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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "MA 197-1"
COURSE NAME: "Pre-Calculus"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2021
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Sara Munday
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
TTH 1:30 PM 2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisite: Placement or completion of MA 101 with a grade of C- or above
OFFICE HOURS:
By appointment
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course provides an introduction to Calculus that focuses on functions and graphs. The properties of absolute value, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions will be studied, along with the techniques for solving equations and inequalities involving those functions.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This course will serve as an introduction to Calculus I and will develop further the fundamental concepts studied in Intermediate Algebra, often oriented towards practical applications in business and economics. Particular emphasis will be given to functions as the first step towards analysing real world problems in mathematical terms. Registration for the course is by placement or by completion of MA101 with a grade of C- or higher.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The students at the end of the course will be expected to have developed their problem-solving abilities, they will be expected to be able to recognise when a problem is similar to one they have seen before and will be expected to be use the material learnt in class and in the homework exercises to solve problems that are not necessarily identical to ones they have already seen. The foundational material for a class in calculus will all be covered, but the most important aspect of precalculus is to transition from the idea of mathematics as "plugging numbers in a formula" or "following rules to get the answer", to thinking abstractly and creatively to solve problems.
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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| PRECALCULUS. Mathematics for Calculus | J. Stewart, L. Redlin, S. Watson | Brooks Cole | ISBN-10: 0840068867, ISBN-13: 9780840068866 | | | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Final Exam (comprehensive) | The final will be comprehensive, but will be weighted more heavily towards the later topics, in particular, trigonometry. | 40% |
| Participation | Participation in the lectures and exercise classes, and doing the weekly homework will count for 20% of the grade. NOTE: Participation does not mean "turning up". It means actively participating, to the best of the student's ability, in ALL of the class activities, including submitting ALL homework assignments and participating in the group problem solving activities. | 20% |
| quizzes | There will be a total of 6 quizzes given during the semester. These quizzes will NOT be announced beforehand (that is, they are spot quizzes). The lowest two grades will be dropped, the highest 4 grades will be worth 10% each. | 40% |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. The student demonstrates complete, accurate, and critical knowledge of all the topics, and is able to solve problems autonomously.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence that the student uses clear logic in their arguments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures. Mathematical statements are properly written most of the time.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material. Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included. Many mistakes are made in solving the problem raised. In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that they should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the subject matter. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendence is mandatory, along with university policy. To make up missed exams, the student needs to obtain permission from the Dean's Office.
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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| Session | Session Focus | Reading Assignment | Other Assignment | Meeting Place/Exam Dates |
| Week 1 | Chapter 1 - Review of Intermediate Algebra | | | |
| Week 2-3-4 | Functions: graphs, monotonicity, transformations of graphs, straight lines, inverse functions, modelling with functions | Chapter 2 | | |
| Week 5 - 6 | Polynomials and Rational Functions | Chapter 3 | | |
| Week 7-8-9 | Exponential and Logarithmic Functions, modelling | Chapter 4 | | |
| Week 10-11-12 | Trigonometry | Chapters 5-7 | | |
| Week 13-14 | Polar co-ordinates and parametric equations | Chapter 8 | | |
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