Math, Meaning, & Message
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Mathematics is the language of the universe — but whose voice gets to speak it?
Smith College · Mathematical Sciences · MTH 305 · Spring 2026
Writing and communicating your thoughts is a skill you will need in just about any career you pursue — including a career in a mathematical field. Mathematics has long been celebrated as the language of the universe. As a subject, we love its elegance, permanence, and ubiquity.
Through language — symbols, writing, talk — we strive to communicate its beauty and its relevance to a variety of audiences. The purpose of this course is to develop your reasoning, writing, and presentation skills in the context of mathematics, as well as to help you find your own voice in this field of study.
An important objective of any mathematician is to learn to deliver their message and professional and personal insights in a way that makes sense to its intended audience. This course will run as a team-based learning class which will help you learn to work as partners.
To be an effective communicator, we will hone our skills in three dimensions: message (content), presenter (speaker/writer), and audience (reader/listener).
This course asks: Who gets to be a mathematician? How does mathematics participate in structures of power and belonging — and how can our voices reshape that?
01
Public Speaking
What’s the class about?
Learning Outcomes
02
Writing for General Audiences
03
Social Media Videos
Learning Outcomes
Communicate mathematical ideas with clarity, coherence, and logical rigor — from concise proofs to extended expository writing — while engaging audiences effectively.
Reflect on the role of mathematics in society and in your own intellectual journey, articulating connections among mathematics, identity, and ways of knowing.
By the end of this course, you will be able to…
Adapt mathematical writing for diverse audiences — including peers, general readers, and scholarly communities — demonstrating control of genre, tone, and purpose.
Engage in collaborative research and presentations, effectively communicating mathematical inquiry in written and spoken forms.
Foster curiosity and wonder through mathematical storytelling and creative strategies that make abstract concepts comprehensible and compelling.
Examine the cultural and historical context of mathematics, recognizing how practices are shaped by societal traditions and exploring pathways to broaden inclusion and access.
Collaborate ethically and constructively, participating in peer review, co-authorship, and discussions that enrich mathematical understanding and writing practices.
Assessment Philosophy
- An ungraded course
While you will receive a final grade at the end of the term, this is an ungraded course. Grades will be determined by you and your instructor together at the end of the semester.
Performance level
Exemplary
Exceeds expectations in clarity, depth, rigor, and audience awareness
Progressing
Developing competency; revision and resubmission encouraged
Proficient
Meets expectations with solid execution across all dimensions
Exploring
Early stages; significant revision needed to meet course expectations
Beamer Projects
Click on the photos to check out the wonderful beamer presentations MTH 305 students made!
Fibonacci Sequence
Alan Turing
The Cantor Set
Marie-Sophie Germain
The Christoffel Symbol
The History of Zero
Numeral and Number Systems
Assignments
Assignments span individual and collaborative work — from short reflective papers and proof exercises to large collaborative projects. You will write in LaTeX, record audio, design for multiple audiences, and lead your peers in discussion.
Each major assignment builds a different communication muscle: writing for general audiences, professional mathematical exposition, and multimedia storytelling. Short papers (best 4 of 8) give you low-stakes space to experiment and develop your voice.
General Expository Mathematics Paper
Write a 5–7 page piece for a broad public audience — a magazine article, blog post, or similar genre — on a mathematical topic of your choosing. The goal is to inform while engaging: accessible language, accurate mathematics, and a compelling narrative.
Collaborative Textbook / Theorem / Community Project
Choose your path: expose and prove a nontrivial theorem with rigor and clarity; write a polished textbook section with examples and exercises; or partner with a community organization for a mathematical learning experience and reflective write-up.
Collaborative Mathematics Video Series
Create a video series of 2–4 short episodes exploring a mathematical topic for an educated general audience. Each group member takes on a production role — writer, on-camera host, videographer, producer, or editor — and contributes substantively to research, scripting, filming, and editing.