Syllabus

2794W: Mathematics Writing Seminar
Professor: Emily Gunawan
Office hours: see instructor’s website, located at Monteith Bldg, room MONT 402
Instructor’s schedule: See instructor’s regular schedule here
Class location: room MONT314, see Spring 2020 math course schedule
Meeting times: MW 5:45 - 6:35 (group and individual meetings will be conducted virtually after Spring Break — see your email and HuskyCT for links) FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions): FAQ
Course website: http://egunawan.github.io/writing
Textbook:

overview.

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

goals for Math 2794W.

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 grading and revision policy.

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.

LaTeX editing tool.

An easy-to-use and download-free option for online LaTeX editing is Overleaf.com. An Overleaf project will be shared with you, and you will use it to store your writing portfolio for this class.

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.

laptops.

Please bring either your own laptop (check out a laptop from the library: Borrow Technology) to the first few class meetings.

Assessments

Wednesday talks

You will be required to

  1. attend six of the first seven talks (week 2 to week 8) this semester
  2. submit a talk comment form and a library research assignment for each of these six talks

In order to write a talk comment form, you need to be physically and mentally present during the talk. This means, all phones, technology, and other distractions should be put away (although it’s fine if you use your phone to take a picture of the board or type on a laptop).

If you don’t earn 6/6 points for talk comment form or library research assignment for the first six talks (week 2 to week 7), you can make them up after Spring Break. The make-up materials are Week 8 talk and Video A, B, and C (posted in the Other Resources page). See the Schedule page for all deadlines.

If you submit more assignments than required, the lowest scores will be dropped.

LaTeX practice assignments

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.

Portfolio (writing assignments)

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.

peer reviews

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.

university writing center

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.

final paper

The course will culminate in a final paper written on topics chosen from any of the seven talks, including Video A, B, and C. 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 (outline, one-page draft, first draft, meeting with the instructor, a peer review, and final draft) of the paper preparation. See the Schedule page for all deadlines.

grading scheme.

The grading scheme for this course is given below.

30% Final paper  
40% Papers and other LaTeX assignments  
20% Wednesday Talk Forms and Library Research
10% Peer Review, Instructor Meeting, reading homework, and in-class activities  

grading questions

Please let me know ASAP (but within one week) if I’ve made mistakes in grading your assessments.

drop-in hours and office hours.

All office hours are conducted via Webex, by appointments (via email)

mental well-being.

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).

Huskies Huskies Huskies Huskies Huskies Huskies

accommodation services.

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

student conduct code.

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.

academic integrity.

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.