MATH 380 Syllabus

Research in Mathematics

 1-6 credit hours.

Course Objectives

 Students will work with a faculty mentor on a research project in mathematics outside of the scope of standard course work.

• The project will include an investigation into the background on the chosen topic, including a reading of background literature and an understanding of the current state of knowledge.
• Working closely with the faculty mentor, students will attempt to contribute to the mathematical community’s knowledge on the chosen topic.

Course Description

Students will engage in a highly mentored research project with a faculty member.  The project will include an investigation into the current state of knowledge on the selected mathematical topic and will focus on conducting research to broaden or advance their knowledge.  The expected outcomes upon which the student will be assessed will be agreed upon by the student and faculty member beforehand and may include presentations and/or papers describing the results of the project.  The agreement regarding outcomes would be documented and submitted to the Mathematics and Computer Science Department for archiving.

Learning Outcomes

•  Students will be able to clearly communicate mathematical ideas, both orally and written, from concepts learned and discovered in their guided investigation.
• Students will be able to read research level mathematics and extrapolate key concepts, fill in missing details, and generalize/synthesize known results.

Course Requirements

 The expected outcomes upon which the student will be assessed will be agreed upon by the student and faculty member beforehand. Examples of course requirements could include but are not restricted to:

• Students will write a formal literature review of their work using LaTeX
• Students will write a research style article on the current state of knowledge in the chosen topic and their contributes to the topic
• Students will present their work to an audience (e.g. a Department of Mathematics and Computer Science colloquium, WCU’s Undergrad Research Expo, a regional MAA conference, NCUR) 

Grades

Students will be given a grade of S for satisfactory completion of the course work and a grade of U for unsatisfactory completion of the course work. Please refer to the Undergraduate Student Handbook for details regarding the Grading and Quality Points Policy.

Attendance

Students are expected to regularly meet with their faculty mentor as agreed upon beforehand.