ma516 syllabus

This is the syllabus for ma516. See the links above for course notes & guides.

instructor

Dr. Josh Thompson | office - JAMR 2226 | email

classroom

textbook / homework

Topology by James R. Munkres, 2nd edition. Homework will be assigned from the book and collected in class.

office hours

Monday: 3pm - 4pm
Tuesday: 3pm - 4pm
Wednesday: 3pm - 4pm
Thursday: 3pm - 4pm

grading

written homework 40%
presentations 10%
midterm 25%
final 25%

problem sets

There will be fourteen problem sets, one each week. as in any higher-level mathematics class, your proofs should be written in complete sentences. The goal of the proof should be to explain not to verify. Pictures and diagrams are encouraged. Problems will be graded as follows.

0 - left blank
3 - question copied, nothing else written
4 - something written apart from the question, but it appears to be written only to take up space
6 - substantially incomplete; does not really answer the main question; major errors; poor writing
8 - mostly complete; maybe a few minor errors
9 - complete; no errors; some personal insight; well-written
10 - wonderful

You are welcome to work with your classmates on problem sets but your final writeup must be your own. You are encouraged to ask me questions about the problem sets.

Presentations will be assigned from the problem sets. Each week, two or three students will be asked to present one of the problems from that week’s problem set to the class. Presenters should prepare a written solution to the problem they are assigned and be ready to explain it to the class. Presenters will be graded on clarity, correctness and presentation style.

exams

The midterm & final examination will be in class during our usual time. the exam will be closed book, closed notes, closed friends and open-brained.

other resources

algebraic topology - allen hatcher
three-dimensional geometry and topology - bill thurston & silvio levy
the geometry junkyard

learning outcomes

upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

distinguish spaces from one another using homeomorphisms, compactness and connectedness
create topological spaces using products, quotients and subspaces
compute the fundamental group of various manifolds

evaluation of these learning outcomes will be done through a mix of assignments, class exercises, projects, research papers, group work, written & oral quizzes and exams

course description

We will work through chapters 1,2,3,9,11,12

chapter 1 :: set theory & logic :: week 1
chapter 2 :: topological spaces & continuous functions :: weeks 2-7
chapter 3 :: connectedness & compactness :: weeks 8-9
chapter 9 :: the fundamental group :: weeks 10-11
chapter 11 :: the seifert-van kampen theorem :: week 12
chapter 12 :: classification of surfaces :: weeks 13-14

university policies

Academic Honesty: Cheating is not only unethical and pathetic, but is a violation of the Northern Michigan University Student Code and University Policy - and grounds for your dismissal from the University.

Discrimination & Harassment: Northern Michigan University does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, height, weight, martial status, handicap/disability, sexual orientation or veteran status. If you have a civil rights inquiry, contact the Affirmative Action Office at 906-227-2420.

*Americans with Disabilities Act Statement: If you have a need for disability-related accommodations or services, please inform the Coordinator of Disability Services in the Dean of Students Office at 2001 C. B. Hedgcock Building (227-1737 or disserv@nmu.edu). Reasonable and effective accommodations and services will be provided to students if requests are made in a timely manner, with appropriate documentation, in accordance with federal, state, and University guidelines.

The Registrar: Withdrawing from any course or any matters relating to registration are the responsibility of the student. For more information regarding this topic, check out the Registrars Website.