Math 598, Fall 2020 Syllabus
Section 1 Course Information
- Course Number:
MATH 598
- Course Title:
Graduate Seminar I: Introduction and Research
- Course Description:
Introduction to the mathematics graduate program. Overview of the research areas of faculty. Research presentations by faculty and graduate students.
Subsection 1.1 Instructor
- Instructor:
Zach Teitler [he/him/his]
- Email:
- Website:
- Office:
MB 233A
- Office Phone:
208-426-1086
Subsection 1.2 Section
- Section Number:
001
- Meeting Times:
Fr 1:30-2:20
- Meeting Remotely:
We will meet remotely using Zoom. Zoom sessions may be recorded for students who are not able to attend.
- Zoom meeting ID:
Posted in BlackBoard 1
Subsection 1.3 Related course
This course is the first part of a year-long sequence:
- MATH 598
GRADUATE SEMINAR I: INTRODUCTION AND RESEARCH (1-0-1)(F/S). Introduction to the mathematics graduate program. Overview of the research areas of faculty. Research presentations by faculty and graduate students. (Pass/Fail.) PREREQ: PERM/INST.
- MATH 599
GRADUATE SEMINAR II: PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION (1-0-1)(S). Continuation of Math 598. Introduction to all aspects of the profession, career and Ph.D. opportunities, responsibility and ethics in teaching and research. Writing in mathematics: thesis, publications, grant proposals. Speaking on mathematics: Thesis defense, presenting in seminars and conferences. Presentations by faculty and graduate students. (Pass/Fail.) PREREQ: MATH 598.
Section 2 Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify key requirements and stages of the Boise State University Mathematics M.S. graduate program.
- Identify available resources for Boise State University graduate students, particularly in mathematics.
- Identify and describe research areas of Boise State University mathematics faculty.
- Identify available resources and professional communities in mathematics beyond Boise State University.
- Produce LaTeX documents with enough proficiency to use it for mathematics coursework.
Section 3 Textbook
None.
Section 4 Grading
Subsection 4.1 Components of course grade
This class is graded pass/fail.
A passing grade will be earned primarily by participation. There will be some written assignments and maybe a presentation at the end of the semester. Students will be asked to attend some colloquium and/or seminar talks if possible.
Subsection 4.2 Written assignments
Subsubsection 4.2.1 Turning in written assignments
Homework submissions and grading will be paperless. You will turn in your homework by uploading PDFs to BlackBoard. PDFs should have filenames in the following format:
For example:598-Homework-〈number〉-〈your last name〉
598-Homework-01-Teitler.pdf.Subsubsection 4.2.2 Homework formatting
Homework must be typed in LaTeX. LaTeX tutorials are available online, e.g., https://www.latex-tutorial.com and https://www.gnu.org/software/teximpatient/. You may wish to use a free online LaTeX system such as https://overleaf.com. (Overleaf includes a LaTeX tutorial.)
For legibility, use the 12pt option (\documentclass[12pt]{amsart}) and \linespread{2.4}. If you use figures, I recommend learning to use TikZ to generate high-quality figures within LaTeX. Alternatively you may use figures/plots generated in other programs such as Sage, Mathematica, Maple, or Inkscape, saved to PDF, and included in your document with commands like \includegraphics. It's also fine to include hand-drawn figures that you scanned or photoed.
Section 5 Help
Subsection 5.1 University Resources
Boise State University's The Basics 1 web page has links to many forms of support, ranging from academic resources to family, living, and food resources.
The Graduate College has many resources for graduate students 2 such as GradWell, the Graduate Student Success Center, and Graduate Writing Consultations, as wells as forms, deadlines, and graduation information for graduate students.
Boise State University's Writing Center 3 may be helpful.
You may reach out to me at any time if there's anything I can help with or if there's anything you think I should know.
Section 6 Important Dates
| Monday | 8/24 | First day of classes. |
| Friday | 9/4 | Last day to register/add or to drop without a W. |
| Monday | 9/7 | Labor Day. No classes. |
| Friday | 10/30 | Last day to drop with a W or completely withdraw. |
| 11/23-11/29 | Thanksgiving Holiday. No classes. | |
| Friday | 12/11 | Last day of instruction for regular classes. |
| Tuesday | 12/22 | Grades due. (You will be able to see your grade by this date.) |
Section 7 Other
- Respect for Diversity:
Students from all backgrounds and with all perspectives are welcome in this course. It is my intent that all students be well served by this course, that students's learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength, and benefit. It is my intent to maintain a classroom atmosphere that is welcoming and respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups.
- ADA Policy Statement:
Students with disabilities needing accommodations to fully participate in this class should contact the EAC. All accommodations must be approved through the EAC prior to being implemented. To learn more about the accommodation process, visit the EAC's website at
https://www.boisestate.edu/eac/new-students/.- Email:
In accordance with Boise State University Policy #2280 1 , it is expected that you will receive and read emails sent to your
boisestate.eduemail address.- Communication:
Additional information and updates may be announced in class, sent by email, and/or posted on BlackBoard (
https://blackboard.boisestate.edu/).- Academic Integrity:
Getting answers to homework or exam problems from unauthorized sources is a very serious form of academic misconduct. For this class, all online sources are unauthorized for this purpose. You are allowed to learn and increase your understanding from online sources or other textbooks; you are not allowed to use those sources to find answers to homework or exam problems.
- Behavioral Expectations:
Every student has the right to a respectful learning environment. In order to provide this right to all students, students must take individual responsibility to conduct themselves in a mature and appropriate manner and will be held accountable for their behavior in accordance with Boise State University Policy #2050 2 .