Instructor Info:
Instuctor: Dr. Melinda Koelling
office: 5525 Everett Tower
email: firstname.lastname at wmich.edu
phone: 387-4509
office hours: MWF 2-3 or by appointment.
Aims: We will learn a theoretical foundation of the beautiful topic of complex analysis and develop computational skills necessary to understand and apply it.
Course Description: Cauchy Theory, series expansion, power series, types of singularities, calculus of residues. Other topics on the basis of student interest, if time permits.
Prerequisites: MATH 571 or equivalent.
Text: Basic Complex Analysis, by Jerrold E. Marsden and Michael Hoffman, third edition.
Homework: To learn mathematics, you should think about the material every day: do lots of homework! Some homework in this class will not be collected. You will be expected to read relevant sections of the book, review your notes, and complete some easier problems on your own before every class. Other homework will be collected. You are encouraged to talk with other people to learn the material, but you should always write a final draft of your homework on your own.
Presentations: You will plan and present a fifty minute talk on material relevant to this course. A list of topics from which you can choose will be provided early in the semester, and you will present your topic where it fits in the logical flow of the course.
Culture: Every academic discipline has a culture, and mathematics is no exception. Over the course of the semester, you should experience two different aspects of mathematical culture. For example, you could attend a seminar talk, give a talk, attend a PME talk, or read a paper. Regardless of the activities you choose, 2% of your grade will be based on the writeups you provide. In one page or so, address both what the activity entailed (What happened at the talk? What was the content of the talk? Where is the paper? What was the content of the paper?) and how the activity affected your knowledge of the material in this course and mathematics in general.
Grades: Homework 23%, Presentation 10%, Culture 2%, Exams (at least two) 40%, and Final exam 25%. I reserve the right to lower your grade for poor attendance.
Makeups: Makeup exams will be made only in the case of a genuine medical or personal emergency. It is your responsibility to prove that your absence is due to an emergency as soon as possible. In cases with some ambiguity, my response to your plight will be determined in part by how quickly you talk to me about your situation.
Academic Dishonesty: You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and procedures in the Graduate Catalog that pertain to Academic Integrity. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. More details about this procedure can be found at website of the office of student conduct, and an outline of the procedure can be found at here. You should consult with me if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.
Disabilities: Any students with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact Ms. Beth Denhartigh at telephone 387-2116 or by email at the beginning of the semester. A disability determination must be made by that office before any accommodations are provided by the instructor.
Miscellaneous Advice:
Talk to me. Come to my office hours. I am here to help you. Bring any concerns you may have to my attention in a timely fashion.
Copying the correct solution from another book, a solution guide, me, a tutor, or another student does not mean you understand the solution. Make sure you can do each problem from scratch on your own without notes after you get help from a solution guide, me, a tutor, or another student.
I will remember your name faster if you come to my office hours. You can always help me by reminding me of your name.
Keep up with the material, so you know you need help as soon as possible.
Ask to make an appointment if you cannot make my office hours.
Find a group of friends with whom you can meet regularly to discuss the material in the class. There are many things to you can do together. You can discuss what has been happening in class. You can help each other determine the main concepts. You can help each other with homework.
Think about the material in as many ways as possible. One way to think differently about the material is to try to come up with your own homework, quiz, or test problems. Then solve them.
Only make new mistakes! Learn from your mistakes. What mistakes have you made in previous semesters and courses, and how would you do things differently this semester?
What are you mathematical weaknesses? Work on these! If you find a topic difficult, that is often a sign you need to work harder on that topic.
In mathematics, you should learn concepts and computations. Make sure you can answer both ``What are the concepts?'' and ``What computations should I be able to do?'' Then make sure you understand those concepts and can do those computations.