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Course Content:
Required Texts: Dunham, William,
Journey through Genius, Penguin Books, 1990.
Stillwell, John,
Mathematics and Its History, 3rd Ed., Spring, 2010.
Other Readings: http://people.uncw.edu/hermanr/mat346/readings.htm.
Course Description:
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MAT 346 - Historical Development
of Mathematics
Development of mathematics from
earliest systems to present century.
Personalities involved with the
contributions of each. A
problem-study approach to give the
student some training in research.
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Goals:
The primary goal of MAT 346 is to provide an overview of the major periods and
historical development of mathematics within a cultural context. Through
extensive reading, writing, and problem-solving using historical methods,
students will develop skills for thoughtful investigation and communication of
mathematical ideas. Students will investigate and research historical
mathematical topics and present the results of mathematical scholarship in both
written and oral formats.
Students have opportunities to investigate mathematical ideas through literature
searches. Students will draft, revise, and submit multiple stages of written and
oral reports during the semester. Products include multipage article summaries,
problem solutions with correct typesetting, an expository paper of moderate
length, and a short oral presentation, each with appropriate citation of
sources.
Learning Outcomes:
- Through a series of drafts and revisions, use instructor feedback to
produce a written product that reflects knowledge and understanding of the
historical development of mathematics.
(WI 1, 2; CR 4)
- Develop skills in effectively locating, analyzing, and utilizing
current and relevant resources for mathematical scholarship. (WI 1; IL
1, 2)
- Demonstrate competence in independent reading, analysis, and
evaluation of mathematical materials and resources. (WI 1; IL 2)
- Develop skills in writing and presenting mathematical arguments in
an organized, logical, and coherent form. (WI 2)
- Demonstrate understanding of ethical standards for citation and use
of mathematical ideas. (IL 3, 4; WI 1)
- Review, structure, and apply mathematical knowledge to solve a variety
of mathematical problems using historical methods and techniques. (CR 1, 2)
- Organize and deliver a mathematical presentation that reflects knowledge
and understanding of the historical development of mathematics.. (IL 4; CR
4)
- Understand the mathematics of various different civilizations, their
conception and use of mathematics, and how the historical conditions of
those civilizations affected and were affected by mathematics. (CR 3)
Web Pages/Email:
This syllabus as well as a variety of other relevant
information for this class is posted on the internet. The website is located
at
http://people.uncw.edu/hermanr/mat346/
You are encouraged to log onto this page often to check the assignments, read
text material, listen to videos, and read about related topics and further
examples. You will need to continually watch for additions, changes, and announcements for the class. So, make it a daily habit to go to the web site and read something different.
Advice for Success:
In order to learn the material in this course and earn a good grade, you need to
put in some effort. Do not put off assignments or reading. If you do not understand something, ask the instructor. Come to office hours, use the email, ask knowledgeable students, or go to the library/internet and find supplementary material. Additional material will be placed at the course website:
http://people.uncw.edu/hermanr/mat346/ You are expected to
not only listen to the lectures, you need to read the texts and additional
materials provided.
Course Requirements:
Assignments: Assignments will be collected on a regular basis and
you will be told when the work is due. As doing homework is very important
for learning the material in this course, it will count as 30% of your
grade. Late homework is subject to a 10% penalty.
Papers and Presentations: There will be opportunities to investigate
mathematical ideas and people and write papers and do a short presentation. These will make up
30% of the course grade.
Attendance: YOU ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND ALL OF THE CLASSES! After three excused absences there will be a penalty of 2% for each absence from your total grade.
Exams and Grades: There will be two exams in this
course. Each exam will cover roughly 50% of the course material. The tentative dates for the exams are below.
Also, we will have presentations during the final slot.
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Exam I |
Oct 3 |
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Exam II |
Nov 21 |
| Presentations |
Dec 14, 8-11 AM |
Your final grade will be based on the following:
| Homework
| 30%
| | Exams
| 40%
| | Papers
| 20% | |
Presentation
| 10%
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| 90-100
| A
| | 80-89
| B
| | 70-79
| C
| | 60-69
| D
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This syllabus is subject to change!
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Academic Honor Code: |
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All members of UNCW's community are expected to follow the
academic Honor Code. Please read the UNCW Honor Code carefully (as covered in the
UNCW Student Handbook). Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated in
this class. Please be especially familiar with UNCW's position on plagiarism as
outlined in the UNCW Student Handbook. Plagiarism is a form of academic
dishonesty in which you take someone else's ideas and represent them as your
own.
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Student Disabilities:
UNCW Disability
Services supplies information about disability law, documentation procedures and
accommodations that can be found at
http://uncw.edu/disability/. To obtain
accommodations the student should first contact Disability Services and present
their documentation to the coordinator for review and verification.
Campus Respect Compact.
UNCW has recently instituted a Respect Compact
to affirm our commitment to a civil community, characterized by mutual respect.
That Compact will soon be affixed to the wall of each classroom and can be
accessed at:
http://uncw.edu/diversity/documents/ApprovedSeahawkRespectCompact8x10.08.09.pdf
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