| Goals: |
- To introduce games and models of voting and power
- To develop conceptual and quantitative skills for theorem proving and
model analysis
- To improve mathematical reading ability
- To improve mathematical writing ability
- To develop understanding of the role that models play in the social and
behavioral sciences
Without requiring college-level mathematics, this course will involve the
core activities of both pure and applied
mathematics (in essence, theorem
proving and analysis of models) in a non-trivial way. |
| |
| Instructor: | Dr M-G
|
| Office: | 202B Love (in
which I hold office hours)
|
| Phone: | (850 64)4 2580
|
| Email: | mmestert@mailer.fsu.edu
|
Class meets: |
in 303 BRY,
Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:35-4:50
|
| Text: | Taylor,
Mathematics and Politics,
(Springer, 1994), of which FSU owns 10 copies. So, if some of you are willing
to share, then it may not be necessary for any of you to purchase a
copy. (But you must not write in the book, or you will be required to
replace it with a brand new copy.) |
| Credit: | 3 semester hours |
| Format: | The course will emphasize critical discussion of
assigned readings, problem solving as a group activity and presentation of
results. Each period, one or two sections of text and related exercises
will be assigned for the following period. It will always be assumed in
class that you have both read this material and at least attempted (not
necessarily completed) the exercises. |
| Prerequisites: | | (i) | Two years of high school algebra and | | (ii) | self-motivation and
industriousness. Dr M-G's philosophy of learning is perhaps best expressed
by the following diagram: |
|
| |
ALTERNATIVE THEORIES OF LEARNING VERSUS
PAIN
 |
For further details, please click here.
|
| Grades: | Will be based on four written assignments
(20% each) and performance in class (20%), which includes attendance,
preparedness and participation. There will be no final. For written
assignments, 20% of the credit will be awarded purely for presentation. In
borderline cases, a smaller number of completely correct solutions will
carry more weight than a proportionate number of fragmentary answers.
Partial credit is awarded only when part of a solution is completely
correct (not when all of a solution is partially correct, whatever that
means, if anything). Assignments will be due at the beginning of
class on the designated day. Late assignments will be viewed as badly
presented, and very late assignments will not be graded (i.e., will achieve
a grade of zero). |
| Etiquette: | You are firmly bound by Florida State
University's Academic Honor Code (briefly, you
have the responsibility to uphold the highest standards of academic
integrity in your own work, to refuse to tolerate violations of academic
integrity in the University community, and to foster a high sense of
integrity and social responsibility on the part of the University
community). Although you may discuss assignments with others in general
terms, the solutions you present must be your very own work ("in
general terms" means that discussion is oral and nothing is copied
down). |
| Helpline: | If you get stuck between classes then consider
using my Homework
Helpline, for which you will probably need the special HTML codes for mathematical symbols. If
you do use my Helpline, please check first that your question hasn't
already been asked (and possibly answered). Submit it on the appropriate
form. Make sure you type MGF 1107 into the course field. Check back later
for an answer. And give me plenty of time—I have a life, too, you
know! |
| Disabilities: | If you have a disability
requiring academic accommodations, then not only should you register with
the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC), but also you
should bring me
written confirmation from SDRC during the first week of class. |
