Office hours (no appointment necessary) (NOTE the info sheet is WRONG! about M, W, and F hours):
Sunday, May 9: I expect to be around my office during the afternoon OR evening; I don't know exactly when, but feel free to call or stop by.
Textbook: Hartsfield and Ringel, Pearls in Graph Theory, third edition (Dover, 2003). (This book, and the second edition (1994) which is almost the same, will eventually be on reserve in the Reserve Reading Room.) We will cover Chapters 1-2 and further material as announced. (See the syllabus.) You will find some additions and corrections to the textbook on the announcements page. I will try to let you know of all these, but I may forget, so if you see something strange, check there.
Grading System: There will be 590 course points.
Tests (Thurs.: 2/19, 3/25, 4/29) 100 points each. Final Exam: 150 points. Homework: for handing in assignments, 40 points, for correctness (your HW score), 60 points. Class participation, including board presentations: 40 points.The tests are held in class on these Thursdays: Feb. 19, Mar. 25, and April 29. Each test will cover the topics that we covered up to the time of the test and since the last test. The final exam is comprehensive but with extra attention to topics covered after the last test.
Attendance: We meet M, W, Th, F. Attendance is expected every day, including Thursdays. Discussion is a big part of the course (and more fun).
Test Policy: You are responsible for everything covered in class and for all assigned readings and problems. NO MAKEUPS will normally be allowed on quizzes (if any) or class tests, but I will use my discretion. If you miss a test be prepared to document the reason. No early finals under any circumstances. If you have a question about any grade, you must see me before the next test. There may or may not be quizzes, and they may or may not be announced in advance.
Advice about tests (and good for homework too): Often there are several ways to solve a problem. Some may be faster than others. Your ability to find efficient solutions will be a factor in taking tests. If you find inefficient, long solutions to some problems, you may not have enough time to finish a test. This is not speed, it is knowing how to find good ways of solving problems. You develop this by practice. Keep it in mind!
Homework: Most problems will not be graded; they will be discussed in class (as time allows), usually one or two days a week. (You may ask about any problem, not necessarily assigned: again, as time allows.) I'll specify a few hand-in problems that will be collected and some graded; they will not be discussed until after they are returned. Normally (but not always) discussion will begin Thursday, hand-ins will be due by the beginning of class on Monday (in class) and returned Wednesday or Thursday. I NEVER ACCEPT LATE HW. (Early HW is fine. You may leave it any time before the deadline in my mailbox or in the depository envelope that will appear on the door of my office. Not under my door, please!)
HW grading system: There are two parts: the number of assignments handed in, and the grade you receive on each. Half your HW credit is for turning in the assignments. The other half is the grade for correctness, in which each problem (with an occasional exception) gets 4 "HW points".
I expect all answers to be fully justified (unless my instructions say otherwise). A ``HW point'' is worth about 0.1 course point, so don't worry about a point on the homework, but do worry if you don't understand how to solve the problem or how it was graded! Then come and discuss it with me.
For other rules and advice, see the homework page.
Class Presentation: I'll expect everyone to present HW problems in class. (If you have any problem with this, please see me soon to make alternative arrangements.) You need not be correct, but you must have made a good try. If you are absent or not ready the first time I call you, I'll call on you the next week.