Fall-24. Math 215A (class # 23508): Algebraic Topology

Instructor: Alexander Givental
Lectures: TuTh 11-12:30 in 70 Evans
Unofficial discussion section: Fr 3-5, 740 Evans
Text: A. Fomenko, D. Fuchs, Homotopical Topology (Graduate Texts in Mathematics), 2nd ed., 2016, available to our library patrons in electronic format
For course description and prerequisites We will work toward covering the Introduction, Chapter 1 (Homotopy) and Chapter 2 (Homology), or rather a quintessential subset of them. It will be an intensive, genuinely graduate-level course. A good familiarity with linear algebra and basics of abstract algebra (at the level of H110 and H113 respectively) as well as elements of point-set topology, and (eventually) of analysis on manifolds, and of the theory of Lie groups.
Homework: due weekly on Th via Gradescope
Grading policy: The starting point is: 50% homework + 50% take-home final (most likely during the RRR week). Next: each individual weekly hw score which is lower (percentage-wise) than your score on the final will be dropped - together with its weight. E.g.: if half of your hw is below your final score and half above, then your total score is composed 2/3 from the final score and 1/3 from the remaining hw. Thus, there are many reasons why you want to do the hw (as well as many other exercises not assigned as hw), and do it well, yet a particular hw score can only improve your overall performance, but can never hurt your ultimate result compared to the final exam. Besides, I don't have a preconceived distribution of As and Bs, and would be happy to give everyone an A, should everyone demonstrate good knowledge of the subject.