Math 400 Senior Colloquium (Syllabus)

Math 400: Senior Colloquium

Syllabus

This web page is your official syllabus. A hard copy version is also available.

Grading

At the end of the Fall 2007 semester, you will receive a grade of CIP (Course In Progress). By April 2008, you will receive a letter grade based on the following criteria:

Comps project paper		50%
Comps project presentation		30%
Adequate progress and acceptable work through the year		10%
Attendance and support of our progress together		10%

The overall evaluation standards for your Comprehensives Projects is also available..

If you have not yet passed the comprehensive exam, you must do so to receive a passing grade in Math 400 and graduate. You will take the exam with this year’s juniors during their Math 300 course.

Tentative Deadlines

We will negotiate these deadlines (and add other progress check points) as we move through the semester. But this will give you a sense of how you should be making progress through the semester, and into next semester.

Early September – picking topic, honing topic, finalizing mentor pairing
End of September – working bibliography
After Fall Break (October 15-16) – working topical outline and annotated bibliography
By Thanksgiving (November 21-23) – first complete paper draft
End of January – second complete paper draft
End of February – final paper submitted
Before Spring Break (March 10-14) – talk prepared for review
Late March – talks presented publicly
April 14 – Math 400 Grades and Comps Results due to Registrar

Resources

Faculty	Professor Ron Buckmire
Office	Fowler 113
AIM	MadProfessah or ProfBuckmire
Phone	ron "at" oxy.edu
Office Hours	MWF 330-5pm or T 3-4 or by appointment

The best way to make time to see me one-on-one outside of our regular class meeting times is to email or IM and arrange a time that works for both of us.

You also should see all the faculty in the mathematics department as resources to you. You will be assigned one specific mentor from the faculty, but can talk with any of the faculty who may be knowledgeable about your project.

Class

We will meet regularly on Tuesdays, 1:30-2:55 p.m. throughout the fall semester in Fowler 310. You should also feel free to contact each other for support, questions, etc. at any time. You can reach all of you and me simultaneously by emailing math400-L@oxy.edu.

Mathematics Student Lounge

Fowler 306 is set up for students to relax, study, and work together.

Accommodations and Academic Support Services

Accommodations of disability-related needs is available after confidential discussion with me and after appropriate documentation is provided by the Center for Academic Excellence.

The CAE is also a valuable resource to you in your writing for the comprehensives. They can help from the beginning of process through to the final product. Even though the writing specialists are not trained in mathematics, they have often been of great assistance in helping students hone their comprehensive papers in all disciplines, including mathematics and science.

The reference librarians can also be of great assistance in locating sources and honing your topic. Check the library website under the link “Research Help” for more information or to schedule an individual appointment with a librarian.