Instructor: Mladen Bestvina
Office: JWB 210
Office hours: TBD or by appointment
Meets: MW 3-4:20, LCB 121
We will start with some graph theory, and this will be followed
by topics in geometric group theory. We will loosely follow the
book
Clay-Margalit: "Office hours with a geometric group theorist"
The students are expected to work on problem sets and present
solutions to the class. There is also going to be an
end-of-class project, consisting of a paper and a presentation.
Prerequisites: 3210-20 or 4400 or a 5000+ class with a
grade of A/A-. Ideally, you should know what a group is. Contact
me if you do not satisfy these prerequisites but want to take the
class.
Required
statements
University leadership urges all faculty, students, and staff to
model the vaccination, testing, and masking behaviors we want to
see in our campus community. These include:
Vaccination:
• Get a COVID-19 vaccination if you have not already done so.
Vaccination is proving highly effective in preventing severe
COVID-19 symptoms, hospitalization and death from corona virus.
Vaccination is the single best way to stop this COVID resurgence
in its tracks. Visit http://mychart.med.utah.edu/,
http://alert.utah.edu/covid/vaccine, or http://vaccines.gov/ to
schedule your vaccination.
Masking:
• While masks are no longer required outside of Health Sciences
facilities, UTA buses and campus shuttles, CDC guidelines now
call for everyone to wear face masks indoors.
Testing:
• If you are not yet vaccinated, get weekly asymptomatic corona
virus tests. This is a helpful way to protect yourself and those
around you because asymptomatic individuals can unknowingly
spread the corona virus to others. Saliva based testing is
available at alert.utah.edu/covid/testing
Self-Reporting:
• All of us, including faculty, students, and staff, must
self-report if we test
positive for COVID-19 via this website:
https://coronavirus.utah.edu/.
Note that some of the services
described below may be available only on a modified or limited
basis due to the Covid pandemic. Check online or call the
relevant unit for up to date information.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act: The
University of Utah seeks to
provide equal access to its programs, services and activities
for
people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in the
class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the Center
for
Disability & Access, 162 Olpin Union Building, 801-581-5020,
https://disability.utah.edu/. CDA will work with you and the
instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. All written
information in this course can be made available in alternative
format
with prior notification to the Center for Disability &
Access.
• Addressing Sexual Misconduct: Title IX
makes it clear that violence
and harassment based on sex and gender (which includes sexual
orientation and gender identity/expression) is a Civil Rights
offense
subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same kinds
of
support applied to offenses against other protected categories
such as
race, national origin, color, religion, age, status as a person
with a
disability, veteran's status or genetic information. If you or
someone
you know has been harassed or assaulted on the basis of your
sex,
office for equal opportunity and affirmative action including
sexual
orientation or gender identity/expression, you are encouraged to
report it to the University's Title IX Coordinator; Director,
Office
of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 135 Park Building,
801-581-8365, https://oeo.utah.edu/contact-us/index.php or to
the
Office of the Dean of Students, 270 Union Building,
801-581-7066,
https://deanofstudents.utah.edu/. For support and
confidential
consultation, contact the Center for Student Wellness, 426 SSB,
801-581-7776. To report to police, contact the Department of
Public
Safety, 801-585-2677(COPS), https://police.utah.edu/.
• Campus Safety: The University of Utah values
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courtesy escort, call campus police at 801-585-COPS
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• University Counseling Center: The UCC staff is
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interpretation of University policy and regulations. To
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Office of the Dean of Students, please email
deanofstudents@utah.edu
or call 801-581-7066. There is more information at
https://deanofstudents.utah.edu/ .