Through its new Engaged Pedagogy Series, the AMS provides mathematical sciences faculty with experiences and resources that strengthen them as professionals and empower their engagement with students learning mathematics. Offered twice a year–spring and fall–these online workshops can be inspiring opportunities to connect with others in the mathematical community who teach, engage in current applications of mathematics, innovate with curriculum, and learn how to use online and software tools.
This online workshop, originally scheduled for fall 2023 and postponed to summer 2024, will introduce participants to the widely-used statistical computing and graphics software R, with a focus on integrating social justice topics into teaching mathematics.
Over the span of three sessions, participants will be introduced to the growing field of quantitative justice, with a particular focus on infusing social justice topics into mathematics courses. Participants will learn the basics of R/Quarto through a quantitative justice lens, as well as how to teach quantitative techniques to their students motivated by examples grounded in social justice questions.
Participants in this online workshop will leave with the skills necessary to begin integrating R/Quarto with social justice topics into their math courses. This workshop will launch participants' exploration of social justice applications as well as computational techniques. In addition to developing their quantitative skills, sessions will also focus on pedagogical techniques for discussing social justice issues in the classroom. No prior experience is needed to participate, only an enthusiasm for using quantitative techniques to further social justice.
Also watch for updates on this page or subscribe to the biweekly AMS member publication Headlines & Deadlines.
First in the new AMS Engaged Pedagogy Series of online workshops for faculty
April 23–25, 2023, 1 p.m.–5 p.m. ET (10 a.m.–2 p.m. PT)
Registration January 17–April 19, 2023
Over the span of three sessions, the organizers will engage participants in topics that include:
One of the themes that unites these areas is a concern for fairness. What does it mean for a voting method or representation system to be fair? How can we measure fairness? Are there systems and methods that are “more fair” than others? We will discuss these ideas from a variety of perspectives. One of the advantages to teaching “the mathematical foundations for democratic processes” is that the ideas can be approached through different levels of difficulty and for different student bodies.
Participants in this online workshop will leave with tools and resources that can be implemented in a variety of formats, from general education courses to upper-level mathematics seminars. Virtual sessions will be divided between interactive lectures and opportunities for collective problem-solving. We aim to create a collaborative, creative, and active learning environment. All levels of experience with teaching these topics are welcome!
Beth Campbell Hetrick is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Gettysburg College. In addition to her primary research in functional analysis and operator theory, she is interested in topics of mathematics and democracy and related social justice issues. Beth has created an engaging first-year seminar course on issues of fairness and mathematics of voting and has introduced students to district map drawing through the Draw the Lines PA initiative.
Daryl DeFord is an assistant professor of Data Analytics in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Washington State University. His research focuses on applications of algebraic and combinatorial methods in the analysis of social data. Beginning with his work as a postdoc at MGGG in 2018 his research has emphasized political redistricting and he has taught courses, supervised student projects, published papers, and developed software in this area. He has also served as an expert in redistricting cases.
Beth Malmskog is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Colorado College. Her research is in computational number theory, algebraic geometry, and applied discrete mathematics, including mathematical approaches to understanding fairness and social choice. With a team of collaborators including many undergraduate students, Beth has been applying and developing ensemble analysis techniques in the context of Colorado redistricting since 2019. She is also involved in outreach and advocacy around fair redistricting.
Jennifer Wilson is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at The New School. Her research interests include voting and social choice theory, systems of political representation, resource allocation and cooperative game theory. She has also developed courses in Gerrymandering and Fair Representation, and Fair Division and Politics.
Over the span of three sessions, the organizers will engage participants in topics that include: