Course outline: Homotopy, fundamental group, Van Kampen's theorem, covering spaces, simplicial and singular homology, homotopy invariance, long exact sequence of a pair, excision, Mayer-Vietoris sequence, degree, Euler characteristic, cell complexes, projective spaces. Applications include the fundamental theorem of algebra, the Brouwer fixed point theorem, division algebras, and invariance of domain.
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Lecture notes: They are available here.
Text: The text for the course is Algebraic Topology, by Allen Hatcher. Published by Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-79540-0. The book will be available at the UWO bookstore, and is also available online. The book's webpage also contains a list of errata for the printed copy.
We will cover parts of chapters 0, 1 and 2, and possibly some of 3. The textbook is a valuable resource that gives more examples and details than can be given during lecture. Students are expected to read the text book, going over what we have covered, reading ahead to what comes next, and studying additional examples.
Here is a list of other reading material. None of these are required, but you might find them interesting. Most of these are available in the library.
Homework: Homework will be due roughly every two weeks. Doing problems and talking about the material are both essential for learning the material in this course, so you are encouraged to discuss the problems with classmates and with me. But you must write up the solutions on your own and must not look at other students' written solutions nor should you attempt to find solutions to problems online or in textbooks. Your solutions should be clear and carefully written and you should give credit to those who helped you and to any references you used. Homework will be graded based on both correctness and clarity. Late problem sets will not be accepted unless arranged in advance for a good reason.
Presentations: Each student will give a presentation on a topic related to the course. See the presentations page for more details.
Final exam: The final exam is on Sunday, April 24 from 2 to 5pm in MC108.
No calculators, books, notes or other aids may be used during the exam.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on homework, presentations, and the final exam, with equal weight. Graduate students will be assigned more challenging presentation topics and some more challenging homework problems.
Scholastic offences: Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web sites: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_grad.pdf and http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
Scholastic offences include: Copying solutions from other students, online sources, textbooks, etc.; showing your work to other students; uploading questions or solutions to a web site; and accessing a web site used for providing solutions (even if you do not use any solutions on the site). The penalty for an academic offence involving an exam will be a failing grade in the course. The penalty for each academic offence involving homework will be a grade of negative 100% on the homework set. In some cases, the penalty can include expulsion from the program. All academic offences are added to your student record.
Contingency plan for an in-person class pivoting to 100% online learning: In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence during the course that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online as determined by the course instructor.
In the event of a health lockdown, tests and examinations in this course will be conducted using a remote proctoring service. By taking this course, you are consenting to the use of this software and acknowledge that you will be required to provide personal information (including some biometric data) and the session will be recorded. Completion of this course will require you to have a reliable internet connection and a device that meets the technical requirements for this service. More information about this remote proctoring service, including technical requirements, is available on Western's Remote Proctoring website.
UWO e-mail: In accordance with this policy, the centrally administered e-mail account provided to students will be considered the individual's official university e-mail address. It is the responsibility of the account holder to ensure that e-mail received from the University at his/her official university address is attended to in a timely manner.
Eligibility: You are responsible for ensuring that you have successfully completed all course prerequisites and that you have not taken an antirequisite course. Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
Student Absences
Academic Consideration for Student Absences: Students who experience an extenuating circumstance (illness, injury or other extenuating circumstance) sufficiently significant to temporarily render them unable to meet academic requirements may submit a request for academic consideration through the following routes:
Students should also note that individual instructors are not permitted to receive documentation directly from a student, whether in support of an application for consideration on medical grounds, or for other reasons. All documentation required for absences that are not covered by the Self-Reported Absence Policy must be submitted to the Academic Counselling office of a student's Home Faculty.
For the policy on Academic Consideration for Student Absences - Undergraduate Students in First Entry Programs, see this link and for the Student Medical Certificate (SMC), see this link.
Religious Accommodation: When a course requirement conflicts with a religious holiday that requires an absence from the University or prohibits certain activities, students should request accommodation for their absence in writing at least two weeks prior to the holiday to the course instructor and/or the Academic Counselling office of their Faculty of Registration. Please consult University's list of recognized religious holidays (updated annually) in the Western Multicultural Calendar.
Absences from Final Examinations: If you miss the Final Exam, please contact the Academic Counselling office of your Faculty of Registration as soon as you are able to do so. They will assess your eligibility to write the Special Examination (the name given by the University to a makeup Final Exam).
You may also be eligible to write the Special Exam if you are in a "Multiple Exam Situation" (e.g., more than 2 exams in 23-hour period, more than 3 exams in a 47-hour period).
If a student fails to write a scheduled Special Examination, the date of the next Special Examination (if granted) normally will be the scheduled date for the final exam the next time this course is offered. The maximum course load for that term will be reduced by the credit of the course(s) for which the final examination has been deferred. See the Academic Calendar for details (under Special Examinations).
If homework is missed and sufficient documentation is provided, the homework can be handed in later. If an exam is missed and sufficient documentation is provided, a make-up exam will be offered.
Failure to follow these rules may result in a grade of zero.
Accommodation Policies: Students with disabilities work with Accessible Education (formerly SSD), which provides recommendations for accommodation based on medical documentation or psychological and cognitive testing. The policy on Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities can be found at this link.
Graduate students with disabilities (for example, chronic illnesses, mental health conditions, mobility impairments) are encouraged to register with Student Accessibility Services, a confidential service designed to support graduate and undergraduate students through their academic program. With the appropriate documentation, the student will work with both SAS and their graduate programs (normally their Graduate Chair and/or Course instructor) to ensure that appropriate academic accommodations to program requirements are arranged. These accommodations include individual counselling, alternative formatted literature, accessible campus transportation, learning strategy instruction, writing exams and assistive technology instruction.
Support Services: Please visit the Science & Basic Medical Sciences Academic Counselling webpage for information on adding/dropping courses, academic considerations for absences, appeals, exam conflicts, and many other academic related matters.
Please contact the course instructor if you require lecture or printed material in an alternate format or if any other arrangements can make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Student Accessibility Services (formerly Services for Students with Disabilities, SSD) at (519) 661-2147 if you have any questions regarding accommodations.
Western is committed to achieving barrier-free accessibility for all its members, including graduate students. As part of this commitment, Western provides a variety of services devoted to promoting, advocating, and accommodating persons with disabilities in their respective graduate program.
Learning-skills counsellors at the Student Development Centre are ready to help you improve your learning skills. They offer presentations on strategies for improving time management, multiple-choice exam preparation/writing, textbook reading, and more. Individual support is offered throughout the Fall/Winter terms in the drop-in Learning Help Centre, and year-round through individual counselling.
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
Additional student-run support services are offered by the USC.
The website for Registrarial Services is http://www.registrar.uwo.ca.