Course Information
Math 491: Mathematical Writing - Section 01, Spring 2016
2 Credits: TTh 2:00 - 2:50pm Bridges Room 268
Textbook: Mathematical Writing, notes by Walter
Sizer (rev 2010).
Instructor:
Justin James, Mathematics Department
Office: MacLean 375M
Office Phone: (218)477-4011
Office
Hours:
TTh
1:00 – 1:50pm Email: jamesju@mnstate.edu
MTWTh 11:00 – 11:50am Webpage: web.mnstate.edu/jamesju
Other times by
appointment
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 give feedback on
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
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 the quality of your exposition (10% of your course grade).
Assignment Five: You will select a
mathematical topic (for example, the vibrating string problem in differential
equations or a problem in multi-variable linear regression) and will write a
brief (1-2 page) summary of the problem (not
its solution!). Your paper must also
provide, 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 quality and proper listing of the bibliographic 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 presenting a solution. This will require researching both the
problem and its solution. You should
cite several sources. Both the problem
and its solution should 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
read by your 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) and you will receive feedback
that you should use to revise your draft.
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 are
as noted on the course schedule handout.
Any changes to the assignment schedule will be announced in class and will
be published on the version of the course schedule posted on the course website. First Drafts of assignment six will be due
based on the date that you sign up to have your paper draft discussed in class. Final drafts of assignment six are due no
later than Friday, May 6th.
Exams: This course will not have any in-class exams. In addition, your major paper (Writing
Assignment 6) serves as the culminating assignment for this course, so we will
not meet during the final exam period.
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: Minnesota State University Moorhead is
committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all
students. The Disability Resource Center (DRC) is the campus office
that collaborates with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange
reasonable accommodations.
• If you have, or think
you may have, a disability (e.g. mental health, attentional, learning, chronic
health, sensory or physical) please contact the DRC at (218) 477-4318 (V) or
(800)627.3529 or 711 (MRS/TTY) to schedule an appointment for an intake.
• Additional information
is available on the DRC website: http://www.mnstate.edu/disability/
• If you are registered
with the DRC and have a current Accommodation Letter, please schedule an
appointment to visit with me, during my office hours, to discuss implementation
of your accommodations.
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 through the University Writing Support Center. You can make an appointment at the following
url: https://mnstate.mywconline.com/.
Thanks, And Let’s
Have A Great Semester!!
Math 491 –
Section 01 Course Page