MAT336: History of Mathematics - Syllabus WORK IN PROGRESS

Spring 2022

What this course is about

This is, in the opinion of your instructor, a fascinating course about how we - human beings- created and developed mathematical ideas. It remarkable how these ideas vary wildly from society to society and at the same time, they keep something common.

We will start in the very beginning, discussing what we know about the mathematics of the first organized societies we know of. We will continue through Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Hellenic world, China, India, the Islamic world, the European Renaissance and we will finish discussing selected topics of modern mathematics.

Learning outcomes

Additional goals of your instructor.

The final goal is understanding. Since time is finite, we will go deep (as opposed to wide).

Course info

Communication

Course materials

Assessment

You probably noticed by now that minds and learning styles come in very diverse format. With that in mind, in this class, we will work in very diverse formats. All our activities might be a bit too much to digest in one syllabus reading, but you will be quite comfortable with all of them by the middle of the semester, if you put interest and effort in this course.

Abstract, outline and math point

You have one "life happens" late pass that allows you to complete ONE homework set up to four days after the deadline, no questions asked. Simply inform the Molly, our TA.

Grades

While the goal of this course is learning, you might have some curiosity about how I will calculate your final grades. If so, please read the table below. Note that the grade is distributed in many different types of assignments, many of then at "low stake".

What % of the grade Individual %
HW 0 1% 1%
Homework 12% (divided equally among all homework) 2% each problem set
Quizzes 12% (divided equally among all quizzes) 2.4% each quiz
Slido Answers 20% (1 point per question answered) 0.1% each question approx.
Presentation evaluation 5% (1 point per 1 question answered) 0.04% each question approx.
Presentation 20% 20%
Paper 25% 25%
Class participation 5% 5%%

As you probably know, life often gets in the way of carefully planned events. If life gets in the way of our course, and say, we end up having four quizzes instead of five, I will balance the graded accordingly.

Where is what in the cyberspace.

  • Course website
    • This syllabus (!)
    • Course schedule
    • Form to explain missing work.
    • Link to the page of reading materials, good sources and apps we will use during the semester.
    • Calendar for making presentation rehearsal appointment
    • Link to the presentation evaluation form.
  • Slido
    • Interactive questions during lectures
    • Summary of each lecture at the end. (if you do not have time do it in class, it will be open until midnight of the day of the lecture)
  • Course schedule
    • All deadlines
    • Homework Assignments
    • Link to submit all work except the homework, quizzes and final paper.
    • Presentations topics and dates.
  • Blackboard
    • Grades
    • Announcements.
    • Discussion forum: Please use it for all questions and comments (see the point about email below). Answering questions of your classmates counts as class participation.
    • Submission of the paper.
  • Stony Brook Email (check it daily)
    • Announcements
    • Other issues

Additional syllabus statements

Course description

Description: A survey of the history of mathematics from the beginnings through the 19th century, with special attention to primary sources and to the interactions between culture and mathematics. Emphasis on topics germane to the high school curriculum. Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Greek mathematics; non-European mathematics; early Renaissance mathematics; the birth and flowering of calculus; the beginnings of probability theory; and the origin of non-euclidean gemetrics and the modern concept of number.
Prerequisite: MAT 200 or MAT 203 or MAT 250 or AMS 261.
DEC: H
SBCL SBC: SPK,STAS,WRTD
Credits: 3

Accesibility, Academic Integrity and Critical Incident Management.

Student Accessibility Support Center Statement

If you have a physical, psychological, medical, or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact the Student Accessibility Support Center, Stony Brook Union Suite 107, (631) 632-6748, or at sasc@stonybrook.edu. They will determine with you what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential. Students who require assistance during emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss their needs with their professors and the Student Accessibility Support Center. For procedures and information go to the following website: https://ehs.stonybrook.edu//programs/fire-safety/emergency-evacuation/evacuation-guide-disabilities and search Fire Safety and Evacuation and Disabilities.

Academic Integrity Statement

Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Faculty is required to report any suspected instances of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. Faculty in the Health Sciences Center (School of Health Technology & Management, Nursing, Social Welfare, Dental Medicine) and School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty please refer to the academic judiciary website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/academic_integrity/index.html

Critical Incident Management

Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn. Until/unless the latest COVID guidance is explicitly amended by SBU, during Spring 2022 "disruptive behavior” will include refusal to wear a mask during classes. (If the syllabus is in print only, then add:) For the latest COVID guidance, please refer to: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/strongertogether/latest.php Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn. Faculty in the HSC Schools and the School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures. Further information about most academic matters can be found in the Undergraduate Bulletin, the Undergraduate Class Schedule, and the Faculty-Employee Handbook.

Speak Effectively before an Audience (SPK)

Learning Outcomes for "Speak Effectively before an Audience"

1. Research a topic, develop an oral argument and organize supporting details.
2. Deliver a proficient and substantial oral presentation for the intended audience using appropriate media.
3. Evaluate oral presentations of others according to specific criteria.

Standards for "Speak Effectively before an Audience"

1. Courses or modules certified as providing oral communication practice must provide access to instruction in the methods of making a proficient oral presentation. Access might include referral to on-campus resources.
2. Certified oral communication experiences shall require students to make a substantial and graded oral presentation (e.g., 10-15 minutes) before a group.
3. Certified oral communication experiences shall have students evaluate other students' oral presentations using explicit criteria.
4. A certified experience shall achieve all three learning outcomes.
5. Although most programs will stipulate that the learning outcome will be completed in English, some programs could demonstrate that the requirement could be completed in an alternative language.

Speak Effectively before an Audience (SPK)

Learning Outcomes for "Speak Effectively before an Audience"

1. Research a topic, develop an oral argument and organize supporting details.
2. Deliver a proficient and substantial oral presentation for the intended audience using appropriate media.
3. Evaluate oral presentations of others according to specific criteria.

Standards for "Speak Effectively before an Audience"

1. Courses or modules certified as providing oral communication practice must provide access to instruction in the methods of making a proficient oral presentation. Access might include referral to on-campus resources.
2. Certified oral communication experiences shall require students to make a substantial and graded oral presentation (e.g., 10-15 minutes) before a group.
3. Certified oral communication experiences shall have students evaluate other students' oral presentations using explicit criteria.
4. A certified experience shall achieve all three learning outcomes.
5. Although most programs will stipulate that the learning outcome will be completed in English, some programs could demonstrate that the requirement could be completed in an alternative language.

Write Effectively within One's Discipline (WRTD)

Learning Outcomes for "Write Effectively within One's Discipline"

1. Collect the most pertinent evidence, draw appropriate disciplinary inferences, organize effectively for one's intended audience, and write in a confident voice using correct grammar and punctuation.

Standards for "Write Effectively within One's Discipline"

1. Produce written work congruent with the standards of one’s discipline
2. Complete one certified course that reinforces writing skills in the major discipline OR submit a portfolio of at least 15 pages of written work in the discipline, as determined by the department and certification committee.
3. Although most programs will stipulate that the learning outcome will be completed in English, some programs could demonstrate that the requirement could be completed in an alternative language.

Understand Relationships between Science or Technology and the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences (STAS)

Learning Outcomes for "Understand Relationships between Science or Technology and the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences"

1. Apply concepts and tools drawn from any field of study in order to understand the links between science or technology and the arts, humanities or social sciences.
2. Synthesize quantitative and/or technical information and qualitative information to make informed judgments about the reciprocal relationship between science or technology and the arts, humanities or social sciences.

Standards for "Understand Relationships between Science or Technology and the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences"

1. A certified course shall fulfill both learning outcomes. Certified courses will devote significant time to consideration of the consequences of science or technology for social, economic, ethical, moral, political, artistic, and/or other domains of experience.

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