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Math 300                                           Writing for Mathematics                                    Spring 2009

 

Instructor: John Baldwin,  417 SEO,  312-413-2149

E-mail: jbaldwin@uic.edu

Webpage for this course:       

http://www.math.uic.edu/~jbaldwin/math300/index.html

 This is a one-credit course that meets one hour per week. 

Prerequisites:

Math 210 with a grade of C or better

English 160 and 161, English Composition

Students  must be majors in the Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science. 

  The last day to add or drop this course is Friday  January 23.  LAS students are allowed four (lifetime) "free" drops during  weeks three through six.

This course aims to produce mathematical writers.   Three essays, each five or six pages long, are assigned.  Each of these essays will be revised at least once.  These essays are the basis for 60% of the course grade.  The remaining 40% is based on shorter writing assignments (25%) and on class participation  (15%).  All three essays must be completed in order to receive a passing grade in the course.

Follow these steps for each of the three essays.  Exact dates for each assignment are (will be) posted with the actual assignment.

1)   Submit a half-page outline of the essay.  (This step is not required for the first essay.)

2)   Two weeks after the outline is approved, turn in a first draft of the paper.  The paper should be five or six pages long and be written with normal formatting on 8 ½ by 11 paper.  Turn in the outline along with this draft.  The instructor will read and comment on this draft.

3)   Submit a revised and corrected second draft within one week of receiving the comments from the instructor on the first draft.  Turn in the annotated first draft along with this revision.

The grade for the paper will be based on the final accepted version.

Because of the many revisions that will be made, students are required to type their papers using a word processing system on a computer. The system used should be able to handle mathematical symbols, or at least be able to manage subscripts and superscripts.  For example, Word and WordPerfect have these capabilities.   Students who do not have home computers with suitable word processing programs might want to use UIC computer facilities.  Students are encouraged to use the mathematical typesetting program TeX. 

Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities who require accommodations for access and participation in this course must be registered with the Office of Disability Services (ODS). Please contact ODS at (312)413-2103 (voice) or (312)413-0123 (TTY).

Feel free to e-mail me at jbaldwin@uic.edu or phone to make an appointment to discuss any difficulties that arise.

If for any reason you miss class, contact the instructor by phone or e-mail to find out what you missed.