Information on this syllabus is subject to change. Any updates will be posted to this site. In particular, any required changes in course delivery, such as transition to remote delivery only, may necessitate significant modifications to this syllabus.
Instructor: Ariel Barton
Contact information:
Email: aeb019@uark.edu.
Office: SCEN 348.
Email will be reviewed within one business day.
Class time and location: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 11:50 a.m.–12:40 p.m., January 18–May 3, 2023, Physics Classroom 132.
Office hours: Office hours will be held at the following times:
If the selected times do not work for you, if you want face-to-face office hours, or if you wish to speak to me privately, please email me and we will schedule an appointment at another time.
Remote office hours will work more smoothly if we can communicate effectively. In particular, I would like to be able to see what you write.
At a minimum, if you type your homework, you can share your screen so that I can see what you typed. You are also strongly encouraged to set up a way to write by hand and to allow me to see your writing, preferably in real time as you write it. This can be either on a carefully illuminated whiteboard attached to the wall, on an iPad or other tablet whose screen you can share to Zoom, or via Microsoft Whiteboard or other collaborative editing application. Do not try writing on paper with a pencil and holding it up to a laptop camera. I will not be able to see it.
Course Description: Uniform convergence of functions, metric spaces, implicit function theorem, and derivatives in multiple variables. Emphasis is placed on careful mathematical reasoning.
Prerequisites: MATH 4513.
Textbook: A First Course in Analysis, John B. Conway, ISBN 978-1107173149. You may use either a paper copy or an electronic copy.
Remote/hybrid delivery: All students are encouraged to turn in homework electronically via Blackboard. Exams will be take-home exams and may be turned in the same way as the homework.
My class attendance policy will allow you to attend class via a Zoom meeting (in real time) instead of attending face-to-face. A link to my Zoom meeting is available in Blackboard. I will under normal conditions be lecturing face-to-face in the classroom if you want to attend the face-to-face class session. Please remember that I reserve the right to stop remote participation and require face-to-face attendance at any time.
Recording of Class Lectures: Students are allowed to record lectures and office hours. In addition, class will be routinely recorded by the instructor and links to class recordings will be made available through Blackboard. By attending this class, the student understands the course is being recorded and consents to being recorded for official university educational purposes. Be aware that incidental recording may also occur before and after official class times. Recordings may include personally-identifiable comments submitted to the chat stream during class.
Flipped classroom: This is a hard course, and most students will need extra guidance beyond lectures in order to succeed. Thus, we will use a flipped classroom setup.
The first lecture for the course will be delivered during the first class, that is, 11:50 a.m.–12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, January 18. On subsequent days, we will begin with a discussion session. Discussion sessions will be formatted like traditional office hours; that is, it is the students' responsibility to come in with questions and some idea as to what they would like to discuss. Students may ask about upcoming or past homework assignments, points of clarification on the lectures, or other topics. I anticipate that discussion sessions will be longer later in the semester as the material grows more complicated.
Students are encouraged to participate actively in discussion and in particular to write on the board. Any student who writes more on the board during a discussion session than the instructor will receive two bonus points on the associated homework.
Once all student questions are addressed, if time remains in our scheduled class sessions, the instructor will deliver a full or partial lecture. However, if the students have any significant number of questions, the instructor will not have time to deliver a complete lecture. Thus, in this case, students will need to watch all or part of a video containing the displaced lecture. These videos may be found on the course Blackboard site and YouTube. Students must view each lecture (in one format or another) by the listed due date.
You can find the files I use to make these videos at Box. There you will find .pdf files and .note files (the original source; they can be viewed if you have the iPad or Mac app Notability).
Homework: Homework assignments will be posted to Blackboard. Students are strongly encouraged to upload their answers to Blackboard. Homework submitted electronically will be returned via email.
One class meeting (one question-and-answer session) per exam will be reserved for exam review questions. All remaining question-and-answer sessions will have an associated homework assignment of one or two questions. These homework assignments are subject to revision until 5:00 p.m. the day of the previous class, and are due at midnight 4–5 days later (exact due dates to be posted). Note that you are expected to discuss assignments on their assigned lecture days, which may not be the last lecture day before they are due!
I expect to have a total of 35 homework assignments over the course of the semester. If at least 75% of the enrolled students complete the course evaluations, I will drop your 4 lowest homework assignments; otherwise, I will drop your 2 lowest homework assignments.
Rewrites: Students are expected to turn in their homework assignments on their original (first) due dates. Their homework will be graded and returned via email within a day or two. One week after the original due date, all students who submitted electronically (see below) and made a good faith effort to write their homework completely for the first due date will be allowed to revise their homework based on instructor feedback and resubmit their homework for a regrade. You are expected to correct your homework based on the comments I write on the first version and only the second grade will be used in calculating your course grade. In my experience, student homework scores are often significantly higher on the second try and I encourage all of you to turn in your homework twice.
Students are allowed three late submissions per semester; that is, no more than three times throughout the semester, you may submit an assignment at the second due date without having submitted it at the first due date. You will not be allowed a rewrite in this case and I strongly encourage you not to use this policy if you can avoid it. Note that a handwritten submission, or a “submission” consisting only of your name and the problem statement, will be counted as nonsubmission for the purpose of rewrite eligibility.
Homework formatting: Homework must always be neat and easy to read. Electronic submission of homework is strongly encouraged for all students and usually required of all students who want the opportunity to rewrite their homework. (Hint: You want the opportunity to rewrite your homework.) If you feel that this places an undue burden on you (for example, if you do not own a computer), talk to me and we will arrange an exception or accommodation.
Homework that is turned in electronically must follow the following conditions:
It should be in PDF format (a compiled PDF, not TeX source code).
My annotation software (the software I use for grading) can deal with PDF files better than almost any other format. Also, it is generally straightforward to convert other formats to PDF and my grading is much smoother if all homework files are in the same format.
It should uploaded to the correct location in Blackboard.
This collects all students’ homework in a standardized location (meaning I am less likely to lose your homework) and also gives your homework standardized file names (which makes it much easier to return). If you are unable to upload your homework to Blackboard, instead email it to me. The file name must be HW-N-username.pdf or Rewrite-N-username.pdf, where N is the homework number and username is your UA username (that is, your university email address without the @uark.edu). (An assignment turned it on the second due date should be named Rewrite-N-username.pdf even if you did not turn in that homework on the first due date.)
It must be easy to read, and the file size must not be too big. This generally means that you must type your homework using LaTeX.
Do not type your homework using Microsoft Word. Here is a guide to typing your math homework using LaTeX and Overleaf: How to type your homework. LaTeX templates for each assignment may be found at Overleaf. Learning to type math with LaTeX is a useful skill beyond this course. Furthermore, typed homework is easier to rewrite, as you can easily copy and paste any sections that do not need rewriting.
Exams: There will be three midterms tests (covering material learned since the previous midterm) and a (comprehensive) final exam. The exams will be open book, open note, take home exams. However, you may not discuss the exams in any way with any person other than Professor Barton between the time when you receive the exam and its due date. I will not give hints, suggestions, or guidance on the exams once you have received the exam questions, except in the event of a mistake made in writing the exam.
For each midterm exam, we will spend one day reviewing in class, and will cancel one class to allow you time to take the exam. The exam will be posted to Blackboard by 5:00 p.m. on the day of exam review and will be due at 11:59 p.m. the day of the cancelled class. We will spend Wednesday, May 4 reviewing for the final exam and the final exam will be due at 11:59 p.m. Monday of finals week.
Make-up exams: Make-up exam requests also require written documentation as to your conflict. Except in the case of medical or other unforeseen emergencies, make-up exam requests must be made at least one week before the exam is to be held (two weeks before the final). Make-up exams are at the instructor’s discretion; if you do not provide a documented reason why you cannot take the exam at the usual time, if your reason is considered inadequate, or if your request for a make-up exam is not made in a timely fashion, I reserve the right to refuse a make-up exam or to assess a late penalty (deduction from your score).
If you have three or more final exams scheduled for Monday, May 9, then under University policy you are entitled to reschedule one of your finals. If you need to reschedule the final for our class, please notify me by email at least two weeks before the final, and I will grant you a one-day extension on your exam due date.
Course grade: Here is how I plan to weigh your grades:
| Homework | 50% |
| Midterm Exam 1 | 10% |
| Midterm Exam 2 | 10% |
| Midterm Exam 3 | 10% |
| Final | 20% |
| Date | Event |
| Wednesday, Jan. 18 | First day of class |
| Monday, Jan. 30 | Last day to drop a course |
| Wednesday, Feb 15 | Review for the first midterm exam. |
| Friday, Feb. 17 | No course meeting or office hours; students are taking the first midterm exam. Good luck! |
| March 20–24 | Spring break |
| Friday, March 31 | Review for the second midterm exam. |
| Monday, April 3 | No course meeting or office hours; students are taking the second midterm exam. Good luck! |
| Wednesday, April 19 | Review for the third midterm exam. |
| Friday, April 21 | No course meeting or office hours; students are taking the third midterm exam. Good luck! |
| Friday, April 21 | Last day to withdraw from a course. If you would like to estimate your likely course grade, here is a grade estimation worksheet. |
| Wednesday, May 3 | Last day of class; review for the final exam |
| April 25–May 5 (or dates set by university policy) | Complete the online course evaluation. If at least 80% of the class completes the course evaluation before the deadline, I will drop your 4 lowest homework scores; otherwise, I will drop your 2 lowest homework scores. |
| Wednesday, May 10 | Final exam due. Good luck! |
Classroom Etiquette: Students and instructors each have an important role in maintaining a classroom environment optimal for learning, and are expected to treat each other with respect during class, using thoughtful dialogue, and keeping disruptive behaviors to a minimum. Both students and faculty perceive abusive language directed towards others as the most disruptive behavior. Other behaviors that can be disruptive of in person classes are chatting and whispering during class, the use of smartphones or laptops for texting or in other ways unrelated to the course, preparing to leave before class is over, and consistently arriving late to class. Inappropriate behavior in the classroom may result in a request to leave the class and/or a referral to the Office of Academic Integrity and Student Conduct.
Academic honesty: Academic dishonesty on any exam, quiz, or other graded item will result in a score of zero that cannot be dropped or replaced. Suspected cases of academic dishonesty are referred to the All-University Academic Integrity Board. The following passage is quoted from honesty.uark.edu and is the policy in this course:
As a core part of its mission, the University of Arkansas provides students with the opportunity to further their educational goals through programs of study and research in an environment that promotes freedom of inquiry and academic responsibility. Accomplishing this mission is only possible when intellectual honesty and individual integrity prevail.
Each University of Arkansas student is required to be familiar with and abide by the University’s ‘Academic Integrity Policy’ which may be found at https://honesty.uark.edu/policy/index.php. Students with questions about how these policies apply to a particular course or assignment should immediately contact their instructor.
Electronic devices: Cell phones, tablets, laptops, and other electronic devices may be used in class. The expectation is that these devices will be used for taking notes, routine calculations (i.e., calculator apps), accessing course materials, and other course-related uses only. Please do not text or play games in class!
Inclement weather policy: Class will meet unless the University is closed. On-campus students are expected to be present. Off-campus students should make their own decisions in the best interest of personal safety. Off-campus students will not be penalized for being absent on those days the Fayetteville Public Schools are closed due to weather. If attendance is severely affected by weather, deadlines and exam dates may be adjusted. Please do not call the Department of Mathematical Sciences with weather-related inquiries. You may contact me for information.
University closures: Class will not meet if the University is closed. The instructor is committed to in person discussion of assignments before they are due. Homework due dates for assignments discussed after the closures will be extended appropriately; no homework will be assigned without an associated day of in class discussion. Due dates for assignments discussed in class before closures will not be changed unless there are major associated power shortages preventing students from uploading homework to Blackboard. If you need an extension due to inclement weather, inform me as soon as possible.
Communication: The best way to communicate with me (beyond coming to my office hours) is by email. You can expect a reply within 24 hours, excluding weekends and holidays. Students are expected to monitor their uark email address regularly and consult the course Blackboard site for important announcements.
Intellectual Property: Notes, review material, exams, quizzes, videos or other learning material used in this class are the intellectual property of the instructor. Selling or freely sharing this content in electronic or written form is a violation of intellectual property rights and also constitutes a violation of the University’s academic integrity policy. Your continued enrollment in this class signifies your understanding of and your intent to abide by this policy. There are severe consequences for sharing class content online.
Emergency Procedures: Many types of emergencies can occur on campus; instructions for specific emergencies such as severe weather, active shooter, or fire can be found at https://safety.uark.edu/emergency-preparedness/
Health and wellness: https://catalog.uark.edu/generalinfo/studentaffairs/#healthcentertext
Disclaimer: Syllabus is subject to change. You will be notified of any changes.
Grade Disputes: The instructor is committed to keeping students informed of their standing in the class. Scores on all graded items will be posted in a timely manner. Students are expected to bring any possible errors to the attention of the instructor within one week of posting. This maintains an accurate grade record throughout the semester. All scores posted before Dead Day will be deemed accurate unless a possible error is brought to the attention of the instructor before the scheduled final exam.
Incompletes: Only given in extreme circumstances, and only when the student has satisfactorily completed all but a small portion of the work in the course. Students must make prior arrangements with the professor well before the end of the semester.