Excerpts from the course description for "Mathematics, Gender, and Culture," an undergraduate course offering from the Mathematics Department of SUNY Plattsburgh:

After taking this course the student will be able to:

1. Describe the political nature of mathematics and mathematics education.
2. Describe gender and race differences in mathematics and their sociological consequences.
3. Examine the factors influencing gender and race differences in mathematics.
4. Critically evaluate eurocentrism and androcentrism in mathematics.
5. Describe the role culture plays in the development and learning of mathematics.
6. Give examples of the historical role of women and people of color in mathematics.
7. Critically evaluate research on the relationship of gender and culture to mathematics and mathematics education.

Course Requirements: ...

3. Journals: (5 points each) Students are required to keep a journal. The purpose of this journal is to record your thoughts and feelings about the course and the material you are learning and to maintain communication between the instructor and the class. The journal entry should focus on the reading and class discussions of the previous week, giving your personal reactions to the material. In addition, you can use your journal to make any comments to me you wish about the course or anything else....

5. Group Activities: (15 points each) Students will be placed in groups of 4-5 people four times throughout the semester. These groups will be given problems which require the development of a mathematical solution. Each group will then derive a solution and then write a summary describing their solution and the process they went through to derive the solution. Each student will also write a 1-2 page reaction paper to the group process describing how they contributed to the solution and how the group process worked.

6. Mathematical Autobiography: (20 points) Write a 2-3 page paper describing your experiences with mathematics throughout your life. Begin with your earliest memories of mathematics and continue up to the present. Think about your experiences both in and out of a formal classroom setting. Do not just describe what courses you have taken but also how you felt about and experienced mathematics.

7. Biography Paper: (30 points) Choose a mathematician (or cultural group of mathematicians) who are not white male. Research their lives. Write a 3-5 page paper describing the life of the person or persons you have chosen and their contribution to mathematics....

8. Ethnomathematics Project: (20 points) This project will require you to make or do some form of ethnomathematics for presentation in class. This must be an example of mathematics in a non-academic setting. For example you may wish to:

• Make an Incan quipu.
• Make a symmetric quilt square.
• Make an African board game such as wari.

Your example of ethnomathematics will be presented in class. You will be required to hand in a one-page paper explaining the mathematics in your project....

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