Women in Mathematics Class Highlights

  • Wed 8/18 Entrance survey, fill out an index card, intro to course via web pages, and searching for women in mathematics on the web Reading on History of Women's Education - Failing at Fairness, Through the Back Door: The History of Women's Education p. 15-41.
  • Fri 8/20 Discussion of Wed's reading hw, trip to library reserve. Reading on Hypatia Grinstein's Women of Mathematics, a bibliographic sourcebook, Hypatia, p. 74-79. Osen's Women in Math on Hypatia (contains errors!) p.
  • Mon 8/23 Discussion of Fri's readings. Intro to Hypatia - an overview of her life and work
  • Wed 8/25 In groups, search for Hypatia on the web, search for info on choice of mathematician for Paper 1 on the web. DUE Choice of mathematician for Paper 1.
  • Fri 8/27 Discuss what the groups found on Wed, and whether the info is reliable. (Some web pages had quotes from Hypatia, and referenced Osen, which is a problem). Hypatia and her work on Ptolemy's Almagest.
  • Mon 8/30 Hypatia and her work on Diophantus HW on Hypatia's Math Work on presentations from Diophantus Arithmetica for Wed.
  • Wed 9/1 Go over class highlights page, learn to search on MathSciNet for mathematician for paper 1, present problems from Monday. Hypatia and her work on Apollonius's Conics, Reading on Hypatia's Math Read p. 190 Book II: Proposition 29 from Apollonius' Conics.
  • Fri 9/3 Proof of Book II, Proposition 29 from Apollonius' Conics. Proof of the Dimension of the Circle and Wilbur Knorr's case that Hypatia worked on this. Reading on Equity in Mathematics Education Chapter 4 Rogers Equity in Mathematics Education, Who Wants to Feel Stupid All of the Time? p. 37-47
  • Mon 9/6 Labor Day
  • Tues 9/7 DUE First draft of paper 1
  • Wed 9/8 Visit from women's studies student doing interview, discuss reading, search for books on reserve. In groups, search on the web for Equity Issues in Mathematics Education at the Elementary School Level. HW on Equity in Elementary Schools Look over web info to present on Fri, work on draft 2 of paper1.
  • Fri 9/10 Reports from groups on what they found. Discuss reliability issues, hand out Paper 2. Look at a History of Math poster. Readings on Equity in Elementary Schools - Failing at Fairness Chapter 1 Hidden Lessons p. 1-14, and Chapter 3 Missing in Interaction p. 42-76.
  • Mon 9/13 Dicuss Fri's readings. Talk about revisions and presentations of paper 1. Readings on Equity in Elementary Schools Failing at Fairness p. 253, and browse thru reserve books on Jacobson's Pygmalion in the Classroom.
  • Wed 9/15 CRM Film Productivity and the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: The Pygmalion Effect (30 mins). Discuss readings and handouts on the Pygmalion Effect. Reading on Sophie Germain - Grinstein's Women of Mathematics on Sophie Germain Extra Credit Read Howe's book review on Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics, by Liping Ma
  • Fri 9/17 Presentations on Paper 1 begin. Erika's Presentation on Germain. Reading on Emmy Noether - Grinstein's Women of Mathematics on Emmy Noether
  • Mon 9/20 Ashley and Michelle's Presentation- on Noether Reading on Maria Agnesi - Grinstein's Women of Mathematics on Agnesi
  • Wed 9/22Danny and Sumer's Presentation- on Agnesi Reading on Sofya Kovalevsky - Grinstein's Women of Mathematics on Sofya Kovalevsky DUE Choice of mathematician for paper 2
  • Fri 9/24 Jason and Valerie's Presentation- on Kovalevsky Reading on Sex differences in visual-spatial ability: The role of performance factors Goldstein, Haldane and Mitchell, Memory and Cognition, 1990, 18(5), 546-550
  • Mon 9/27 We discussed the 1990 study showing that ratio scores showed less of a gender difference on the MRT, and that untimed MRT exams also showed less of a gender difference. We then talked about a 1993 study analyzing data from 15 different visual-spatial tests. They were able to duplicate the MRT results, but found that increased time / ratios did not reduce gender differences in the other 14 tests. I showed the students Shepard and Metzler's 1971 paper on Mental Rotation of Three-Simensional Objects in February 19 issue of Science. After going over the pairs of rotated objects, I gave the students sample MRT test questions from the 1978 Vandenberg and Ruse article on Mental Rotations: A group test of three-dimensional spatial visualizations in Perceptual and Motor Skills, 47, p. 599-604. Reading on How Negative Expectancies and Attitudes Undermine Females' Math Confidence and Performance: A Review of the Literature by Gutbezahl.
  • Wed 9/29 Discuss reading. FairTest Examiner articles on Stereotypes Lower Test Scores and SAT-Math Gender Bias: Causes and Consequences. Search on the web for stereotype Vulnerability, Search for articles on woman mathematician for paper 2. ReadingA threat in the Air - How Stereotypes Shape Intellectual Identity and Performance, by Steele, American Psychologist, June 1997, vol 52, no 6, 613-629. Due Description of the aspect of her mathematics you will concentrate on in paper 2, and a list of preliminary references.
  • Fri Discuss Reading. Reading The Contribution of Girls-Only Schools to Mathematics and Science Education in Malawi. Chapter 18 of Rogers Equity in Mathematics Education.
  • Mon Discuss Reading, review the mathematics from paper 1. ReadingThe French Experience: The Effects of De-Segregation, Chap 17 of Rogers' Equity in Mathematics Education.
  • Wed Discuss Reading, and search for update on the web.
  • Thur 10/7 at 4pm (special tea from 2:45-4) Dr. Megan Kerr from Wellesley College speaks on geometry
  • Fri 10/8 Discussion on women-only classrooms, with a special visit from Dr. Megan Kerr, Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor at Wellesley College. She was also an undergraduate at Wellesley College (an all women's college).Due at 5pm First draft of paper 2 Lunch for Mat 4010 students who want to join us!
  • Mon 10/11Evelyn Boyd Granville and the complex plane, Grace Murray Hopper
  • Wed 10/13Look up bios on Ol'ga Ladyzhenskaya, Grace Chishom Young, and Alice T. Schafer on the web. Discuss their mathematics - Nonlinear PDEs, algebraic groups of a spherical triangle, and projective space. If time remains, look at bios on Granville and Hopper, who we discussed on Monday.
  • Fri 10/15 Presentations of paper 2 begin. Michelle on Olga Taussky Todd
  • Mon 10/18 Erika and Sumer on Marjorie Lee Browne
  • Wed 10/20 Danny on Mary Rudin
  • Mon 10/27 Jason and Valerie on Julia Robinson
  • Wed 10/29 Search for info on paper 3, how do we answer people who say that they have never experienced any problems personally, and so there are no issues relating to women in math?
  • Fri 10/31Ashley on Cathleen Morawetz
  • Mon 11/1 Summary of Women born 1900-1925. Due Final draft of paper2
  • Wed 11/3 What Still Needs to Change (for the Good of Women in Mathematics, and for the Good of Mathematics) hwPipeline article.
  • Fri 11/5Discuss Articles on the pipeline and what still needs to change in mathematics hw Top Producers of Women Mathematics Doctorates, Chapter 5 in Equity in Mathematics Education, by Rogers - Assisting Women in Completing Graduate Degrees.
  • Mon 11/8Discuss Graduate School and articles from Friday hw - skim the following articles Fighting for Tenure: The Jenny Harrison Case Opens Pandora's Box of Issues About Tenure, Discrimination, and the Law, The Past, Present, and Future of Academic Women in the Mathematical Sciences , and A study on the Status of Women Faculty in Science at MIT.
  • Wed 11/10 Discuss Women Mathematics Professors. hw - skim the following articles Thoughts on Affirmative Action, Are Women Getting All the Jobs?, and An Interview with Melanie Wood, Olympiad Team Member
  • Fri 11/12 Discuss Affirmative Action HW for Mon Cultural Context: Chapter 10-16 from Rogers Equity in Math Education (p. 91-140).
  • Mon 11/15 Discuss cultural differences in math education. HW - See 12/6 and 12/8
  • Wed 11/17 Danny on Carolyn Gordon and Can you Hear the Shape of a Drum? - Presentation of paper 3 begins, directions for converting files to html. Test files:
    Sophie Germain
    Carolyn Gordon
    Mary Gray
    Megan Kerr
    Julia Robinson
    Olga Taussky Todd
  • Fri 11/19 Michelle on Jean Taylor and the Geometry of Soap Bubbles
  • Mon 11/22 Erika on Lenore Blum and using the Euclidean Algorithm to Solve Linear Diophantine Equations
  • Mon 11/29 Summer on Mary Gray and Radical Rings
  • Wed 12/1 Ashley on Megan Kerr and Riemannian Geometry, Web links and pictures
  • Fri 12/3 Valerie on Margaret Wright
  • HW for Mon 12/6 Feminist Pedagogy in Mathematics Education Chapter 19-23 Rogers Equity in Math Education. (p. 155-208)
  • HW for Wed 12/8
    Enrichment Programs and their effects:
    Chapter 2 and 3 from Rogers Equity in Math Education,
    Mathematics and Women: The Undergraduate School and Pipeline,
    The effects of a summer mathematics enrichment program on hispanic mathematical achievement, by McShea and Yarnevich, Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, vol. 5, pp. 175-181, 1999.
    The effects of using women role models/achievements in the classrooms.
    Feisty Females-Inspriring girls to think mathematically, by Karp, (this is on reserve) and Dr. Sarah's handout.
    Examine html documents containing pictures and links from last Wednesday, and discuss final web projects.
  • 12/14 Web Project Presentations 3-5 in 203, Exit survey
    Danny's Project on Maria Agnesi
    Erika's Project on Sophie Germain
    Michelle's Project on Olga Taussky-Todd
    Sumer's Project on Mary Gray
    Valerie's Project on Margaret Wright
    Ashley's Project on Megan Kerr

    Resources
    Achieving Gender Equity in Science Classrooms