• You should know how to define rings, fields, groups and maps between them.
• You should understand what it means to form a quotient ring and a quotient group.
• You should start to understand what it means to have a good definition and how you might go about formulating good new definitions on your own.

The ella questions are designed to keep everyone on top of what we are covering in class. In the past, students have told me that questions on ella helped them stay prepared for new material. I like the ella questions because I get to hear what you are thinking on a regular basis, and this helps me plan the class to meet everyone's needs. If ella assignments work for us, then we won't need quizzes, and our written homeworks will be shorter than they would be otherwise.

Written homework:

• Why do we do it? The point of doing homework should be to aid your understanding of the subject. With that in mind, I would rather having you getting help, from me or a friend, than being frustrated and stuck. Getting help is a valid step in attaining your goal of understanding the material.
• The cover sheet and acknowledgements: Please staple a cover sheet to each written homework assignment that you turn in. You can download cover sheets here. Although I encourage you to receive help, it is important to me that you acknowledge it. You can do this by writing in the names of any sources that you may have turned to for help in the space provided on the cover sheet next to the problem number.
• The rules for what you write: It is very important that you keep your understanding firmly in mind when you write up the homework to turn in. I want you to try as hard as you can to work with the following rules in mind.
  • You should carry enough away from your discussion of a problem that you could reconstruct the solution on your own.
  • You should truly believe that you understand everything that you write down. Sometimes you will have some ideas in mind, but they may be hazy or some steps will be a little unclear to you. In that case, write up as much as you can, but try to indicate clearly where you are not sure of yourself. This will help me give you feedback that really gets at the places where you need it the most.
• Re-writes: Sometimes, re-writing the solution to a problem can be a real learning experience. However, depending on re-writes too much can lead to disorganization and homework pile-ups. I will allow re-writes on a case-by-case basis, generally only if your original work indicates hard work but is C-grade or lower. Update as of 9/23: Instead of averaging the two scores as previously stated, I will give you the better of the two grades with a maximum of 4 points out of 5.

• Classwork (including written homework, ella questions, and possibly short presentations and quizzes): 30 %
• Update as of 9/23: Ella questions are worth 5% of your homework grade. You will get full credit as long as you turn in the assignments on time and they are thoughtfully done. You may be excused from two ella assignments without penalty.
• Exam I: 22%
• Exam II: 23%
• Final: 25%