Math 241E (Prof. Hildebrand), Fall 2008
Honors Credit for James Scholars

Applying for Honors Credit

If you are a James Scholar, you can satisfy the James Scholar Honors Credit requirement with this class (Math 241). The first step is to fill out an application, called Honors Credit Learning Agreement (HCLA). The deadlines and application procedures vary by college. In LAS you can do the application online, in Engineering you have to fill out a paper form, and have that signed by me. For more information see the following websites:

• James Scholar website for Engineering College
• LAS James Scholars Program

Honors Credit Projects

What you need to do: Most of the projects are formulated in the form of multi-part problems that serve as step-by-step guide to the solution. You should first solve (on scratch paper) these subproblems (this is not too hard since each such subproblem usually involves only a single step), then put these solutions together and arrange them into a coherent write-up, with some prose added as needed. The write-up should be self-contained, i.e., one should be able to follow it without having to refer to the statement of the project. It should be attractively presented (ideally using some type of wordprocessing program, though a neatly handwritten version will also do), and it should be in grammatical English. The projects should be clearly labelled. Attach a cover sheet with your name and the list of projects that you have chosen.

The presentation is a key part of these assignment, and you should put some serious effort into it. It should be something you can be proud of, and you would not be embarrassed to show a potential employer! (I should say that this has not been a significant problem in past years. Nearly all James Scholar projects I had taken on in the past ended up being more than satisfactory in terms of their presentation, and many were quite impressive.)

Deadlines

• Application deadlines: Each college has its own deadlines for submitting applications. Make sure that you don't miss the college deadline. (Note that LAS has a particularly early deadline - around early October - and they are strict in enforcing the deadline.)
  Note (10/29/08): All application deadlines have now expired; if you have not applied yet, it's too late! (On the other hand, if you have applied, but changed your mind and don't want to do the James Scholar project for this class, that is no problem; just don't turn anything in! There are many other ways to satisfy the James Scholar requirements.)
• December 1 (after Thanksgiving break): Deadline for preliminary draft. Aim at completing your work and showing it to me by that deadline. In most cases I can tell you right away whether it is sufficient for honors credit. In case it is not satisfactory, you'd have a couple of days to correct any problems and turn in a revised version by the final deadline of December 6. You can do all the projects in a single stretch (e.g., over Thanksgiving Break), or spread the work out over the semester and do the projects as they get assigned. Feel free to ask if you have questions or want to get some early feedback!
• Wednesday, December 10 (last day of instruction): Final deadline. This is the deadline for turning in the final version.