Math 344: Introduction to group theory and applications, Fall 2026 (CRN 11566)

Instructor:

Derek Garton (email and office: gartondw[at]pdx.edu and Fariborz Maseeh Hall (FMH) 468M).

Lecture place and time:

Fariborz Maseeh Hall (FMH) 417, MW, 9:00am–10:40pm.

Student drop-in hours with Derek:

Mondays 12:30pm–1:30pm, Wednesdays 12:30pm–1:30pm, or by appointment.

Text:

Charles C. Pinter, A Book of Abstract Algebra, second edition, Dover Books, 2010.

Course objectives and student learning outcomes:

At the end of this course, you should be able to recognize, construct examples of, compare, and manipulate groups. More generally, this course will help you read and write mathematics, make conjectures, prove theorems, generalize from examples, and explain your mathematical thinking to others.

I hope this course will be joyful and interesting to everybody. It will be challenging and we will support each other. Please be prepared to take an active, critical, patient, and generous role in your own learning and that of your classmates.

Here are some definitions and facts we will need to know.

Course schedule:

The course schedule records material we cover in class, homework assignments, and important dates.

Grading policy:

Participation: 20%
Midterms: 25% each
Final exam: 30%

Homework:

Engaging with the homework is essential, and it will hopefully require a substantial amount of offline time and effort. Working on the exercises with classmates is an excellent way to enhance your learning. Talking with your instructor is an excellent way to enhance your learning. Writing down examples on your own, looking up definitions in the text on your own, performing computations by hand on your own, and being stuck on your own are all excellent ways to enhance your learning. Any machine-assisted replacements for these things are detrimental to learning.

Discussion group:

Portland State has kindly provided a discussion group for this course. Feel free to use them to talk about math.

These discussion groups serve the role of an email list for the class. Therefore, you must be a member.

PSU care team:

The PSU Cares is Portland State University's resource for students experience distress—both academic and nonacademic.

Disability resources:

The required statement on access and inclusion for students with disabilities is the bottom menu option of the linked page.

Title IX reporting obligations:

Here is the required statement on Title IX reporting obligations.

The Center for Student Health & Counseling (SHAC):

Here is the required statement about the SHAC.

Confidential advocacy at the SHAC:

Here is information about confidential advocacy at the SHAC.