Math 671 Course Info

  • Course Meets: Tuesday, Thursday 1:00-2:15 in LGRT 113

  • Instructor
    Michael Sullivan, LGRT 1544, 545-1909
    Office Hours: Tues 10-11, and by appointment on Tues and Thurs

  • Prerequisites: Advanced calculus

  • Credit: 3 credit hours

  • Required Material:
    Topology by James R. Munkres, 2nd edition, Prentice-Hall 2000.
    Below are some links for buying the text at reduced price:
    bookzilla.com , half.com , amazon.com , Barnes and Nobles.
    Algebraic Topology by Allen Hatcher.
    This text can be legally downloaded for free at Hatcher's website. We will only use Chapter 1 on the Fundamental Group.

  • Goals: The goal of this course is to cover point-set topology and begin algebraic topology (fundamental group). This course is the basis of the Topology Basic Exam for PhD students in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

  • Syllabus (tentative, may need to be adjusted):
    (1) Topologies and continuity: Sections 12-22 of Munkres.
    (2) Connectedness and compactness: Sections 23-29 of Munkres.
    (3) Fundamental Group: Sections 1.1, 1.2 of Hatcher.
    (4) Completeness: Sections 43, 45, 46 of Munkres.
    (5) Countability and Separation axioms: Sections 30-33 of Munkres (hopefully).
    (6) Covering spaces: Section 1.3 of Hatcher (hopefully).

  • Exams: There will be a midterm and final exam, both of which will be modeled on the Topology Basic Exam.
    Midterm: In-class, closed book, on Thursday October 23 at 1:00pm.
    Final: Cumulative, closed book, on Tuesday December 16 2:00-4:00pm, LGRT 1322.

  • Grading: The grade for the course will be determined by timely-completion of about 6 homeworks, as well as the two exams. But there will be NO excuses for late or missed homeworks. The Homework will determine 35% of your grade. The midterm will be worth 25-30%, and the final exam will be worth 35-40%.