MATH 108 - Survey of Mathematics: Art and Music

Department Syllabus

Description 

Math 108 is a liberal arts course for students who will not be scheduling a technical/professional mathematics course. Explores topics in mathematics through the lens of the fine arts, which may include (but is not limited to) architecture, visual arts, music, and dance. Mathematical content covered may include geometry, transformations, patterns, algebra, sequences and series, permutations, number theory, and fractals. 

For Legacy General Education, this course may be taken for general education credit (G2) and satisfies the Foundations for Lifelong Learning Mathematics Requirement. 

For Gateway General Education, this course may be taken for Cornerstone-Quantitative Literacy (QL) credit. 

 

Prerequisites 

Math placement testing/evaluation before registration. 

 

Course Objectives 

By the conclusion of this course the successful student will be able to: 

  1. Demonstrate competence with various undergraduate-level mathematical concepts and procedures. 
  2. Evaluate important assumptions in modeling to make judgments and draw appropriate conclusions that demonstrate understanding of how mathematics can be applied to create a variety of art forms, which may include architecture, visual arts, music, and dance.  
  3. Use mathematics to analyze a variety of art forms, explaining and converting relevant information into various mathematical forms (e.g. equations, graphs, diagrams, tables, words).
  4. Make connections among mathematics topics that occur across the arts, expressing quantitative evidence to support their contextualization of artwork.   

 

Assessment 

Assessment of student achievement of the course objectives will vary from one instructor to another. Typical criteria for evaluating students’ performance may include: Attendance, Participation, Journals, a Math Autobiography, Reading and Homework Assignments, and Exams. 

 

Use of Technology 

The student is required to access required readings online, and may need to print out certain pages. Use of a scientific calculator may also be required. 

 

Topics 

The specific topics covered may vary by semester. This course explores topics in mathematics through the lens of the fine arts, which may include (but is not limited to) architecture, visual arts, music, and dance. Mathematical content covered may include geometry, transformations, patterns, algebra, sequences and series, permutations, number theory, and fractals.