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At Seaver College of Pepperdine University, we wanted all
students to experience mathematics at the college level.
Mathematics is a part of our daily experience, playing a major
role in the facts and graphs we use to make decisions, guiding
science and the social sciences, and helping us understand
numbers and shapes. But as every college graduate should
know, mathematics is much more than this. It is a logical
structure that seeks to justify new facts based on explicit
conditions, using logical arguments. It is a language that is
precise and concise. It is a body of problem solving
techniques. And finally, it is a fascinating subject in its
own right, with many startling discoveries and puzzling
questions.
For this reason, we expect students to learn a little about
the mathematical notion of proof using the precision of mathematical
language, a little about some important problem solving strategies,
some scope of how mathematics is applied, and some idea of the scope
of mathematical topics that have developed over the past several
thousand years, including some that are being explored even today.
The main course designed for this purpose is
- Math 120 (was Math 102):
The Nature of Mathematics
in which we discuss a wide range of topics to give you an idea what
mathematics is all about.
For those students majoring in a natural science (except
Biology B.A. and nutrition), or a business major, a math
course required by your major,
- Math 150 (was Math 210): Calculus I
- or Math 140 (was Math 214): Calculus for Business
satisfies this requirement, introducing you to one of the
biggest developments in mathematics in modern times. In some
sense, the development of calculus was responsible for our
modern times, in our way of thinking and our way of living.
For psychology, sociology, or the other natural sciences, a
math course required by your major,
- Math 316: Biotatistics
- or SOC 250:
Statistics
- or PSYC 250: Statistics
covers the fascinating and subtle world of dealing with numbers and
how they are used and misused. Particularly important is how we use
data to support or deny a claim, such as "DDT causes cancer" or "the
gap between the rich and poor is increasing".
For Liberal Arts/Teacher Ed. majors, the state of California
requires material in
- Math 270: Foundations of Elementary Mathematics
which is more geared toward future teachers. This class may
only be used to satisfy the general education requirement for
Liberal Arts majors.
See What Math do I need? for more
information about math requirements for each major.
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