MAT 480                         Spring 15
History of Mathematics

Instructor: Isa S. Jubran, PhD
Office: Moffett 128, Phone: Ext. 2968
e-mail: jubrani@cortland.edu

Text:
  1. The Historical Roots of Elementary Mathematics by Bunt, Jones, and Bedient. Dover Pulications, 1998.
  2. Course Material Available on the Web
Course Prerequisites: A grade of C- or better in MAT 224 and either MAT 122 or 236.

Course Objectives: Forms of Assessment: Grading: Your grade will be determined as follows:

Math Assignments 30%
2 Writing Assignments 20%
2 Tests & a Final Exam (equally weighted) 50%
Total 100%

Content: We will discuss the following topics to various degrees of depth: Honor Code
Plagiarism will not be tolerated and will be dealt with harshly. Please read and understand SUNY Cortland's Academic Integrity Statement.

Attendance Policy: Attendance is very important and shows that you value your education and take it seriously. By choosing to miss class without having a legitimate excuse to do so, you forfeit your right to seek my help with material discussed during your absence.

Disability Statement: SUNY Cortland is committed to upholding and maintaining all aspects of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If you are a student with a disability and wish to request accommodations, please contact Disability Services located in Van Hoesen Hall, Room B-40, or call (607) 753-2066 for an appointment. Any information regarding your disability will remain confidential. Because many accommodations require early planning, requests for accommodations will be reviewed in a timely manner to determine their appropriateness to this setting.

Ask Questions - Work Hard - Have Fun






Writing Assignments' Guidelines:
Your writing should be concise and clear, but it must also be precise. You should reread your paper a couple of times before submitting it. Write it in your own style and avoid stringing together a bunch of quotations. Don't quote without citing the source. When you mention some fact that is not common knowledge, indicate its source. Be careful with the description of the mathematics you write about.

Check out the following links. The first is a guide to writing mathematics, and the second is a citing and referencing guide.

To be assigned a grade of A or B on a paper, your paper should have:


If your paper has one or more of the following, you will be assigned a grade of C or D:

Writing Assignment #1: Cultural Paper - Serious First Draft.

Write a 3-4 page paper (double spaced) on one of the following topics. Prior approval by the instrucor is required for topics other than the ones listed below. Your paper should include both precise history and interesting mathematics. Writing Assignment #2: Topical Paper - Serious First Draft

Write a 3-4 paper (double spaced) on one of the following topics. Prior approval by the instrucor is required for topics other than the ones listed below. Your paper should include both precise history and interesting mathematics. Back to Main Page