Instructor: Christopher Hanusa -- email chanusa@binghamton.edu.
Meeting Times: MWF 10:50-11:50 and Thu 10:05-11:30 in AP G14.
Web Site: http://www.math.binghamton.edu/chanusa/courses/386/07_Fall/.
Course Discussion Board: on Blackboard

Textbook: Introductory Combinatorics by Richard Brualdi (Search multiple websites for prices)
This class covers: Selected sections of Chapters 1-3, 5-8, and 10. (For more information, see the course schedule and topics covered.)

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 10:50; 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 A homeworks contribute towards your homework grade. They will consist of (normally) five questions. I expect all answers to be fully justified, unless otherwise noted. Each of the problems will be graded on a scale from 0-4, as follows:

4	A well-written solution with no errors.
3	A well-written solution with slight errors.
2	A good partial solution.
1	A very partial solution or a good start.
0	No work, a weak start, or an unsupported answer

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 before the due date. 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.
      Type B homeworks will not be turned in; however, they should be approached with as much detail as their Type A counterparts since they will be part of in-class presentations and discussions. Discussion sessions will begin with discussion of reading reports, after which I will call up students at random to present the problems at the board. Presentations need not be complete solutions, but you must make some effort to explain what you know. If you are not prepared when called upon, you will be called upon the in the following discussion period.

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, give credit to your collaborators and write it up in your own way! Copying solutions constitutes cheating; I will take off points from all parties if 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.

Participation Grade: Your participation grade is influenced by your homework presentations, your participation in class discussions, and your reading reports. If you present three homework problems in class and turn in all the reading reports, you will earn full credit for participation. If you contribute less in these areas, you can increase your participation grade by asking questions in class and participating the the class discussions. Your reading reports are due before you go to bed Wednesday night. Read more about reading reports.

Exams: There will be three exams during the quarter that are a class period long, the third test coming during finals week. 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 date, you will need to submit a written petition for this purpose to me at the latest by Monday, December 3rd.

Grading Scheme:

• Homework: 22%
• Class Participation: 12%
• Each exam: 22%

Office Hours: I will hold regular office hours this semester. On Wednesdays, I will hold office hours from 2:30-4:00 in the Chenango Hall common area. On Fridays, I will hold office hours 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@math.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 the exams.

Cheating: CHEATING WILL NOT BE TOLERATED! Any acts of cheating (including plagiarism) will be taken very seriously. If you cheat, you will receive a zero for the assignment and I will report you to the Academic Honesty Committee. If you cheat twice, you will receive a zero for the class. Please do realize that working together on homework is not cheating.