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Holly Hunts' Home Page

Syllabus

Office: 222 Herrick Hall

How to Reach Me Outside of Class: Phone: 994-7993.   I have voice mail.  My e-mail address is hhunts@montana.edu - I check this daily.  You can also fax information to me at 994-2013.  Check out our class web-site www.montana.edu/hhunts anytime to get assignments, review sheets, etc.

Course Times: The course will meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:00 - 11:50 in Reid 104.  See MSU calendar for vacation day schedule http://www.montana.edu/opa/facts/calendar.html

You will need a hand-held calculator that has an exponent function on it and a natural log function. You should bring the calculator to class with you each day. Financial calculators are not necessary.  You will be required to show all of your work so it is essential that you have the exponent function and natural log function.

Knowledge Objectives: 

To understand and be able to apply the six basic steps of financials management to your own personal finance management and to that of your clients in as far as that is part of your professional responsibility.  

To "demystify" basic financial terms and calculations.

Affective Objectives:

To understand the significance of personal finance management in the lives of all persons.

To accept that there are a myriad of values that play into personal/family financial management - and that it is highly unlikely that anyone will identically share your values.

Skills Objectives:

To be able to make effective use of the world-wide-web, spreadsheet software, on-line financial calculators and basic algebra to find, personalize and calculate relevant financial information.

Classroom Procedures:

Behavioral Expectations

Montana State University expects all students to conduct themselves as honest, responsible and law-abiding members of the academic community and to respect the rights of other students, members of the faculty and staff and the public to use, enjoy and participate in the University programs and facilities.   For additional information reference www2.montana.edu/policy/student_conduct/cg600.html

Collaboration

University policy states that, unless otherwise specified, students may not collaborate on graded material.  Any exceptions to this policy will be stated explicitly for individual assignments.  If you have any questions about the limits of collaboration, you are expected to ask for clarification.

Plagiarism

Paraphrasing or quoting another’s work without citing the source is a form of academic misconduct.  Even inadvertent or unintentional misuse or appropriation of another's work (such as relying heavily on source material that is not expressly acknowledged) is considered plagiarism. If you have any questions about using and citing sources, you are expected to ask for clarification.

Academic Expectations

Section 310.00 in the MSU Conduct Guidelines states that students must:

In addition to the above items, students are expected to meet any additional course and behavioral standards as defined by the instructor.

Students with Disabilities

If you have a documented disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation(s), you are encouraged to contact your instructor and Disabled Student Services as soon as possible.       

Email Policy

I expect that you will check your university email at least every 2 days. 

Student Educational Records

All records related to this course are confidential and will not be shared with anyone, including parents, without a signed, written release.  If you wish to have information from your records shared with others, you must provide written request/authorization to the office/department.  Before giving such authorization, you should understand the purpose of the release and to whom and for how long the information is authorized for release. 

Students have the right to access their educational records by appointment.  This information is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  For more information contact the Dean of Students office at 994-2826.

Withdrawal Deadlines

Additionally:

1.  You may NOT leave the classroom once class has begun (unless you notify me at the beginning of the class that you have an important reason for doing so).  Leaving because you are "bored" - or "you think of something else you would rather do" - is highly unprofessional and is disruptive to both me and your classmates.  It will not be tolerated.  Other disturbances such as talking/whispering etc. will not be tolerated for the same reason - that is, it is unprofessional and disruptive.  I will do my best to make the class interesting and interactive - but it is an upper division college course with a great deal of material to cover so I can't always be entertaining.

2. All assigned work must be turned in before the course final in order for the student to pass the course. Late work will be accepted but will be penalized at 10% per calendar day. An assignment is late if it is turned in after 5 p.m. of the day it is due. If you are having computer problems, please email/call me to help. Losing work on a disk is not an excuse for a late assignment. You need to back everything up on a second disk so you do not lose information.  Not completing an assignment because a server is down - is not an excuse either.  This means you should not wait until the last minute to attempt the on-line portions of the assignments.  Assume that all work should be word processed unless otherwise noted and assume that all math problems need to show each step.

3. This course requires AT LEAST two hours of preparation out of class for each hour spent in class. Course assignments need to be read on the assigned date so you may discuss the material knowledgeably in class. Students are expected to make an effort to actively participate in the discussion in class while not dominating the conversation.

4. I will make every effort to ensure that the class is running smoothly and that students are understanding course material BEFORE the exams. However, if you are having problems, please contact me and we will set up study sessions or office hours to solve the problems. If you are concerned about the course in any way, please see me when the concern arises. Do not wait until the course is ending to bring up concerns.

5. You are always welcome to question a grade I have assigned.  This questioning must take place in writing with "proof" that you are correct  (for example - you might write:  Dr. Hunts - I believe "A" is a correct answer to question 34 - as per the discussion of the topic on p. 23 of the text.).  I will not entertain the questioning of any grade in a verbal manner.

6.  I understand that some of you will come to this course with a very good background in Excel and perhaps in other aspects of personal finance as well.  However, let me be clear that my expectations for performance are the same for all students.  I do understand that there are multiple approaches to nearly every problem - but I expect all students to approach the problems I present to them - using the algorithms and equations we cover in class.  If my way  is a new way for you - then be thankful that you now know two ways of approaching a problem!

Not all of the material covered in this course will come from the text.  Some material will come from the Montana Extension Service, some from federal agencies, some will be in-class instruction on how to perform basic financial calculations (the "old-fashioned" way - with a calculator!), some will be based on Excel, etc.  My approach is taken with a great deal of thought.  I want students to be exposed to a variety of resources (so that you will know how to be resourceful later) and I want to demystify some of the seeming "magic" of on-line financial calculations.  I sincerely believe this will be the best foundation for you - whether you pursue more advanced finance courses or whether this is the only finance course you ever take.

Exams will cover lectures, assignments and the text. You will receive a review sheet before each exam that will cover the main learning objectives for the exam. In addition, a review session will be held before each exam.

Course Requirements: The course will have the following requirements:

Ten homework assignments: 10 points each =100 points

Exam #1 =100 points

Exam #2 =100 points

Exam #3 =100 points

Grading: The grading will be assigned according to the following standards with plus and minuses based on a curve within the 10 point interval:

90 - 100% is an A

80 - 89% is a B

70 - 79% is a C

60 - 69% is a D

59% or below AND/OR failure to turn in all assignments AND/OR infractions of the university policy on academic integrity will result in a failing grade.

Course Schedule