Welcome to Liberal Arts Math II

Welcome to Mathematics for Liberal Arts II!

Intro Course Overview Instructor Info

(Note: Please see separate Syllabus for textbook info, grading system, class schedule, etc.)

INTRO

Looking for an interesting and relevant math class?

You have come to the right place! You’ll soon discover that mathematics has many fascinating and practical connections to music, art, architecture, nature, sports, finance, food, and much more, and I’m confident that you will thoroughly enjoy this course of study and its unique, project-based textbook, Math Is Everywhere! Explore and Discover It!

Math anxiety?

No problem! You may relax. This class does not have any formal tests or exams; instead, grades are based on a series of projects, activities, and Web-based research assignments. There are no required visits to campus.

Ever wish that math were more enjoyable?

You will find that the variety of topics and assignments presented in this course are actually quite enjoyable. I can't offer a money-back guarantee, but former students have reported that they really did enjoy this course! :-)

Examples of student comments from previous semesters:

This is the most fun I've ever had in Mathematics. I wonder why someone hasn't thought of this sooner.

Math Is Everywhere! is probably THE single, best text I have ever used... I was very intimidated by math prior to taking this class and now feel much more confident. Great job and great class!

I have learned much more in this math class than any other math class. We are given the opportunity to decide how deeply we wish to delve into project questions (not just the minimum).

I thoroughly enjoyed the class--something I never thought I would say about a mathematics related course. I will gladly take math classes in the future with a new interest.

I have actually used the words "Math" and "Fun" in the same sentence many times during this class which is something I have never done before. I will recommend this class to everyone (especially math-phobics) and thank you for changing my attitude about math.

This mathematics course was probably the most interesting I have ever taken as a college student. The premise of just simply crunching numbers without ever learning about the origins or even how they may apply toward a "real-life" scenario is addressed with this course. This has been a great class and I would strongly recommend it.

For the first time I can say that I didn't feel the anxiety that I would normally feel. I was calm, and didn't even break out into a sweat! There hasn't been a project that I didn't enjoy. Now I find myself wondering about the math in everything I look at.

I loved our text. It is by far the best mathematics book I've had the pleasure of using. You personalize math well and really present real life analogies for everything. So much of math seemed abstract before. You did an excellent job of bringing math into the realm of reality!

Liberal Arts II was the most pleasant experience that I have ever had with a math course. Overall, I felt that this class has prepared me for things that I didn't even know I needed preparing for.

I enjoyed this math class. It held my interest and is definitely the most interesting math class I have taken. I have learned from this class that math is intertwined in about everything that we encounter in life. I have always been fearful of anything associated with mathematics. Ask me to add 2 plus 2 and I freeze with fright. This class helped me to overcome some of this fear and to see math as part of my life. In summary, this was a wonderful course!

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COURSE OVERVIEW

Mathematics for Liberal Arts II is a project-oriented math course designed to convey some of the beauty, practicality and pervasiveness of mathematics while providing knowledge and skills that will be useful for students' college years and their lives in general. We will cover four major topic areas:

Patterns and Reasoning

Includes analytical reasoning, logical thinking, number patterns, number bases, history of number systems, the mathematics behind ISBN numbers, and the mathematics that allows computers to store words and symbols electronically and to attain such amazing speeds.

Growth and Symmetry

Investigates mathematics and music, the mathematics involved in constructing a guitar, mathematical perspective in art, symmetry and tilings, the golden ratio and golden rectangle, the famous Fibonacci sequence and its occurrences in nature, fractal geometry and fractal applications

Linear and Exponential Growth

Focuses on two major growth patterns in the world around us and how these models are constructed, linear growth, exponential growth, the amazing doubling function, population growth locally and in the world today, and linear regression models

Finance

Reveals the secrets of how to plan for your financial future, how to get rich by investing with compound interest, how to handle credit cards and avoid their pitfalls, how to save many thousands of dollars when buying a home, and how to invest wisely in stocks, bonds and mutual funds.

I hope that some or all of the above has caught your interest. I have thoroughly enjoyed developing and teaching this course and writing the accompanying textbook, Math Is Everywhere! Explore and Discover It!, and I look forward to meeting you online this semester.

If you have any questions about the class before registering, please contact me via email at rutledge.james@spcollege.edu or by phone at 727-341-4725. I will be glad to help in whatever way I can.

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INSTRUCTOR INFO

It is a long story, but here is a very brief synopsis. I graduated from MIT with a BS degree in Humanities and Science, received my MA degree in Mathematics Education from the University of South Florida (USF) and went on to do further doctoral work in Mathematics as a University Fellow at USF. I came to St. Petersburg College in 1993 and have since been involved in teaching as well as in designing and developing online courses, including this one.

The curriculum that I developed for this course was selected as a finalist in the 2001 competition for the Florida Association of Community Colleges Excellence in Curriculum Award and has received many compliments from faculty and students. It was also nominated by St. Petersburg College for both the 2007 Outstanding Online and Blended Course Award and the 2009 Outstanding Online Course Award sponsored by the Instructional Technology Council, a national organization with headquarters in Washington, D.C.

One of my greatest pleasures in life is to creatively and effectively engage students in their mathematical learning processes and to demonstrate to them that math is a rich and delightful subject. I heartily welcome and invite you to take one of my courses and see for yourself how math (that often maligned and dreaded subject) can be both interesting and enjoyable! :-)

Hope you have a fruitful and rewarding semester!

Sincerely,

Jim Rutledge
Mathematics, SPC

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