21-460: Topology

Exams

The course will have two closed book exams and a final exam. The mid-term exams will be given in class in roughly the sixth and thirteenth weeks of the semester.

Homework

There will be a homework set due every other class period. This seems to be a nice compromise between daily homework where there is little time to assimilate information, and weekly problem sets which allow a long time to pass without thinking deeply about the material

Each student will be allowed to have at most two late homework assignment during the semester. The late homeworks will be accepted up to seven days after the due date, with or without excuse, and without penalty.

Reading Assignments

Each student will be required to come to class each day prepared to ask a question. The question may be about that days reading assignment, or about material we have covered previously. Any student who is called upon and is not prepared to ask the required number of questions will have to ask an additional question for the next class.

Grading policy

The final grade for the course will be determined by your performance on the homework, the two midterm exams, and the final exam according to the following algorithm:

              Homework        20%
              Midterm #1      25%%
              Midterm #2      25%
              Final exam      30%

Letter Grades

Letter grades will be assigned according to the following guidelines:
R: < 49, D: 50-64, C: 65-74, B: 75-84, A: > 85
Adjustments to this scheme may be made if there is some operator-error in making up the tests.

Cheating

Any cheating on any mid-term or final exam will, at minimum, result in failure on that test, at maximum, in failure for the course. The incident will be reported to the Dean of Students per University policy. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, receiving aid from another student, giving aid to another student, or use of unauthorized materials.