University of Alberta
Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
STATISTICS 353 (A1)
Life Contingencies I
Fall 2006
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
E-mail:
Office Hours:
Website:
Rosana Fok
CAB 597
492-8750
rfok@math.ualberta.ca
 (please put “Stat 353” on subject line)
Tuesday 12:30 – 1:00, Friday 1:00 – 2:00 or by appointment
http://www.ualberta.ca/webct/
Class Location:
ED 165
Times of Classes: TR 11:00 – 12:20pm
Prerequisites:
MATH 215, 253 and STAT 265. This course cannot be taken for credit if
credit has already been obtained in Math 353.
Textbook:
Actuarial Mathematics (2nd edition), by Bowers, Gerber, Hickman, Jones
and Nesbitt (Required)
Major Topics:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Exam format:
Exams are closed book and NO formula sheets are allowed. You may
use a nonprogrammable calculator.
Assignments:
There will be 5 hand written homework assignments (due at 3pm).
Please submit your assignment in the appropriate wooden box (labeled
STAT 353 A01, Fok) on the 3rd floor of CAB before 3:00 pm on the due
date. The grader will pick up the assignments from the box after 3:00pm.
In any case, late assignments will not be accepted, and late
assignments or assignment submitted into an incorrect slot will receive a
mark of ZERO. I will return the assignments in class, usually one week
after the due date. NOTE: There are NO make-up assignments.
Solutions:
Solutions will be posted on the website after the assignments are due.
Midterm Exam:
Thursday, October 26, in class.
There are NO make-up midterm exams. If a student misses the midterm
exam and has a legitimate excuse, then the weight from that exam will be
applied to the final exam (see Calendar 23.5.6). Legitimate excuse
means that “A student must present a completed University of Alberta
Medical Statement form or Statutory Declaration, or other suitable
documentation, to justify their absence from the midterm exam. The
Survival Distributions and Life Tables (Ch 3)
Life Insurance (Ch 4)
Life Annuities (5.1 – 5.4)
Benefit Premiums (6.1 – 6.4)
Benefit Reserves (7.1 – 7.6)
student must be ill on the day of the missed exam, be seen by the doctor
on the day of the missed exam, and the form needs to be submitted
within 48 h of the missed event, or later if warranted by the nature of the
incapacitating event.”
Final Exam:
Wednesday, December 13, 9:00-12:00 (to be confirmed later)
Those students who have a valid excuse for missing the final exam (see
Calendar 23.5.6) must apply to their Faculty office to write a deferred
final exam. The deferred exam will be given on Saturday, January 13,
2007 in room TBA.
Grades:
Assignments and exams will be weighted as follows.
20% Assignments
30% Midterm exam
50% Final exam
Final letter grades will be determined as follows. At the end of term I will
have a record of each student's scores for all assignments and exams. I
will use the weights above to combine these into a single score (out of
100) and then use this combined score to rank everyone in order of merit.
After deciding whether the class as a whole is average, above average,
or below average, I will determine what proportion of the class should
receive each letter grade. The final grades are based on my assessment
of both absolute achievement and relative performance. There is no predetermined formula for converting raw scores to letter grades.
Code of Student Behaviour:
“The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of
academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar
with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the
policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged
to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student
Behaviour (online at www.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm) and avoid
any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating,
plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence.
Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension
or expulsion from the University.”
Homework Rules: You should work independently (for the most part) and write up your
work in your own words. Plagiarism is a violation of the Code of Student
Behaviour (Calendar Appendix A). In particular, no student shall submit
the words or ideas of another person as the student's own. The following
rules should be followed when writing up homework assignments. The
graders have been instructed to deduct marks if these rules are not
followed.
1. Show your work, briefly indicating the formula or method used to
obtain the solution. A numerical value, by itself, is not adequate.
2. Assignments should have a cover sheet, including your name, course
name, number, and section, your instructor's name, the assignment
number, and the submission date. These details are of particular
importance if your assignment is misplaced; e.g., put in the wrong
assignment box. To preserve confidentiality, write your student ID
number on the second page.
3. Pages should be stapled together. Paper clips and folded corners are
not acceptable.
4. Assignments should be legible, neatly written by hand or prepared on
a computer. Use a ruler when constructing graphs and tables. Label
axes and columns properly.