Information and Resources for the Final Project

Read these articles about giving a good (math) talk: Article 1, Article 2, Article 3, Article 4. Visit this web page, and this blog.

The final project has 3 components: a presentation, a paper, and animation/illustration. The presentation will be given live (online) at the end of the semester (Saturday, Dec 12 at 8 pm). You will be working in groups of size 3 on each component of the final project. The final presentation and the final paper will be on the same topic, with the paper being more technical containing significant math content and presentation less technical and accessible to a general audience. The topic for the animation/illustration can be any of the mathematical topics in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or trigonometry that we covered in class. The primary purpose of this component is to produce materials that will be useful for future students taking class, as well as for anyone who is interested in the material (e.g. high school teachers and students). In doing so, you will solidify your understanding of the subject while being useful to others. A sample of such animations can be found at this link.

For the final paper and presentation, choose a topic in history of mathematics in the Islamic World. The topic should include significant amount of mathematics. It can be a topic that we did not discuss in class, or it can be an extension of a topic that we did discuss. In the latter case, your paper should go significantly beyond what we did in class. For the presentation part, you have 2 options: talk (power point presentation), or digital storytelling. If you choose the story telling option, please check out some resources here. You can see previous digital storytelling projects by Kenyon students here, and the products of a summer project here. It is never too early to start thinking about the final project topic and your partners for it.

Important Note: Please do not choose a topic without looking at resources first. Therefore, get the books (order them from Ohio link if necessary) well in advance of the first deadline.

Timeline and Deadlines for the Project

Proposal: Let me know, in writing, what topic you choose by midnight, Sunday Oct 18 (week 8). You should submit, in writing, your choice of the topic for the final paper and presentation, the group members, what you plan to cover in the presentation and the paper, the format of the public presentation (which of the 2 options), and an annotated bibliography. If you choose a topic that we covered (or will cover) in class, make sure you go above and beyond what we did in class and explain how. Explain what you will focus on for the public presentation vs final paper. You need to come up with a good title for the public presentation part. 2-3 pages would be sufficient for the proposal (one proposal per group).

Outline: Next, you submit an outline of your paper by midnight Tue, Nov 2 (week 10). If your presentation is a digital storytelling, then you submit your narrative separately at this time. The purpose of the outline is to help you specify and clarify what you will cover in the paper, and to help you make progress towards the final products (paper and presentation). The outline should be 3-5 pages and include more details and specifics than the proposal. It should also include a bibliography. Spacing should be 1 or 1.5. The more you include, the better (only one paper per group is to be submitted). Another important part here is to come up with a good title for your project. It will be used in advertising the event. We will make a flyer after everyone submits their outline. If you are interested in making a flyer, let me know. If you design a good flyer you will earn extra points.

Complete Draft: This should be a complete draft of your paper that includes all major parts and most details. The deadline is midnight Tue, Dec 1 (week 13). You are highly encouraged to receive feedback for your paper from the writing center. If your presentation is a digital storytelling, then you must submit a complete draft of your video as well. It is also required that you receive feedback from CIP prior to submission of your compelete draft. You need to document that you received feedback from CIP.

Rehersal Presentations: You will present your project to the class (talks should be 15-20 minutes, and digital stories 3-5 minutes) to receive feedback from your peers and the professor on Wed of Week 13 before the main public event virtually hosted by NICC on Saturday Dec 12, at 8 pm. All groups must be prepared to present on Wednesday Dec 2.

Final Paper: The final paper is due at the official final exam date for this course which is 11:30 am, Wed December 16. There is no fixed length for the final paper but keep in mind that it is a subtantial paper and must include non-trivial amount of mathematical material. It should be no less than 10 pages (1 or 1.5 spaced). One paper per group. Please do citations properly and avoid plagiarism. Your paper will be checked for potential plagisarism issues.

A good paper has the following characteristics:

Here are some possible topics to give you an idea and get you started but this is not an exhaustive list. You may choose another topic with the approval of the instructor.

Some Useful Books and Other Sources for the Project (can get ideas for possible projects from these sources too)

More resources on Islamic art here.