CATALOG DESCRIPTION: College Algebra I (3:3:0). Quadratic equations; equations in quadratic form; word problems, graphing; algebraic fractions; negative and rational exponents; radicals.

PREREQUISITE: Math 4 or satisfactory performance on the mathematics proficiency examination. Students who do not meet the prerequisite may have great difficulty in the course.

TEXT: Intermediate Algebra for College Students, 7th edition, by Jerome E. Kaufmann, published by PWS-Kent Publishing.

COURSE FORMAT: There are three 50-minute lectures each week. The sections covered in these lectures are listed at the end of this syllabus.

EXAMINATIONS: Three 75-minute evening examinations will be given during the semester and a comprehensive final exam will be given during the final exam period. NO books, notes, or calculators may be used on the examinations. You must bring your University ID card to all exams. The three examinations will be given from 6:30 to 7:45 PM on the following dates:

Rooms for the exams will be announced by your instructor at a later date, and may also be found on the bulletin board outside 107 Whitmore Laboratory.

CONFLICT EXAMINATIONS: For the three mid-semester examinations, there is a conflict examination from 5:05 to 6:20 PM on the same night as the regular examination. If you have a conflict with the regular examination time, such as a class or other scheduled activity, you may sign up in room 108 Whitmore Laboratory to take the conflict examination. You must have a valid reason for taking the conflict exam, and you need to sign up by 48 hours before the exam date. The room for the conflict examination is on the top of the sign up sheet. Students must bring their University ID to the conflict exam. The ID will be checked by the proctor. Although the conflict examination will end at 6:20 PM, no student will be permitted to leave the exam room before 6:25 PM. A student who leaves before 6:25 PM will receive a grade of zero on the examination and will not be allowed to retake it.

MAKEUP EXAMINATIONS: Students who have a valid documneted reason, such as a class conflict or illness during both the conflict and regular examination times are permitted to schedule a makeup examination with no penalty. Students who do not have a valid reason for missing the examination, such as forgetting the date, time, or room of an examination, are also permitted to schedule a makeup, but 20 points will be deducted from their score. The makeup examinations are given from 6:30 to 7:45 PM on the following evenings:

In order to take a makeup examination, you must sign up with your instructor within 48 hours of the date of the regular exam. Students must get a sign up form from the instructor and bring it to 108 Whitmore to sign up for the make up examination. You will be given the room for the makeup examination when you sign up. You must be prepared to verify the reason for taking the makeup. Students who have taken the regularly scheduled examination are not permitted to take the makeup examination. Students who have not signed up for the makeup will not be allowed to take it. Students must bring their University ID to the makeup exam. The ID will be checked by the proctor. If a student misses both the regularly scheduled examination and the scheduled makeup, it may be possible to take a makeup examination by appointment. With a valid, verifiable reason, these makeup examinations will be given with no penalty. Otherwise, at least a 20-point penalty will be imposed. All such makeup examinations must be scheduled through the course coordinator, and must be completed no later than one week after the scheduled makeup examination. Information on contacting the course coordinator is given later in this handout.

FINAL EXAMINATION: The final examination will be given during the week, May 3 - 7, 2004. The date and time of the final examination will be announced by the University Registrar midway through the semester. The final examination will be scheduled on any day during the final examination period.  Do not plan to leave University Park until after Friday, May 7, 2004. There are two types of conflict examinations, direct and overload. Direct conflicts are two examinations scheduled at the same time. Students with a direct conflict should file for a conflict examination in Shields Building with the University Registrar. Overload examinations are three or more examinations scheduled within a fifteen hour period, from the beginning of the first examination to the beginning of the third examination. Students may elect to take the three or more examinations on the same day if they wish or request a conflict final examination through the University Registrar. .

Students may file for direct and overload conflict examinations at the Registrar's Office between February 23 and March 5.

Students who miss the final examination will be allowed to take a makeup final examination. If the student has a valid and documented reason, such as illnesss, no penalty will be imposed. Students who have taken the original final examination are not permitted to take a makeup examination.

DEFERRED GRADES: Students who are unable to complete the course because of illness or emergency may be granted a deferred grade which will allow the student to complete the course within the first six weeks of the following semester. If the student is scheduled for Math 110 or Math 140, then the student must complete the course within 2 weeks of the following semester. Note that deferred grades are limited to those students who can verify and document a valid reason for not being able to take the final examination. See Policies and Rules, Student Guide to the University, Policy 48-40.

COURSE GRADES: Grades will be assigned on the basis of 500 points, distributed as follows:

Final course grades will be assigned as follows:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY STATEMENT: "Academic dishonesty includes, but is no limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, . . ., facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with academic work of other students. . . . A student charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge by the instructor. If students believe that they have been falsely accused, they should seek redress through informal discussions with the instructor, the department head, dean or campus executive officer. If the instructor believes that the infraction is sufficiently serious to warrant the referral of the case to Judicial Affairs, or if the instructor will award a final grade of F in the course because of the infraction, the student and instructor will be afforded formal due process procedures." From Policies and Rules, Student Guide to the University Policy 49-20.

QUESTIONS, PROBLEMS, OR COMMENTS: If you have questions or concerns about the course, please consult your instructor first. If further guidance is needed, you may contact the course coordinator Dr. Palanivel Manoharan. Dr. Manoharan's e-mail address is manohar@math.psu.edu and his office is 108 Whitmore Lab.

LECTURE-BY-LECTURE BREAKDOWN