This text, drawn from the author's lectures at the University of California at Berkeley, is intended as a textbook for a one-term course in basic ring theory. The material covered includes the Wedderburn-Artin theory of semi-simple rings, Jacobson's theory of the radical representation theory of groups and algebras, prime and semi-prime rings, primitive and semi-primitive rings, division rings, ordered rings, local and semi-local rings, and perfect and semi-perfect rings. By aiming the level of writing at the novice rather than at the expert, and by stressing the role of examples and motivation, the author has produced a text which is suitable not only for use in a graduate course, but also for self-study by other interested graduate students. Numerous exercises are also included. This graduate textbook on rings, fields and algebras is intended for graduate students in mathematics.

A first course in noncommutative rings, by T. Y. Lam. Pp. 385. £37 (pb), £62.50 (hb). 2001. ISBN 0 387 95325 6 (pb), 0 387 95183 0 (hb) (Springer-Verlag).

The Algebraic Theory of Semigroups, Vol. I. By A. H. Clifford and G. B. Preston. Pp. xv + 224. $10.60. 1961. (American Mathematical Society, Providence.)

Let T be a set of elements in a ring A. The set T is right permutable if for any a ∈ A and t ∈ T, there exist b ∈ A, u ∈ T such that au = tb. A multiplicative set in a ring A is any subset T of A such that 1 ∈ T,0 ∉ T and T is closed under multiplication. A completely prime ideal in a ring A is any proper ideal B such that A\B is a multiplicative set (i.e. A/Bis a domain). A minimal prime ideal (resp. minimal completely prime ideal) in a ring A is any prime (resp. completely prime) ideal P such that P contains no properly any other prime ideal (resp. completely prime ideal) of A. Let I be any proper ideal of a ring A. The set of all elements a ∈ A such that a + I is a regular element of A/I is denoted by c(I). In particular, c(0) is the set of all regular elements of A.

Rings of quotients

Introduction to semigroup theory

Prime ideals in skew polynomial rings and quantized Weyl algebras

Partial actions and Galois theory

In this paper we extend to the higher derivations a well-known result proved by Herstein concerning derivations in prime rings. We prove results which imply that every Jordan higher derivation of a 2-torsion-free semiprime ring is a higher derivation.

Miguel Ferrero

Papers

Partial actions and Galois theory

Higher Derivations and a Theorem By Herstein

Partial actions and partial skew group rings

On Radicals of Skew Polynomial Rings of Derivation Type

Partial actions of groups on semiprime rings