Michigan State University

MTH 419HHonors Algebra IISpring 2006

COURSE PAGE:   http://www.math.msu.edu/~magyar/algebra.

INSTRUCTOR:  Peter Magyar,  magyar@math.msu.edu,  tel. 353-6330

OFFICE HOURS:  Mon, Wed, Fri 10am--12:00pm, Wells Hall D-326,and by appointment. Map

LECTURE:  Mon, Wed, Fri, 12:40-1:30pm, Wells Hall C-216. Map 

TEXT:  M. Artin, Algebra. We will follow the text closely this semester.

GRADES:  Based on:

Weekly Quizzes20%
Midterm Exams2 × 20%
Final Exam40%

The quiz score will include collected homework and oral presentations,with the lowest score dropped from the total.I will also assign extra credit homework problems and/or projects.

EXAMS: There will be two Midterm Exams about one-third and two-thirds of the way through the course (i.e., mid-February and late March). The Final Exam is scheduled for WedMay 3 at 3:00-5:00pm, in our usual classroom.

WEEKLY QUIZZES:  There will be a 20-minute quiz at the beginning of class every Friday, with questions drawn from the homework and lectures. This will either be a traditional written quiz, or an oral quiz in which I call on students to solve homework problems or closely related problems. If you cannot attend class on a quiz day, we can arrange for you to take the quiz early.

DAILY HOMEWORK:  I will not collect the daily homework listed on the course page, but it is crucial for you to do all the assigned problems, especially the more difficult ones. This is where you will learn the most, and test and quiz questions will be drawn largely from the homework.

IMPORTANT DATES:  Fri Feb 4: Last day to drop a course with tuition refund. Wed Mar 1: Last day to drop a course with no grade reported. Fri Apr 28: Last day of classes.Wed May 3: Final Exam.

GENERAL ADVICE:  This semester's material will be more in-depth, rigorous and fast-paced than in 418H. Be careful to keep up, and make use of my office hours, and do the homework.