MATH 411/511 Introduction to Topology, Fall 2014

Instructor: Uwe Kaiser

Office: MG 235-C

Phone: (208) 426-2653

Fax: (208) 426-1356

email: ukaiser@boisestate.edu

url: homepage

What is the course about? According to Adams/Franzosa, topology is

generally considered to be one of three linchpins of modern abstract mathe-
matics (along with analysis and algebra). This course will give an introduc-
tion to the basic ideas of point set and a little geometric/algebraic topology.
,

What you want to know at the beginning of the course? Read

Chapter 0 of the Adams/Franzosa book and you will have a good idea what
you need to bring into the course.

Textbook and Resources: Colin Adams and Robert Franzosa: Introduc-

tion to Topology Pure and Applied, Pearson 2008 (take the ebook!). We
will also use some other free resources that I will make available to you in
Blackboard.

Class Meetings: Tu/Th 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM, MG 124

Office hours: Mo 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Tu 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM, We 11:00

AM - 12:00 PM, Th 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM; any other time by appointment
or just drop in to see whether I am available (my office is in the back of the
mathematics department office but I have back door you can use, which is
open very often).

Special Accommodations: I will work with the Disability Resource Cen-

ter to provide reasonable accommodations to students upon request. Stu-
dents making such requests are required to provide documentation from the
Disability Resource Center located in the Lincoln Garage.
Blackboard: You will have access to syllabus, homework, additional re-
sources through your Blackboard account.

email: Information will often be distributed by email. I expect that you

regularly (every day) check your u.boisestate mail.

Time Line: Read the Preface and Chapter 0 Introduction before the course
starts. 8/26-11/13 we will work though the core materials in Chapters 1-7
from the text book, on 11/18, 11/20, 12/2 there will project presentations,
12/4, 12/9 and 12/11 I will give an introduction into covering spaces and
fundamental group (materials will be posted in Blackboard).

What will be going on in class room? Hopefully lots of fun! ,

What will be going on outside of the class room? Hard work, but
lots of fun too!

Grading Policy: Your grade will follow from your work in the following
areas [500 points total]

1. Homework (400 points): The will be six homework assignments each

worth 50 points due 9/11, 9/25, 10/9, 10/23, 11/6 and 11/20 (based
on the core material of Adam’s book), and a final assignment worth
100 points based on the the materials posted in Blackboard, which I
will use to survey covering spaces and fundamental group, due 12/16
at 9:30 AM. See Blackboard for the assignments.
2. Project(100 points): You will work on a project with a topic of your
choice related to the class, possibly covering one of Chapters 8-14.
Everybody will work on a different project, so please contact me as
early as possible to tell me what topic you want to work on. The topics
from the book will be distributed on a first come/first serves basis. But
there also is the possibility to choose a project on a topic not covered in
the book, depends on what you like. 11/6 is the deadline for discussing
the topic of your project with me. There will be presentations of the
 projects in class (30 minutes each) in the weeks preceding and following
the Thanksgiving break, and corresponding papers due 12/16, 9:30 AM.
The expectations of those papers are different for MATH 411 (at least
5 pages) and MATH 511 (at least 10 pages).

You need at least 60% of all points to get a D-, 62% for a D, 67% for a
D+, 70% for a C-, 72% for a C, 77% for a C+, 80% for a B-, 82% for a
B, 87% for a B+, 90% for an A-, 93% for an A, and at least 98% for an
A+.

Grading Criteria Your work will be graded for mathematical correct-

ness (including correct use of notation and logic) and clarity of presentation.
Projects will be graded with respect to mathematical and language correct-
ness, completeness, depth, originality. Please give precise references.

Academic honesty: Please check the site Student Code of Conduct for
questions about academic honesty, and take a look at Plagiarism.

Relax: Don’t forget that Mathematics is Fun! Always!.

Good Luck for the semester!

June 4, 2014; Preliminary Syllabus!