About the Course

The senior seminar in mathematics provides a structure to aid students in successfully completing the Mathematics Capstone requirement. The major focus of the course is the written portion of the capstone. While students have practiced communicating mathematical ideas throughout their mathematics and statistics courses at Kenyon, for many students, the senior mathematics capstone will be their first experience writing a large, comprehensive mathematical document. Some class sessions will introduce students to tools for success such as literature searches, good note taking strategies, proper use of citations, and LaTeX coding techniques for large documents. Other sessions will be used to provide structure and a timeline for completing the paper. These sessions will include a short talk by each student based on the required paper outline, peer review sessions, and time in class to work on the manuscript.

The other focus of the course will be preparation for the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Major Field Test in Mathematics. This assessment is a nationwide exam that is composed of questions drawn from typical mathematics undergraduate coursework. Each student is required to pass this test as part of the Mathematics Capstone requirement. Thus, several sessions will be devoted to review and practice for this exam.

Textbook

There is no textbook for this course. Readings will be distributed as needed.

Course Objectives

This course will enable students to

1. Be exposed to mathematical/statistical content beyond the scope of coursework taken at Kenyon.
2. Practice writing and communicating complex mathematical/statistical concepts to an audience of their peers.
3. Use proper tools and techniques when writing their Mathematics Capstone manuscript.
4. Meet the Mathematics Capstone manuscript deadlines.
5. Review material for and practice taking questions for the ETS Major Field Test in Mathematics.

Expected Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, students will be able to

1. Write a comprehensive, expository manuscript about mathematical/statistical content that delves deeper into one of these fields than the level of content presented in their coursework.
2. Conduct literature searches for mathematical or statistical topics in appropriate databases.
3. Summarize and reference others’ mathematical writing appropriately.
4. Use LaTeX typesetting to construct their Mathematics Capstone manuscript.
5. Pass the ETS Major Field Test in Mathematics.

Acessibilities Accomodations

A student with a disability who thinks they may need an accommodation to access a campus program, activity, or service should contact Erin Salva in Student Accessibility and Support Services (SASS) at salvae@kenyon.edu to discuss specific needs. Advance notice is required to review documentation, evaluate accommodation requests and provide notice or arrangements for any accommodation

Title IX Responsibilities

As a member of the Kenyon College faculty, I am concerned about the well-being and development of students, and am available to discuss any concerns. However, I want you to know that faculty members are legally obligated to share certain information with the College’s Civil Rights & Title IX Coordinator. This requirement is to ensure your safety and welfare is being addressed. These disclosures include, but are not limited to: reports of discrimination or harassment due to a protected characteristic, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, relational/domestic violence, and stalking.

Academic Integrity

At Kenyon College we expect all students, at all times, to submit work that represents our highest standards of academic integrity. It is the responsibility of each student to learn and practice the proper ways of documenting and acknowledging those whose ideas and words they have drawn upon (see Academic Integrity at Kenyon in theCourse Catalog). Ignorance and carelessness are not excuses for academic dishonesty.
 
For all assignments, if you submit work that contains the ideas or words of someone else, then you must provide proper citation. Should you have any questions about activity that may be interpreted as an attempt at academic dishonesty, please see me before the assignment is due to discuss the matter.

Class Requirements and Grading

Senior Seminar in Mathematics is a 0.25 unit course, and as such, students will receive an average of two hours of direct instruction per week in the following forms: class meetings, colloquium attendance, office hours with faculty, and detailed feedback on student writing. Students are expected to spend a minimum of four hours per week preparing for this course outside of direct instruction.

Final grades in the course will depend on the following point totals: assignments (65%) and seminar attendance (35%). Note that Math Monday attendance, which acccounted for 10% of the grade in 2019 is being waived by the department in 2020 because of Covid-19. We still encourage you to attend as many Math Monday virtual sessions as possible.

Homework

Students will earn all points in the assignments category if all assignments have been completed to the standards given by the Mathematics and Statistics Department and have been turned in on time. Some assignments will be submitted to and evaluated by the Mathematics and Statistics faculty who are serving as mentors for the student’s specific topic. Late submissions of these assignments will not be accepted, but such assignments that are not completed correctly must be revised and resubmitted to the faculty. Other assignments will be submitted directly to the seminar instructor.

Homework assignments will be given throughout the semester. I encourage you to work on as many problems as possible, including problems which have not been assigned. Subsets of the homework assignments will be collected and graded. Working with other students is encouraged, but each student must submit her/his own solution for problems to be collected. For more infomation, see the departmental guidelines for collaboration on homework, which I expect you to follow.

Late Policy

Your work must be turned in at the beginning of the class period on the assigned due date. No credit will be given for late submissions. If for any reason you cannot turn in your assignment on the assigned date, you must contact me or send e-mail to hartlaub@kenyon.edu before class.

Attendance Policy

General Timeline for 2020

The timeline was approvied on 7/29/2020 by the department. Please see the Word document Timeline for 2020 or the department web page for details.