Math 599, Spring 2021

Syllabus

  1. Course Information
    1. Instructor
    2. Section
    3. Related course
  2. Course Learning Outcomes
  3. Textbook
  4. Grading
    1. Components of course grade
    2. Written assignments
      1. Turning in written assignments
      2. Homework formatting
  5. Help
    1. University Resources
  6. Important Dates
  7. Other

Course Information

Course Number:
Math 599
Course Title:
Graduate Seminar II: Professional Preparation
Course Description:
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.

Instructor

Instructor:
Zach Teitler [he/him/his]
Email:
zteitler@boisestate.edu
Website:
https://zteitler.github.io
Office:
MB 233A
Office Phone:
208-426-1086

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:
TBA

This course is the second 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.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Describe what a mathematician does. Identify career stages of an academic mathematician.

  2. Identify, describe, and compare post-M.S. career and Ph.D. opportunities. Identify concrete steps to prepare for job application or Ph.D. application processes.

  3. Identify professional responsibilities and ethical considerations arising in mathematical teaching and research.

  4. Write a high-quality mathematical text using appropriate technology. Identify concrete steps to prepare for major writing projects such as a master’s thesis.

  5. Give a high-quality mathematical presentation.

Textbook

None.

Grading

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 maye a presentation at the end of the semester. Students will be asked to attend some colloquium and/or seminar talks if possible.

Written assignments

Turning in written assignments

Homework submissions and grading will be paperless. You will turn in your homework by uploading PDFs to BlackBoard and/or GradeScope.

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.

Help

University Resources

Boise State University’s The Basics 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 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 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.

Important Dates

Monday 1/11 First day of classes
Monday 1/18 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr./Idaho Human Rights Day. No classes.
Monday 1/25 Last day to register/add or to drop without a W
Monday 2/15 Presidents’ Day. No classes.
Friday 3/19 Last day to drop with a W or completely withdraw
  4/12-16 Spring Break. No classes.
Friday 4/30 Last day of instruction for regular classes
Tuesday 5/11 Grades due. (You will be able to see your grade by this date.)

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, it is expected that you will receive and read emails sent to your boisestate.edu email 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.
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.