MAT 150-04
CALCULUS I
FALL, 2015
Times: M 4:45 – 5:35, Temp8 102; TR 4:45 – 6:00, EN C007.
Instructor: John Scheuermann
Office: EN D138
Office Phone: 392-5580 (You may leave voice-mail messages, but email preferred.)
E-mail address: scheuermanj1@southernct.edu
Website: http://home.southernct.edu/~scheuermanj1 All of the quizzes and tests from the previous times I
taught this course are here. I will email you a link to the site, a copy of the syllabus, and the course goals.
Office Hours: M 3:20 – 4:40, T 3:10 – 4:40, W 10:40 – 11:10, 1:30 - 2:00, R 3:30 – 4:40. Also by
appointment or by chance. You are always welcome to stop by and see if I am in my office. Please
note: If you come to my office hours, I assume you are trying to understand the material, rather than
just have me show you how to do a specific problem. So expect me to ask you at least as many
questions as you ask me!
Course Prerequisites: C- or better in MAT 122 or a satisfactory score on the Placement Exam.
Text: Calculus, Early Transcendentals, 2nd edition, by Briggs, Cochran, and Gillett. We will cover most of
Chapters 2-5. This text has a MyMathLab on-line accompaniment. I will not require its use, and it
will not be used in determining your grade. However, your Calc II or III teacher may require it!
Equipment: Students must have a graphing calculator. TI-83 & 84’s are strongly recommended. TI-89’s,
TI-92’s and similar calculators are not permitted.
General: You are responsible for any material covered in lecture, the text, and the assigned homework
problems. Please bring your textbook and calculator with you to each class.
According to University Policy, an average student should expect to work on course material at least
two to three hours outside of class for each hour spent in class.
Students are encouraged to seek help when needed from the instructor. Office hours have been
established for that purpose. You do not need an appointment to see me during office hours. Don’t wait till
the day before a test or the week before the final to get help! If you are not satisfied with how well you are
doing in the class, come and talk to me. If you get D’s and F’s on your tests and don’t come and talk to me,
I will assume you are satisfied with getting D’s and F’s.
The University also offers a free tutoring service that many students have found useful. I will let
you know the schedule for this course when it becomes available.
Make sure you have someone in the class you can get notes and assignments from if you miss a
class. Do not call or email me to ask what was covered or assigned.
Southern Connecticut State University provides reasonable accommodations in accordance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, for students with documented
disabilities on an individualized basis. If you are a student with a documented disability, the University’s
Disability Resource Center (DRC) can work with you to determine appropriate accommodations. Before
you receive accommodations in this class, you will need to make an appointment with the Disability
Resource Center located at EN C-105A. To discuss your approved accommodations with me or other
concerns, such as medical emergencies or arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make
an appointment to meet as soon as possible.
Grading: Your grade will be determined as follows (no extra credit work will be given!):
Quizzes (two lowest dropped)
16%
3 One-hour exams
17% each
Cumulative Final Exam
33%
A- (90-92.9), A (93-96.9), A+ (97-100)
C- (70-72.9), C (73-76.9), C+ (77-79.9)
F
Below 60
B- (80-82.9), B (83-86.9), B+ (87-89.9)
D- (60-62.9), D (63-66.9), D+ (67-69.9)
You will be graded on more than just your answers. Problems must be solved in a neat, clear, and
mathematically correct manner using correct notation. Any incorrect notation written on quizzes must be
rewritten and handed in. Incorrect notation on tests will cost you points! Any answers that are given
without sufficient supporting work or explanation will be given zero credit. All scratch paper used must be
turned in with your work.
I take off extra points for wrong answers that should have been easy to check (such as equations of
lines) or for answers that you should have known were obviously wrong. If you know your answer is wrong
but aren’t sure how to fix it, make sure to state that on the test.
Making mistakes that Calculus students should not make (fractions, squaring 3x + 5, solving
quadratics, etc.) will require an entire sheet of those problems to be solved 100% correctly.
In every class I have taught so far, test results and quiz results are almost always very similar. Thus,
bad quiz scores (less than 20 out of 25) should be taken as a warning! Don’t just write down the corrections
for a wrong quiz problem and then think you can do it. Instead, go to my old tests or the book to find
similar problems and make sure you can get the correct answers.
Homework: Homework will be assigned daily, but will not be collected or graded. You should do as many
of the assigned problems as you need to do in order to convince yourself that you could do all of those
assigned. We will spend time at the beginning of each class going over any of the homework any student
had trouble with. Students are encouraged to discuss the problems or work together with their classmates.
Answers to the odd-numbered exercises are in the back of the book. Even though homework does not
count directly toward your grade, the amount of homework you do will have a huge impact on how
well you do in the course! Try not to fall behind – it is difficult to catch up in a math class.
Keep all homework problems that you do together in a separate folder or place in a notebook. I may
ask to see it if you are having trouble in class.
Attendance Policy: Students are strongly urged to attend every class. Although attendance will not
count directly toward your grade, regular attendance will also have a huge impact on how you do on the
tests! I do not take attendance, but I do notice who does and doesn’t attend class. If you miss a class, get
the notes from a friend, read the book, try the homework, and then come see me if you still need help. Do
not call or email me requesting missed assignments or sections covered.
Make-up Policy: In general, make-up exams will not be given. If you miss a quiz, you may take it before
the next class (subject to the cheating rule mentioned below!). However, you may only take 2 late quizzes
during the semester. If you miss an exam due to an emergency or other extenuating circumstances, you
must contact me as soon as possible. Do not wait until the next class. You can always call me and leave a
voice-mail message or send me an e-mail. If you miss an exam for any reason I don’t consider
legitimate, you will get a zero on that exam. An excused absence on an exam will result in the other
exams (21% each) and the final (42%) counting more towards your final grade.
Honesty: Cheating is anything the instructor decides is cheating. If there is any chance that what you want
to do will be considered cheating, ask first! Cheating on any test (or quiz) will result in a grade of 0 (and
will not be dropped) for that work. You will also be reported to the dean. If you are caught cheating on a
quiz or test that I let you take outside the scheduled time, you will automatically fail the course!
Late Withdrawals: I do not give late withdrawals unless there are extenuating circumstances. Doing
poorly is not an extenuating circumstance. I usually require a note from a doctor or counselor.
Missed Classes: If we miss a class for any reason, whatever was scheduled for the missed class will be
done the first day back. Call 392-SNOW to find out about snow delays and cancellations.
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