Topology and monoid representations I: Foundations

This paper aims to use topological methods to compute Ext between an irreducible representation of a finite monoid inflated from its group completion and one inflated from its group of units, or more generally coinduced from a maximal subgroup, via a spectral sequence that collapses on the $E_2$-page over fields of good characteristic. As an application, we determine the global dimension of the algebra of the monoid of all affine transformations of a vector space over a finite field. We provide a topological characterization of when a monoid homomorphism induces a homological epimorphism of monoid algebras and apply it to semidirect products. Topology is used to construct projective resolutions of modules inflated from the group completion for sufficiently nice monoids. A sequel paper will use these results to study the representation theory Hsiao's monoid of ordered G-partitions (connected to the Mantaci-Reutenauer descent algebra for the wreath product $G\wr S_n$).