Math 399 Section 01
Spring 2008
Course webpage: http://www.math.tulane.edu/~mjoyce/math399spring08.html

Instructor: Michael Joyce Meeting Time: MW 4:30 - 5:45

Location: Gibson 310

Course content: Under faculty guidance, students will select a topic in current Mathematical research, write an expository article on that topic, and give an oral presentation. This seminar is required of all Mathematics majors who are not doing an Honors Project within the department. Completion of 398 and 399 fulfills the college writing requirement.

Textbook: None.

Attendance: Students are expected to attend all class meetings.

Academic honesty: All students are expected to comply with the Honor Code of the Liberal Arts and Sciences. I take academic honesty very seriously and will take appropriate steps regarding all perceived violations.

Course outline: The senior seminar is designed as a capstone course for math majors. There are three goals for the course. First, you will increase the breadth of your mathematical knowledge. Secondly, you will learn how to read and comprehend mathematical research articles. Third, you will improve your ability to present mathematical ideas in both oral and written form.

In the spring semester, you will focus entirely on the individual project you selected in the fall. During the first half of the semester (from January 16 to February 20), you will give a preliminary presentation on the work you have done so far on your project. This presentation should last about 15-20 minutes. You may spend a few minutes at the end discussing the future work you will on your project, but the vast majority of the time should be spent explaining what you have learned so far. By Wednesday, March 12, you must submit a draft of your paper on your project. The draft need not be completely finished, but it should be at least five pages in length.

During the second half of the semester, you will give your final presentation. This should last approximately 40 minutes. You are encouraged to use the material from your preliminary presentation (suitably refined based on the feedback you receive) as the first half of your final presentation. By Friday, May 2, you must submit your final draft of your paper, which should be 10-15 pages in length.

More information is available at the end of the schedule of presentations below.

Your final (spring) grade for the senior seminar will be determined primarily by your individual project (roughly 50%), with the rest of the grading determined by the two group projects from the fall semester (roughly 25%) and attendance throughout the year (roughly 25%). You are expected to attend all meetings. The senior seminar satisfies part of the college writing requirement.

Schedule of Presentations