Important COVID-19 Modifications: Though this is a normal "in-person" class, due to the novel coronavirus I will fully accommodate any and all students that, for any reason, choose to work remotely and/or asynchronously. It will be possible to participate in classes, as well as complete, turn in, and receive feedback on all work without being physically in the classroom. Students who do this will not be viewed, treated, or graded differently whatsoever.
Mask and Social Distancing Policy: Students must wear a mask throughout the entire time they are physically in the classroom. This means no eating or drinking in the classroom. Masks must fit properly and cover both the nose and mouth. If a student is unable to wear a mask for any reason, he or she should use the online accommodations being provided and not attend in-person. Students and the instructor should all maintain at least 6 feet of separation before, during, and after class while leaving. Failure to comply with the mask policy and/or social distancing policy may result in a lower course grade and/or being reported to the Dean.
Virtual/Asynchronous Instruction Option: All students enrolled in this course may choose to attend it remotely and/or asynchronously, even if they have not registered with the university as a Remote Student. So long as they follow the other protocols described here, students may freely switch between in-person/remote learning in this course. Though I am already giving you permission to work remotely, please communicate with me and keep me updated about your situation. I want to make sure students don't disappear, and I want to help anyone experiencing health (or other) problems to avoid falling too far behind.
Because there are several students with time conflicts for this course, I will use something closer to a "flipped classroom" model than usual. I will make available short documents (with text, code snippets, and videos) containing all the information I would normally cover in a lecture. The actual class meetings will occur in the classroom and be simultaneously live-streamed on Zoom; it will be a combination of me explaining this material and going over explicit questions that students have. Students who can attend (in-person or remote) part but not all of the class are encouraged to drop in when they can and ask questions then. Any student unable to participate during the scheduled class is encouraged to visit me during my Zoom office hours. All assignments will be submitted electronically, regardless of whether you participate remotely or in-person.
Illness: You must stay home if you are feeling at all ill, have tested positive for COVID-19, or believe you may have been exposed to COVID-19. I will not penalize you in any way for being cautious. In an ordinary year, students might choose to come into the classroom when they feel like they have a cold coming on. This year is different, and I am trusting you to be vigilant, be cautious, and to stay home. In such a case, you can still participate fully through the remote instruction option. Note that this paragraph applies to me too as the Instructor. I will not come to campus if I am feeling at all sick, even if I think it's only a minor cold. Instead, I will send an email to the entire class with instructions/information on how to proceed. Should you need, you can contact the department chair Dr. Rothman (Sheldon.Rothman@liu.edu), or the Dean of Liberal Arts & Science Dr. Bowditch (Nathaniel.Bowditch@liu.edu).
Class Time: Monday 6:30p - 9:10p, Humanities 116.
Instructor: Dr. Corbett Redden. Corbett.Redden [att] liu.edu. Phone 516-299-3487 (voicemail only)
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 12:30p - 1:50p, or by appointment. Office hours will be held on Zoom at the link posted in Blackboard. If you plan to attend Office Hours, please tell me beforehand. I won't be hanging out in an empty Zoom session if no one is coming.
Course webpage: http://myweb.liu.edu/~dredden/672f20/ and also Blackboard
Textbook: There will be no official textbook, but the professor will provide some handouts or links to sources. One primary source will include the collection at Mathematical Python.
Description from Catalog: This course is a detailed treatment of some topic in analysis, algebra, geometry, number theory or topology not covered by an existing course. Note: This course may be taken more than once only with the expressed approval of the chairperson. (3 credits)
Description for this semester:
This course will focus on using computer programming to understand and solve specific problems in mathematics. Python will be the primary language, but students will also learn to use LaTeX to type mathematical documents. Depending on the interests of specific students, other mathematical software programs such as R or Sage (both Python-based) could potentially be introduced.
The course will still be a mathematics course with a heavy focus on mathematical concepts. Instead of delving deeply into a specific subject (like most math classes), we will cover a series of smaller mathematical topics, each of which will present opportunities to use Python for problem solving and exploration. The course will not be a standard introduction to computer programming in Python, and we will not cover all the important concepts and techniques in such a course. After the course, however, students will be much better equipped to continue learning Python independently.
A detailed course schedule is under development, but specific mathematical topics will most likely include numerical integration methods, linear algebra calculations, differential equations, graph theory, and modeling real-world situations with messy data.
Prerequisites: The only official prerequisite is permission from instructor. The course is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Students are not expected to have any programming experience. Students do not need to have completed any specific mathematics beyond calculus, but exposure to some upper-level mathematics courses will be helpful. Students must have access to a computer capable of allowing Python programming; most Windows, Mac, or Chromebook machines will be fine.
Grading Scheme:
| Homework | 50% |
| Midterm Project | 25% |
| Final Project | 25% |
Homework: There will be regularly assigned homeworks, most of which will be completed in Python. Submission details will be announced later.
Midterm Project: For the Midterm Project, students will delve into a specific problem more deeply. The project will include an explanation of the mathematics involved, typed in either an external LaTeX document or within the Python code using LaTeX-based markdown cells.
Final Project: The Final Project will be similar to the Midterm Project.
Help: Help is available from a number of places and people. You are welcome to ask Prof. Redden questions during class, Zoom office hours, or via email. There are a number of useful resources on the internet, and the professor can suggest some of these to you if you wish. Finally, you are encouraged to work with others on homework. Explaining concepts and techniques to fellow classmates is an excellent way for you to better understand them yourself.
Students with Disabilities: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and to facilitate learning for all students, I will make accommodations for students with disabilities. It is necessary for those students to inform me of these accommodations by the end of the second week of classes. Please contact the Academic Resource Center (516-299-2937) so that steps can be taken to develop an appropriate educational plan. If you are a student with a documented disability, medical condition, or think you may have a disability, and will need accommodations, academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, or other services, please contact Marie Fatscher in Disability Support Services (Post Hall, Lower Level, C10) at 516-299-3057 or marie.fatscher@liu.edu to request services, accommodations or for additional information. Additional information is also available on the DSS website: www.liu.edu/post/dss
Technology: If you have problems, please contact IT (Library 236A, M-Th 8am-8pm and F 9am-5pm; it@liu.edu; 516-299-3300). You can access online tutorials for Blackboard as needed: http://www.liu.edu/Information-Technology/Info-Tech/Tutorials (Step by Step Guides and Videos)