Mathematics and Computer Science at Western Carolina University

MATH101: Mathematical Concepts

Revised: November 2006

Course Description

Introduction to applications of mathematics to daily experience. Topics to include statistical analysis and interpretation, applications to business, measurement methods, and selected topics of interest. (3 semester hours)

Objectives

To foster an appreciation of the use of mathematics in daily life, including the use and misuse of statistics.
To foster an appreciation of the fact that mathematics is a thing of beauty, coherence, and depth.
To provide a project experience in the observation of patterns and/or data and the mathematical analysis of those observations.
To provide a positive mathematical learning experience for the students, many of whom will never experience another mathematics course in their lives. For such students, this course may be our last opportunity to shape their attitudes about and biases towards mathematics. To the extent that the student realizes his own former point of view is not necessarily shared by others (or even by himself by the end of the course), the student has grown.

Text

Edward B. Burger, Michael Starbird, The Heart of Mathematics: An invitation to effective thinking, 2nd edition, Key Curriculum Press, 2004.

Grading Procedure

Grading procedures and factors influencing course grade are left to the discretion of individual instructors, subject to general university policy.

Attendance Policy

Attendance policy is left to the discretion of individual instructors, subject to general university policy.

Course Outline

As a terminal course in mathematics, and in accordance with the Liberal Studies philosoply of trusting faculty to use their expertise and creativity in providing an excellent learning experience, broad discretion is given to each faculty member in the particular content to be covered the individual course sections, subject to the following guiding principles:

The course should consist of an in-depth exploration of a few (three or four) topics, as opposed to a broad but shallow coverage of numerous topics. The instructor should NOT attempt to cover all (or even most) of the topics in the text, but should divide the course into three or four modules, each module focusing on a particular topic.
The one content area which should be common to all sections of Math101 is statistical literacy. Thus, one module of the course should be devoted to selected material from chapters two through four of the text (or related material, as selected by the instructor).
The instructor is not restricted to the topics included in the text. Following the principle that faculty should be encouraged to use their creativity to provide the best possible learning experience, the instructor may (but is not required to) devote a module to a topic outside of the textbook, provided that the instructor provides suitable resource materials (handouts, homework problems, etc.) for the class.
One component of the course grade should be a student project. Beyond the fact that the project must involve mathematical analysis, instructors are given broad leeway in determining the project constraints for each individual course section. (For example, the instructor may designate whether the project is an individual assignment or a group activity, and whether the final product is a written paper, an oral presentation, or both.)