Instructor: Christopher Hanusa -- email chanusa@binghamton.edu.
Meeting Times: MWF 12:00-1:00 in FA 209 and Thu 11:40-1:05 in LH 005
Web Site: http://www.math.binghamton.edu/chanusa/teaching/381/06_Spr/.
Course E-mail List: MATH381@LISTSERV.BINGHAMTON.EDU.
Course Discussion Board: on Blackboard

Textbook: Pearls in Graph Theory by Hartsfield and Ringel

This class covers: various chapters from the book.

Homework Policy: DO IT! There will be two types of homework in this class. Type A homework will be collected (mostly) every week on Mondays before class at noon; whereas, Type B homework will be due on Thursdays and presented and discussed in class. Each homework will be posted on the web page the previous week. The course schedule details the schedule of homework assignments.
      Type B homeworks and their related in-class presentations contribute towards your class participation grade. You must present three homework questions in class in order to receive the full 5% of your class participation grade. Presentations need not be complete solutions, but you must make some effort to explain what you know.
      Type A homeworks contribute towards your homework grade. I will grade some problems and assign additional points depending on how complete your assignment is. Please staple your homeworks and write your name clearly.
      It is important to learn how to express yourself in the language of mathematics. In the homework, you should show your work and explain how you did the problem. This is the difference between an Answer and a Solution. It should be obvious to the person reading the homework how you went about doing the problem. This will often involve writing out explanations for your work in words. Imagine that you need an example to help refresh your memory for another class in six months!
      There will be no late homework allowed. If you are not planning to be in class, let me know and get it to me beforehand. This is your responsibility. I will drop the lowest of the homeworks since unexpected personal business or forgetfulness is bound to occur sometime this quarter.

Graph Theorist Report: In addition to the homeworks, you will be writing a two to three page report on a graph theorist of your choice. More information can be found HERE.

Study Groups: It is useful to form study groups to work on homework. At the beginning the problems will seem easy enough to plug and chug on your own, but as the quarter progresses the questions become quite complex indeed. Study groups good. Copying solutions bad. When a group works on a problem, everyone can participate. But when you write up the answers to the problems, write it up in your own way. I will take off points from all parties if multiple solutions are the same.
      Study groups have several advantages:

1. You can practice and learn how to solve more problems in less time (doing as many problems as possible is the key to success),
2. The best way to really learn something is to explain it to someone else (misunderstandings that you never knew you had will appear under someone else's questioning),
3. No two people solve the same problem the same way; in a group, you may discover new and more efficient ways to solve the same problem,
4. seeing that others also struggle with this material helps to put your own level of understanding in a better perspective and will hopefully reduce some of your anxiety,
5. in making the homework assignments, I assume that you will be working in groups.

Exams: There will be three exams during the quarter that are a class period long, the third test coming during finals week. They will be a class period (not 20-30 minutes) in length and no calculators or study aides are allowed (or are necessary). There will be no make-up exam except in the case of a documented emergency. In the event of an unavoidable conflict with the midterm (an athletic meet, wedding, funeral, etc...), you must notify me at least one week before the date of the exam so that we can arrange for you to take the exam BEFORE the actual exam date. In the event of an unavoidable conflict with the final exam, you will need to submit a written petition for this purpose to me by Monday, May 8th.

Grading Scheme:

• Homework: 15%
• Class Participation: 5%
• Graph Theorist Report: 8%
• Each exam: 24%

     Office Hours: I will hold regular office hours this semester on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:50 - 11:50am and additionally on Fridays from 1:45-2:45 in my office, LN 2233. If these times are not convenient, I would be glad to meet with you some other time. Please contact me by e-mail at chanusa@binghamton.edu with some times that you are free. My schedule this semester can be found here. I plan to hold extra office hours before each exam.