Fall 2025 Course Syllabus
Course: MATH-1324 (Section: 71, CRN: 93489)
Mathematics for Business and Social Science 		LSCPA Logo Image
Instructor Information
Instructor Jake Meadows
Email meadowsj@lamarpa.edu
Phone (409) 984-6419
Office Student Center - Room: 403
Office Hours Monday & Wednesday: 9:30 AM - 10:50 AM & 1:20 PM - 2:00 PM
Tuesday & Thursday: 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Friday: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Other times by appointment.
Additional Contact Information Please email me from your @lamarpa.edu email address or else I may not receive your email.
Course Information
Description The application of common algebraic functions, including polynomial, exponential, logarithmic, and rational, to problems in business, economics, and the social sciences are addressed. The applications include mathematics of finance, including simple and compound interest and annuities; systems of linear equations; matrices; linear programming; and probability, including expected value.
Required Textbooks Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.

Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences, by Kathryn Bollinger and Vanessa Coffelt, 2020.

This is an open source textbook and is available to download for free online at: https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/handle/1969.1/188687

All materials will be FREE and posted to the course's Blackboard page. You do not need to purchase any books for this course. Be sure to check and see if your seahawk book bundle is beneficial to you. If not, you can opt out here: https://www.lamarpa.edu/student-services/academic-services/books.html
Additional Materials/Resources None.
Corequisites/Prerequisites
  • MATH-0332 Intermediate Algebra
Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
* Apply elementary functions, including linear, quadratic, polynomial, rational, logarithmic, and exponential functions to solving real-world problems.
* Solve mathematics of finance problems, including the computation of interest, annuities, and amortization of loans.
* Apply basic matrix operations, including linear programming methods, to solve application problems.
* Demonstrate fundamental probability techniques and application of those techniques, including expected value, to solve problems.
* Apply matrix skills and probability analyses to model applications to solve real-world problems.
Core Objectives * Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions.
* Communication Skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and visual communication.
* Empirical and Quantitative Skills: Students will demonstrate applications of scientific and mathematical concepts. 
Lecture Topics Outline Chapter 1 Matrices
1.1 Basic Matrix Operations
1.2 Matrix Multiplication

Chapter 2 Linear Models and Systems of Linear Equations
2.1 Review of Lines
2.2 Modeling with Linear Functions
2.3 Systems of Two Equations in Two Unknowns
2.4 Setting Up and Solving Systems of Linear Equations

Chapter 3 Linear Programming
3.1 Setting Up Linear Programming Problems
3.2 Graphing Systems of Linear Inequalities in Two Variables
3.3 Graphical Solution of Linear Programming Problems
3.4 Simplex Method

Chapter 4 Basic Probability and Applications
4.1 Mathematical Experiments
4.2 Basics of Probability
4.3 Rules of Probability
4.4 Probability Distributions and Expected Value

Chapter 5 Functions
5.1 Relations and Functions
5.2 Polynomial Functions
5.3 Rational Functions
5.4 Power and Radical Functions
5.5 Piecewise-Defined Functions
5.6 Exponential Functions
5.7 Combining and Transforming Functions
5.8 Inverse Functions and Logarithms

Chapter 6 Mathematical Finance
6.1 Interest and Effective Rates
6.2 Annuities, Sinking Funds, and Amortization
Major Assignments Schedule Please see Blackboard for the course schedule.
Final Exam Date December 6, 2025 - 12:0 AM   Through  December 10, 2025 - 11:59 PM
Grading Scale  90 - 100=A 80 - 89=B  70 - 79=C   60 - 69=D  Below 59 = F
Determination of
Final Grade		 Homework: 20%
Quizzes: 15%
Exams: 45% (15% each for 3 exams)
Final Exam: 15%
Course Policies
Instructor Policies * This syllabus is subject to change as needed throughout the semester. Any major changes will be announced to the class via Blackboard and/or email. 
* All relevant information about this course will be communicated to students using announcements posted on Blackboard. You will receive an email copy of each announcement. Direct email responses to these announcements will not be received. 
* Students should use their LSCPA email to communicate with the instructor. Any communications through a personal email account (such as gmail, yahoo, etc) will be ignored. 
* Students must use appropriate email etiquette when communicating with the instructor. For example, complete sentences should be used and the course title should be included in the subject line. Voice mail messages be clearly spoken identifying the student’s name, course, and return phone number. 
* Emails or messages deemed by the instructor to be rude, disrespectful, or inappropriate will not be responded to and may be forwarded to the student’s department chair or program coordinator. 
* The student’s grades will be available on Blackboard. The instructor will not discuss grades over phone or via email. If the student wishes to discuss their grades, they may email the instructor and request to do so in-person during office hours.
* The instructor will not discuss a student’s grades with anyone besides the student unless the instructor is given permission by LSCPA officials to do so.
* The student is responsible for informing the instructor if they are unable to access any course materials in a timely manner. There will be no late work or credit given for assignments missed for this reason.
* No late work will be accepted and no extension will be provided. There will be no make-up assignments. Please do not ask. 

Blackboard/MyOpenMath

All of the course materials and assignments are accessible through MyOpenMath via Blackboard. You will not need to sign up or log on to any outside website as everything is fully integrated into Blackboard. MyOpenMath is an open-source program and does not require any access code or payment for its use. If this is the only course you are taking this semester, or if your other classes use open-source (OER) resources, you should consider opting out of the Seahawk Book Bundle program (to save some money). 


Please note that all assignments in this course must be worked in order as they appear in Blackboard. You must complete the homework (practice problems) before you can access the corresponding quiz. You must complete the quizzes before you can take the corresponding unit test. Failure to complete the chapter assignments will prevent you from accessing the exams. Please plan accordingly. No late work will be accepted, and no extensions will be given for students unable to access the exam(s) for this reason.

Homework (Practice Problems)

Each section of the book is accompanied by a homework assignment. Once a homework assignment is started, you may exit and start again later with no penalties. There are no time limits, but the assignments must be completed by the due dates. Multiple versions of each question may be attempted until the correct answer is obtained. You may practice new versions of a question even after getting a correct answer. (I recommend practicing each problem multiple times until mastery is achieved.)

Quizzes

Every two or three sections of the text is followed by a quiz. Each quiz has a 1 hour and 15 minute (75 minute) time limit once it is started, and three attempts are allowed for each quiz. The highest grade from the three attempts will be kept as your final score.

Exams


There will be exams following Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, and Unit 4. These exams feature questions from previous homework sets and quizzes. Each exam has a 1 hour and 45 minute (105 minute) time limit once started, with only one attempt allowed. Please see the “Online Testing Policies” located in “Course Documents” on Blackboard. 
 
Attendance Policy While attendance is important for success in any classroom, attendance with active participation is crucial for success in a mathematics course. As such, students will be expected to attend all class meetings, for the full duration. Students will be expected to arrive to class prepared and to engage in class activities when appropriate.

Attendance will account for 10% of the student's final grade in the course. Attendance will be recorded at the beginning of each class period. Each student may have at most 2 unexcused absences before their grade is affected. Absences may only be excused at the instructor's discretion and may only be accepted if the instructor is notified prior to the missed class.

You are responsible for missed material which was covered when you are absent. Please visit me during my office hours or contact me through your LSCPA email account if you need any help.
Additional Information The contents of this syllabus are subject to change. Any such changes will be announced via Blackboard announcement and/or email. 

Please email me if you have any questions regarding this syllabus.
Institutional Policies
MyLSCPA Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA.
Academic Honesty Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.
ADA Considerations The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Room 117, in the Student Sucess Center. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
COVID 19 Information The Lamar State College Port Arthur (LSCPA) Student Code of Conduct COVID 19 Policy requires students who have been diagnosed with COVID 19 to report their condition directly to their local health department. Students should also contact their course faculty to report their quarantine status. In addition, this policy requires all students to wear face coverings when directly exposed to COVID 19 in compliance with the criteria included in the policy. For more information please refer to the COVID 19 link on the LSCPA website.
Facility Policies No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.
HB 2504 This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.
Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.
Title IX and Sexual Misconduct LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.
Clery Act Crime Reporting For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.
Grievance / Complaint / Concern If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.
Department Information
General Education and Developmental Studies
Chair:Dr. Steven Zani
Email:zanisj@lamarpa.edu
Phone:(409) 984-6431