Lectures in Homological Algebra

This volume constitutes a record of the course in homological algebra given at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in July 1970 under the auspices of the National Science Foundation's Regional Conference project. The nature of the audience required that the course begin with an introduction to the notion of modules over a unitary ring, but permitted rapid development of the theory from that starting point. The first three chapters may be regarded as containing material essential to any introductory course in homological algebra, while the later chapters reflect the choices actually made by the audience among many possible special topics accessible to those who had mastered the early material. Thus it may be claimed that the course achieved depth of penetration on a narrow front, while it is admitted that breadth of coverage of the entire domain of homological algebra was neither attempted nor achieved.