Class Goals

According to Professor Lee of Washington University, "Mathematics is the single field of human endeavor in which we are the most certain of the correctness of our knowledge.  We use algebra everyday.

The main goal of this class is to help you acquire a deep understanding of and appreciation for  algebra. You will learn to think about it in a more confident and focused manner.

A secondary goal of this class is to help you become adept at mathematical communication. Opportunities to improve your communication skills on several levels will arise throughout the class (see below for details): speaking precisely about mathematical ideas in class; writing informally about mathematical ideas; and writing careful mathematical conclusions on homework assignments.