Course Information
Math 491: Mathematical Writing - Section 01, Spring 2015
2 Credits: TTh
9:00 - 9:50am Bridges Room 261
Textbook: Mathematical Writing, notes by Walter
Sizer (rev 2010).
Instructor: Justin James, Mathematics Department
Office: MacLean 375M
Office Phone: (218)477-4011
Office Hours: MTWThF 10:00 – 10:50am Email: jamesju@mnstate.edu
MTWTh 1:00 –
1:50pm Webpage: www.mnstate.edu/jamesju
F 3:00 – 3:50pm
Course Description: This is a
writing intensive course in the major for mathematics majors. It is intended to
help students learn how to incorporate mathematics into their own writing.
Prerequisite: MATH 291:
LaTeX
Course Requirements: You must complete all
six writing assignments in a satisfactory manner (this includes preliminary
drafts and a complete bibliography when appropriate). Unsatisfactory drafts must continue to be
revised until they are deemed satisfactory.
You are also required to revise drafts of papers submitted by your
peers.
Major
Content Areas:
·
Incorporating
mathematical expressions in text.
·
Inserting
graphs, tables, mathematical diagrams in text, appendices.
Learning Outcomes (General):
·
Learn good
form for mathematical papers and reports.
Instructional Strategies: Lecture, in class activities,
writing assignments, peer revision of paper drafts
Attendance
and Academic Expectations: You are expected to
attend class regularly and on time. More
than four unexcused absences may lower a students’ course grade by one full
letter grade. Students who are more than
5 minutes late to class will receive 1/2 an absence. Assignments that are turned in late or that
are significantly below acceptable standards will be penalized one letter grade
even after successful revisions. Papers
that require more than one round of revisions to reach an acceptable standard
will also be penalized for each additional round of required revisions.
Objectives: This course will develop the following written communication
competencies:
·
Use a coherent writing process including invention,
organization, drafting, revision, and editing to form an effective final
written product.
·
Consult effectively and appropriately with others to
produce quality written products.
·
Locate, use, and cite appropriately primary and
secondary course materials from both print and electronic resources.
·
Create logical, engaging, effective written products
appropriate for specific audiences and purposes.
·
Use correct grammar and mechanics in writing.
Course Notebooks: Throughout the
semester, you will be expected to create a course notebook where you keep a
written record of key principles relating to the writing of mathematical and
technical papers. The content of these
notes should include both the content covered in class and content drawn from
reading assignments. I will collect and
grade your notebooks several times throughout the semester to make sure that
you are keeping up on this practice. You will be warned one class period in
advance. Your notebook will be graded as
either satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
Writing
Assignments
Assignment
One: You
will read one section of a chapter
in a calculus textbook focusing on the mathematical exposition in that
section. You should note what is
especially good, what is poor, and what could be improved (and how). You should also comment on the examples and
exercises in the section – the number, clarity, breadth, and difficulty level.
Pay attention to transitions, if any, from one topic to another. Take note of any errors you find. You should avoid merely summarizing content
from the section. Your focus should be
on how and how well the content is presented.
Grades will be based on the thoroughness and aptness of your comments (10% of your course grade).
Assignment
Two: You
will be given a rough draft of an article on a mathematical topic. You are expected to play the role of an
editor and recommend revisions. We will
spend some class time going through a portion of the draft of the paper line by
line and discussing possible revisions.
You will complete the process and then turn in a complete list of suggested
revisions. Grades will be based on the
thoroughness and correctness of the revisions you suggest (10% of your course grade).
Assignment
Three: You
will submit a well-written one page polished summary of a chapter from a
mathematical textbook. Your paper should be written for a reader who is already
familiar with the subject matter but not familiar with the particular
text. Your focus should be on clearly
communicating the content covered in the chapter. You should not critique the quality and clarity of the source material. Grades will be based on how well you
summarize the content of the chapter and on the quality of your exposition (10% of your course grade).
Assignment
Four: You
will write a short (2 page) polished paper on an elementary mathematical topic
(for example, the derivation of the quadratic formula by completing the square,
or the derivation of the formula for the area of an ellipse using calculus I
techniques). You should concentrate on
exposition of the topic. You should also
focus on incorporating mathematical symbols in the text of your paper. Grades
will be based primarily on your exposition (10%
of your course grade).
Assignment
Five: You
should select a mathematical topic (for example, the vibrating string problem
in differential equations or a problem in multi-variable linear
regression). You will write a brief (1
page) summary of the problem (not
its solution!) and
give, in proper form, at least five bibliographic references, including both
printed and electronic sources, and including page number (if
appropriate). Grades will be based both
on the presentation of the problem and on the proper listing of references (10% of your course grade).
Assignment
Six: You
will pick a mathematical problem with which you are familiar (of appropriate
scope and difficulty). You will write a
twelve page paper describing the problem in detail and giving a solution. This will require researching the problem and
its solution using multiple sources.
Both the problem and its solution will be written to an audience of
fellow students assuming a grasp of the basic concepts and principles
involved. A preliminary draft is to be
submitted. If your preliminary draft is
deemed to be unacceptable, you will be asked to improve it before it is
distributed to the rest of the class.
This draft will be revised by the class members and the instructor (each
student will be asked to bring two copies of their suggested revisions – one to
be given to the author of the paper and the other for the instructor). A final draft is then to be submitted. Final
student papers will be graded on grammar, flow, style, and on proper
displaying, labeling, and punctuation of mathematical symbolism, tables, and
graphs. You will be penalized for
significant errors in content, but the main emphasis in grading will be on the
quality of the writing (Final draft of
papers: 50% of course grade; participation and suggestions in revising
classmates’ papers will be graded satisfactory or unsatisfactory).
Other
Activities and Assignments: Participation in class activities and other
short assignments is required and will be graded as satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
Any assignment deemed to be unsatisfactory
must be repeated until they are deemed satisfactory
or your course grade will be lowered accordingly.
Due
Dates: Notebook
checks will be announced in class at least one class meeting in advance. Due dates for assignments one through five
will be announced at least one week in advance and will be added to the assignment
schedule posted on the course website.
First Drafts of assignment six are due on or before April 2nd. Final drafts are due no later than Friday,
May 8th.
Course
Grading Policy: Your final grade in the course will be
assigned as follows:
96.5-100.0% A+ 81.5-86.4% B 69.0-71.4% C–
91.5-96.5% A 79.0-81.4% B– 66.0-68.9% D+
89.0-91.4% A– 76.5-78.9% C+ 60.0-65.9% D
86.5-88.9% B+ 71.5-76.4% C <60.0% F
Special Accommodations: Students with disabilities who believe they may need an
accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact Greg Toutges,
Director of Disability Services at 477-4318 (Voice) or 1-800-627-3529
(MRS/TTY), Flora Frick 154 as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations
are implemented in a timely fashion. Information regarding Disability
Services is available at http://web.mnstate.edu/disability/
Academic Honesty: Since the focus of
this course is on writing, it is imperative that the writing that you submit
must be your own original work or appropriately acknowledged. In
particular, if you incorporate any of
the following from other sources in your writing, credit must be properly
given: diagrams, figures, graphs; quoted material; information not generally
available from multiple sources; specific data sets. In addition, references should be given
where an interested reader may read more about the topic you are writing
on.
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated
in any course at any level. See the MSUM Academic Honesty policy for more
information on the possible consequences of cheating.
Note: Tutors trained to help with general writing
are available, by appointment, in the Academic Support Center (Flora-Frick Hall
154).
Thanks,
And Let’s Have A Great Semester!!
Math 491 –
Section 01 Course Page