Homework will be posted to this web page. The complete homework assignment will be posted at least four days before it is due. Students are responsible for checking this website for homework due dates and assignments at least weekly.
Information on this syllabus is subject to change. Any updates will be posted to this site, and the class will be notified of any major updates by email or in class announcement. (Homework assignments are not considered major updates.) In particular, any required changes in course delivery, such as transition to remote delivery only, may necessitate significant modifications to this syllabus.
List of lecture problems: PDF, HTML
| Date | Event | |
| Monday, Aug. 18 | First day of class | |
| Friday, Aug. 22 | Last day to add a course | |
| Friday, Aug. 29 | Last day to drop a course | |
| Monday, Sep. 1 | Labor day (no class) | |
| HW 1 | Tuesday, Sep. 2, 2025, 11:59 p.m. | Suggested practice problems, Chapter 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 15, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24. If \(z\), \(w\in\mathbb{C}\) with \(w\neq 0\), show that \(\overline{(z/w)}=\overline{z}/\overline{w}.\)
Graded problems, Chapter 1: 7, 8, 10 A LaTeX template for this homework may be found here. General advice on LaTeX and Overleaf may be found here. |
| Monday, Oct. 13 | Fall break (no class) | |
| Friday, Nov. 14 | Last day to withdraw from a course. | |
| Nov. 26–28 | Thanksgiving break (no class) | |
| Wednesday, Dec. 3 | Last regular day of class (you are still expected to attend on the day of the final) | |
| Date TBA | Complete the online course evaluation on or before the due date. If at least 80% of the class completes the course evaluation before the deadline, or if the registrar cancels course evaluations due to low enrollment, I will drop your 2 lowest homework scores; otherwise, I will drop your 1 lowest homework score. | |
| HW 15 | Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, 3:00–5:00 p.m. | Attend class at the date and time reserved for our final exam (as indicated on the registrar’s website or, we hope, Workday Student) and make a good faith effort to present at least one problem. This is the only day that you are required to attend class and also the only day you are required to present your problem. Any presentation points earned may in addition be applied to the problems on HW 14. |
| HW 14 | Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, 11:59 p.m. | Suggested practice problems, Chapter TBA: TBA
Graded problems, Chapter TBA: TBA A LaTeX template for this homework may be found here. General advice on LaTeX and Overleaf may be found here. |
Instructor: Ariel Barton
Contact information:
Email: aeb019@uark.edu
Office: SCEN 348
Class time and location: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 2:00–2:50 p.m., August 18–December 4, 2025, Mechanical Engineering 217.
Office hours: Office hours are currently scheduled for the following times and locations:
If the selected times do not work for you, or if you wish to speak to me privately, please email me and we will schedule an appointment at another time.
If the University is closed due to inclement weather, office hours will be held over Zoom unless the instructor is without electricity or internet access. Class will either be also held over Zoom or cancelled; you will be notified of which by email as soon as possible.
Course Description: Complex numbers, analytic functions, power series, complex integration, Cauchy’s Theorem and integral formula, maximum principle, singularities, Laurent series, and Möbius maps.
Prerequisites: MATH 4513 or MATH 5213.
Course Objectives: During this course, students should:
Inquiry-based learning: Students will be supplied with a list of lecture problems (PDF or HTML). This list of problems constitutes the notes for this course. Written homework assignments will be posted to this web page.
Students may choose to either present solutions to lecture problems during class, or to turn in written homework assignments.
Specifically, a student who presents a complete solution at the board during class will be granted 2–24 presentation points (depending on the problem and on originality of their solution). Students may view their remaining presentation points on Blackboard.
If a student does not turn in a written assignment or turns in an assignment with fewer than 3 problems worked, and has remaining presentation points to spend, then 12 presentation points will be deducted per unworked problem and the assignment score will be recorded as though the student had received full credit on the missing problem or problems.
Homework: Homework assignments will be posted to this web page and should be turned in through Blackboard. I expect to have 14 regular assignments throughout the semester. I expect to drop your 2 lowest homework scores; your course grade will be determined by your 12 highest homework scores. You may work together on the homework assignments, but each student must write up their work in their own words and submit their own work for grading. Graded homework will be returned via email.
Homework rewrites: You can expect to have three problems on each of your weekly homework assignments. On each of Assignments 1–13, you are permitted to rewrite one problem whose grade you are unhappy with. (You must have made a good faith effort to do the problem on the original assignment. You may not use rewrites to recover presentation points, nor may you leave a problem blank on the original assignment with the intention of submitting it as a rewrite.) The rewrite’s due date will be included in the email you receive returning your homework to you and will generally be at least five days later. Homework should be uploaded to the same location in Blackboard as the original assignment.
Homework formatting: Homework submission is generally required to follow the following rules. If you feel that they place 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.
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 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. Here is a quick guide to LaTeX for those unfamiliar with the program. The following template produces output that I find easy to read and grade.
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).
Exams and course grades: There will be no exams in this course unless the majority of students request that exams be held. Your course grade will be based entirely on your homework scores (including presentation points as indicated above). This means that we will hold an (otherwise as usual) two-hour class at the date and time reserved for our final exam as indicated on the registrar’s website.
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!
Artificial intelligence: Students may use artificial intelligence tools and other computer-based tools for to help with their writing, but not to replace their own work. Some examples of acceptable use are:
Use of generative artificial intelligence tools to produce the content of your work (rather than to refine the presentation, as above), while completing academic work that is submitted for credit, will be considered academic dishonesty in this course and reported to the Office of Academic Initiatives and Integrity. If you are uncertain as to whether a particular use of generative artificial intelligence is allowed, please consult your instructor.
Communication: The best way to communicate with me (beyond coming to my office hours) is by email. You can expect a reply within one business day (that is, excluding weekends and holidays). Students are expected to monitor their uark email address regularly and consult the course Blackboard site for important announcements.
Accommodations: You may request accommodations to enhance your learning. Minor accommodations are available to any student who makes the request in a timely fashion (for example, I am happy to provide large print versions of course materials if students would find that helpful). Major accommodations (such as permission to turn in homework late) will be granted only in the case of a documented disability and at the request of the Center for Educational Access. See the departmental/university policy on Access and Accommodations below.
Recording of Class Lectures: The lecture will be recorded on the room’s camera and recordings will be posted to Blackboard for student reference. These recordings are provided “as is” as a hopefully-useful supplement, but their availability and quality is not guaranteed and no make-up recordings or materials will be posted in the event of technical issues (such as the room’s camera recording the wrong wall).
Students who need or particularly desire high-quality reliable recordings are allowed to record lectures with their own devices for their own use.
In addition, if the University is open but the weather is severe, a Zoom meeting will be opened during class so that students may participate remotely in real time.
By attending this class, the student understands the course may be 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.
Students are bound by the departmental/university policies on use of recordings documented below.
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 Reading Day will be deemed accurate unless a possible error is brought to the attention of the instructor before the time scheduled by the Registrar for the final exam. No opportunities for extra credit or make-up work will be available after the final class. Course grades will not be changed after the end of the semester unless a student can provide clear documentation of an error on the instructor’s part.
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.
Inclement weather policy: The instructor is committed to following the University’s policies on inclement weather (Academic Policy 1858.10 and Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 210.0) and to ensuring that students can learn safely.
If the University is closed due to inclement weather, office hours will be held over Zoom unless the instructor is without electricity or internet access. Class will either be also held over Zoom or cancelled; you will be notified of which by email as soon as possible.
Students will not be penalized for being absent on those days when the University is open but the Fayetteville Public Schools are closed due to the weather. On such days the instructor will be present but will broadcast class to Zoom, and students off campus are encouraged to attend in real time and ask questions.
If class is held over Zoom, the instructor will record the class via Zoom as well as Echo 360 and will make the alternative recording available through Blackboard.
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.
Emergency Procedures: The University of Arkansas is prepared for a wide range of emergencies. Many types of emergencies can occur on campus; instructions for specific emergencies such as severe weather, active shooter, or fire can be found at http://emergency.uark.edu/.
The University of Arkansas has a campus-wide alert system for any hazardous conditions that may arise on campus. To learn more and to sign up, visit the RazALERT website.
Attendance and excusable absences: (from the faculty handbook) Education at the university level requires active involvement in the learning process. Therefore students have the responsibility to attend classes and to actively engage in all learning assignments or opportunities provided in their classes. Instructors have the responsibility to provide a written policy on student attendance that is tied to course objectives and included in a course syllabus. There may be times, however, when illness, family crisis, or university-sponsored activities make full attendance or participation impossible. In these situations students are responsible for making timely arrangements with the instructor to make up work missed. Such arrangements should be made in writing and prior to the absence when possible.
Examples of absences that should be considered excusable include those resulting from the following: 1) illness of the student, 2) serious illness or death of a member of the student’s immediate family or other family crisis, 3) University-sponsored activities for which the student’s attendance is required by virtue of scholarship or leadership/participation responsibilities, 4) religious observances (see Students’ Religious Observances policy below), 5) jury duty or subpoena for court appearance, and 6) military duty. The instructor has the right to require that the student provide appropriate documentation for any absence for which the student wishes to be excused.
Academic integrity (from honesty.uark.edu) 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 provost.uark.edu. Students with questions about how these policies apply to a particular course or assignment should immediately contact their instructor.
Note Selling/Intellectual property (from honesty.uark.edu/faculty) There are companies that will try to lure you into selling the notes you take in this class. Don’t let these companies take advantage of you. Selling my notes to any commercial service I will consider a violation of my intellectual property rights and/or copyright law as well as a violation of the U of A’s academic integrity policy. Continued enrollment in this class signifies intent to abide by the policy. Any violation will be reported to the Office of Academic Initiatives and Integrity.
Access and Accommodations: (from cea.uark.edu) Your experience in this class is important to me. University of Arkansas Academic Policy Series 1520.10 requires that students with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have already established accommodations with the Center for Educational Access (CEA), please request your accommodations letter early in the semester and contact me privately, so that we have adequate time to arrange your approved academic accommodations.
If you have not yet established services through CEA, but have a documented disability and require accommodations (conditions include but not limited to: mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical, health or temporary impacts), contact CEA directly to set up an Access Plan. CEA facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations. For more information on CEA registration procedures contact 479–575–3104, ada@uark.edu or visit cea.uark.edu.
CAPS and U of A Cares As a student, you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning such as relationship issues, anxiety, depression, alcohol/drug issues, difficulty concentrating, and lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce one’s ability to participate in daily activities, and the University of Arkansas has resources to help! If you or a friend are in need of assistance, please reach out to the following resources:
Unauthorized Use of Class Recordings: (from tips.uark.edu) Recordings posted to Blackboard may be used by students only for the purposes of the class. Students may not download, store, copy, alter, post, share, or distribute in any manner all or any portion of the class recording, (e.g. a 5-second clip of a class recording sent as a private message to one person is a violation of this provision). This provision may protect the following interests (as well as other interests not listed): faculty and university copyright; FERPA rights; and other privacy interests protected under state and/or federal law. Unauthorized recording, or transmission of a recording, of all or any portion of a class is prohibited unless the recording is necessary for educational accommodation as expressly authorized and documented through the Center for Educational Access with proper advance notice to the instructor. Unauthorized recordings may violate federal law, state law, and university policies. Student-made recordings are subject to the same restrictions as instructor-made recordings. Failure to comply with this provision will result in a referral to the Office of Student Standards and Conduct for potential charges under the Code of Student Life. In situations where the recordings are used to gain an academic advantage, it may also be considered a violation of the University of Arkansas’ academic integrity policy.