2794W: Mathematics Writing Seminar
Professor: Emily Gunawan
Office hours: see office hours, located at Monteith Bldg, room MONT 402
Instructor’s schedule: See instructor’s regular schedule here
Class location: room Mont 226, see Fall 2019 math course schedule
Meeting times: MW 5:45 - 6:35
Course website: http://egunawan.github.io/writing
Course Piazza: piazza.com/uconn/fall2019/writing/home and Piazza sign up link
Textbook: Readings and assignments will be handed out in class and/or posted online on our class webpage.
Course description: The student will attend talks during the semester, and choose a mathematical topic from one of them to investigate in detail. The student will write a well-revised, comprehensive paper on this topic, including a literature review, description of technical details, and a summary and discussion. The total number of written pages during the semester needs to be at least 15 and the final paper will be 6-10 pages of that total.
Course Prerequisite: ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 2011; Math 2110Q (or 2130Q or 2143Q) and one of Math 2210Q or 2410Q or 2420Q or 2144Q
After this course we will
(1) have been exposed to a variety of mathematical topics by attending weekly talks.
(2) have a working understanding of the LaTeX typesetting program.
(3) have an increased understanding of and ability to produce technical writing in mathematics.
(4) be able to translate the writing and communication skills developed in this course to a future career in a math-related and/or science-related field.
W Course Policy: According to university-wide policies for W courses, an overall passing grade on the writing components (the three writing assignments and the final paper) is required to pass the course. All writing components MUST go through a feedback and revision process.
An easy-to-use and download-free option for online LaTeX editing is Overleaf.com.
If you would like to download a LaTeX distribution and front-end/compiler to your laptop, please see the Resources page for recommendations on what to install.
Please bring either your own laptop (check out a laptop from the library) to the first few class meetings.
Math Tokens are fake currency which may be spent on late submissions or missed class activities.
| Purpose | Token cost |
|---|---|
| Submit a late assignment within 48 hours of deadline (for any reason) | 1 token |
| Make up a missed class activity within one week (for any reason) | 1 token |
You will be required to
To receive credit for attending a Wednesday talk, please check in with me (for example, you can say “hello” or wave at me). The topic for the final paper can only be drawn from the topics of the first SEVEN talks of the semester (week 2 - Week 8), meaning it is highly recommended that you attend as many of these talks as possible.
If you attend more talks than required, then the lowest grades will be dropped.
Early in the semester, there will be LaTeX practice assignments. These assignments are meant to help you learn how to use the LaTeX typesetting program.
There will be short writing assignments towards the middle of the semester. Each assignment will have a specific length requirement. These assignments are meant to help you learn how to write a formal mathematics paper (using LaTeX). A required revision and editing process will be incorporated into each assignment.
The revision and editing process for the writing assignments and the Final Paper will involve in-class peer reviews. Active participation during these peer reviews is required and is worth part of the final course grade.
All UConn students are invited to visit the University Writing Center for free 45-minute individualized tutorials. You can drop in or make an appointment. The Writing Center staff includes talented and welcoming graduate and undergraduate students from across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. They work with writers at any stage of the writing process, from exploring ideas to polishing final drafts. Their first priority is guiding each student’s revisions, so they frequently provide a sounding board for a writer’s ideas, arguments, analytical moves, and uses of evidence. They can also work with you on sentence-level concerns, but please note that they will not proofread for you; instead, they will help you become a better editor of your own work. You should come with a copy of the assignment you are working on, a current draft (or notes if you are not yet at the draft stage), and ideas about what you want out of a session. For hours, locations, and more information, please go to writingcenter.uconn.edu.
The course will culminate in a 6-to-10 page final paper written on a topic chosen from the first SEVEN Wednesday talks. Substantial outside research is required, as the majority of the paper should be drawn from this outside research. Progress on the final paper will be tracked via deadlines for different phases of the paper preparation. The tentative deadlines for the different components of this paper are as follows.
The grading scheme for this course is given below.
| 30% | Final paper | |
| 40% | LaTeX practice and other papers, other homework | |
| 20% | Wednesday Talk Forms | |
| 10% | Peer Reviews (or writing center visits) and other 1-point in-class activities and homework |
Please let me know ASAP (but within one week) if I’ve made mistakes in grading your assessments.
Strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol or drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating, or lack of motivation may affect a student’s academic performance or reduce a student’s ability to participate in daily activities. If you or someone you know expresses such health concerns or experiences a stressful event that can create barriers to learning, UConn services are available to assist you. Learn about confidential health services available on campus at counseling.uconn.edu Arjona Building, 4th floor, near Mirror Lake phone 860-486-4705. See also dos.uconn.edu/student-resources/.
If you see this sentence, please email me a fun picture of huskies (just for fun).
Students who think that they may need accommodations because of a short-term or long-term disability are encouraged to meet with me privately early in the semester. Students should also contact the Center for Students with Disabilities as soon as possible to verify their eligibility for reasonable accommodations. For more information, please go to the website accessibility.uconn.edu/students/ or contact CSD at 860-486-2020 or csd@uconn.edu
UConns Student Conduct Code community.uconn.edu/the-student-code includes both academic integrity and compliance with the policy against discrimination, harassment, and interpersonal violence.
It is in everyone’s best interest to maintain their academic integrity. Any form of academic dishonesty undermines the goals of our course and devalues the learning process. Academic dishonesty is a serious offense at UConn and will result in an academic misconduct report and a failure in Math 2794W. For more information, consult UConns guidelines for academic integrity: community.uconn.edu/the-student-code-appendix-a.
Unless stated otherwise, in this particular course (only this class - you should check with your professor for each class), you are free to work with other people and use technology (Desmos, WolframAlpha, the Internet, etc) on take-home assignments to aid your learning. Whenever you work with another person or the Internet on a paper, please credit them in the introduction of your paper.