Course Details

This will be a 5-credit seminar on public writing. Students will learn how to interrogate quantitative arguments and dubious uses of numerical data – in controversies regarding public health (COVID-19), race (redlining), education (value-added modeling), investment strategies (buying land), and other aspects of society. Each student will write five short pieces (such as a book review or op-ed), which will be edited by other students and further workshopped during class. Readings will consist of three books and several shorter pieces, including “Weapons of Math Destruction” by Cathy O’Neil and a chapter of “How to Lie with Statistics” by Darrell Huff.

The goal will be to learn to write clearly and persuasively for a general readership about quantitative aspects of socially important controversies. The course is open to mathematical science majors as well as to students in any major in the Honors Program.

Because this course is jointly listed with MATH 380A, students enrolled in HONORS 220E will be expected to complete an additional project in this course in order for it to be applied toward their Honors requirements. Please plan to discuss project details with Professor Koblitz at the beginning of the quarter.