor code and fails to contribute to your personal mathematical development. No late homework will be accepted for any reason! No credit will be given for unsupported answers. This means that all work should be shown, neatly and logically, using correct notation. The two lowest homework scores will not be used in computing the semester's homework grade.

ENGAGEMENT CHECKS and CLASS PARTICIPATION      
We all learn by doing. As Undergraduate Mathematics Faculty Advisor, the first thing I hear from employers who come to campus to recruit our students is that they are looking for graduates who not only can do mathematics but who can communicate well both with their colleagues and their clients. Throughout the semester there will be multiple check-in questions, checks-for-understanding, formal cooperative learning, and presentation opportunities. Our small class is a great environment in which you will be challenged to develop and refine your skills in oral and written communication, productive debating, explaining and defending your work, and working together on a team.

When Dr. Austin leads the class presentation there will be ample opportunities for students to contribute to the class discussions. Moreover, there will be many times that your fellow classmates are presenting in class. In all classes you are expected to answer directed questions, to ask questions for any needed clarity, and to add helpful comments. You will often work in groups and present problems during class meetings. When either Dr. Austin or a student is presenting, the other classmates are required to ask questions and make certain they understand what has been presented. The presenter has the first opportunity to address any questions or comments, and then other classmates are encouraged to contribute.

Your Engagement Checks grade will be determined by your participation and performance on engagement checks occurring in class throughout the semester. UT Instapoll within Canvas will be utilized for most, if not all, of these engagement checks. Students need to bring an internet-ready device such as a smartphone to class each day.

Student presentations will come from class examples, assigned homework problems, group work, exam review problems, and class discussions. Your participation grade will be based on individual presentations, class discussion contributions (answering questions, providing clarifications, etc. as noted by Dr. Austin recording your name in class), effort exhibited in class, and engagement in group work. Finally, the instructor will be the sole arbiter of the class participation portion of your grade and will not negotiate with you in any manner.

GRADING      
10% Homework
8% Engagement Checks
16% Class Participation
16% Exam 1
16% Exam 2
16% Exam 3
18% Final Exam

The lowest exam grade will be replaced by the final exam grade if the final exam grade is higher than the lowest exam grade. Grades will be recorded in Canvas. Canvas is NOT used to determine your semester grade in this course. Canvas is only used as a means to store and share your grades. All of your individual grades will remain in Canvas as the score you originally earned on each of them. Your semester grade for the course is determined as detailed in this syllabus. No semester assignments will be accepted after the last day of classes Friday, May 8, 2020. Your final exam grade is final and non-negotiable. Thus, any discussions of your course grade must occur prior to the final exam administration.

Plus/minus grades will be assigned for the final grade as follows: A (100-92.6), A- (92.5-89.6), B+ (89.5-86.6), B (86.5-82.6), B- (82.5-79.6), C+ (79.5-76.6), C (76.5-72.6), C- (72.5-69.6), D+ (69.5-66.6), D (66.5-62.6), D- (62.5-59.6), F (59.5-0).
 
PREREQUISITE        M408D, M408L, or M408S with a grade of at least C-.

COURSE DESCRIPTION        M325K Discrete Mathematics is the most appropriate upper-division mathematics course just after calculus for many of our math majors. A few other majors such as computer science or electrical engineering also take this course to develop discrete logic skills. In this course, students master how to write a formal mathematical proof, how to disprove mathematical statements, and how to find counterexamples. I create many non-intimidating opportunities in class for M325K students to share and demonstrate each step of writing these basic mathematical proofs. As this is a first course that emphasizes understanding and creating proofs, it provides a transition from the problem-solving approach of calculus to the entirely rigorous approach of advanced courses such as M365C or M373K. The number of topics required for coverage has been kept modest so as to allow adequate time for students to develop theorem-proving skills.

COURSE WEBSITE        http://www.ma.utexas.edu/users/jmann/sp20M325K.html
Additionally, course notes, exam review guides, grades, and other essential course information will be posted on Canvas. Exam dates, the course schedule, and homework assignments will be shown on the Canvas course calendar.
 
ADVICE FOR SUCCESS
Actively participate in the course by attending class, participating in class discussions, asking questions in class, working the assigned homework problems, and utilizing the office hours of Dr. Austin.

Before you email me to ask a question about the rules and procedures of this course, please read through this syllabus to see if the answer is written here. I diligently tried to include here any information that you might ask; please utilize it.
 
SERVICES AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS
The University of Texas provides appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259. http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/

COMPUTER LAB
The mathematics department's 40 seats undergrad computer lab, RLM 7.122, is open to all students enrolled in math courses. Students can sign up for an individual account themselves in the computer lab using their UT EID. We have most of the mainstream commercial math software: Mathematica, Maple, Matlab, and an assortment of open source programs.
RLM Building Hours are:               
M-Th:  6:00am -- 11:00pm                   
F:  6:00am -- 10:00pm                
Sat:  6:00am -- 5:00pm                
Sun:  2:00pm -- 11:00pm

STUDENT CONDUCT
Silence all cell phones and other noisemakers. Please come to class on time. If you will be late or need to leave early for some legitimate reason, please tell me in advance. Coming and going during class is distracting to your fellow students and the instructor, and we do not like it.

PLANNED TOPIC and EXAM SCHEDULE        See our course calendar in Canvas. Deviations from this tentative calendar may occur during the semester. The actual material covered each day can only be determined by attending class.

RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS
By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, you will be given an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.

DEADLINES FOR DROPPING A COURSE
If you drop a class on or before February 5 (12th class day), the class will not show up on your transcript. If you drop a class after that date, the course will show up on the transcript with a "Q" grade. After April 6 it is not possible to drop a course except for extenuating (usually non-academic) circumstances.

POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Students who violate University rules on academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. Since such dishonesty harms the individual, all students, and the integrity of the University, policies on academic dishonesty will be strictly enforced. At a minimu, you should any assignments, exams, and other scholastic endeavors with the utmost honesty, which requires you to: acknowledge the contributions of other sources to your scholastic efforts; complete your assignments independently unless explicitly authorized to seek or obtain assistance in preparing them; follow instructions for assignments and exams, and observe the standards of your academic discipline; and avoid engaging in any form of academic dishonesty on behalf of yourself or another student. For further information, please visit the Student Conduct and Academic Integrity website.

EMERGENCY EVACUATION POLICY
Occupants of buildings on The University of Texas at Austin campus are required to evacuate buildings when a fire alarm is activated. Alarm activation or announcement requires exiting and assembling outside. Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of each classroom and building you may occupy. Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when entering the building. Students requiring assistance in evacuation shall inform their instructor in writing during the first week of class. In the event of an evacuation, follow the instruction of faculty or class instructors. Do not re-enter a building unless given instructions by the following: Austin Fire Department, The University of Texas at Austin Police Department, or Fire Prevention Services office.

Behavior Concerns Advice Line
BCAL: 512-232-5050

Link to information regarding emergency evacuation routes and emergency procedures can be found at www.utexas.edu/emergency

RECOMMENDATIONS
UT Math Club
UT Association for Women in Mathematics
Directed Reading Program
Information for Math Majors

Return to Dr. Austin's Home Page        http://www.ma.utexas.edu/users/jmann/