History of Mathematics

MAT 336

Important Note: If you need to break some of the rules above to make a better presentation, you can do so without any grade penalty as long as you talk to me first and I give you the OK.
Public speaking can be scary, but we are going to be a friendly, supportive audience that is rooting for you.
You do not have to explain the entire topic you have been assigned. You can choose any part of the topic as long as your explanation involves math and history.
If you discuss applications of a concept, those applications must be related to the history of the concept. (For example, you can discuss how the idea of the normal distribution was born and developed, but not the applications of the normal distribution today.))
Remember that the goal of the presentation is to teach your classmates something. You are encouraged to include an activity or handout for your classmates (talk to me first and I can give you more time). You are welcome to make an appointment with me to do a rehearsal (in person or via Zoom) of the presentation. Just drop me an email and give me four or five time slots that you are available. Or just come to my office hours.
The presentation will last 8 to 10 minutes. There will then be a few minutes for questions. It is perfectly fine if you cannot answer a question on the spot. If this happens, think about it and let us know the following week.
Notes to help your memory are fine. However, the presentation cannot consist only of reading.
Your presentation should be 8 to 10 minutes long.
Here is an example of an excellent presentation and the slides. Note that the presentation is longer than the required time for this course.

Presentation rubric

Criteria	Excellent	Good	Needs Improvement	Unacceptable
Content Knowledge	In-depth understanding, insightful teaching.	Solid grasp, presents with additional insights.	Gaps in knowledge, inaccuracies.	Lack of understanding, misinformation.
Teaching Clarity and Class Engagement	Clear communication, engaging methods. Actively engages classmates, encourages participation.	Comprehensible, occasional clarity issues. Effort to engage, occasional inconsistencies.	Struggles to communicate clearly. Limited interaction, little involvement.	Ineffective communication, confusion. Lack of engagement, passive atmosphere.
Math Content	Deep, correct, clear, and well-explained.	Mostly correct, clear, and well-explained.	Some mistakes or unclear content.	Many mistakes in the math content.
Use of Language - Level	Appropriate for sophomore Math majors.	Occasional technical terms without definition.	Many technical terms without definition.	Excess of jargon.
Style	Displays creativity, originality, and a distinct point of view.	Shows some creativity and originality.	Limited creativity or originality.	Lacks creativity, originality, and a clear point of view.
Number of Words	Sum of words is less than 150 (about 15 words per slide).	Sum slightly above 150.	Sum exceeds 150.	Sum significantly exceeds 150.
Slides Illustrations and Bibliography	No text-based images from external sources. Diagrams, figures, and tables enhance understanding, are relevant, clearly captioned, and if appropriate, include credits. Student-created visuals. Comprehensive bibliography included.	Limited text-based images from external sources. Illustrations relevant and aid understanding. Clear captions and potential credits. Bibliography included at the end.	Some use of text-based images from external sources. Illustrations need alignment with understanding. Captions and credits may need clarity. Bibliography may be present but incomplete.	Reliance on text-based images from external sources. Illustrations lack relevance and clarity. Unclear captions and missing credits. No student-created visuals. Missing or poorly organized bibliography.
Use of Slides	Smooth, clear presentation without reading from slides.	Clear presentation; minimal reading from slides.	Lack of smoothness or clarity; occasional reading from slides.	Incoherent presentation; heavy reliance on reading from slides.
Slide Design	Elements of effective design are displayed. Fonts, colors, backgrounds, etc. are not overly busy and are consistent and relevant to the topic and audience.	The design elements are mostly effective. Fonts, colors, backgrounds, etc. are generally appropriate and consistent with the topic and audience.	Some design elements need improvement. Fonts, colors, backgrounds, etc. may occasionally be distracting or inconsistent with the topic and audience.	Design elements are ineffective. Fonts, colors, backgrounds, etc. are overly busy or inappropriate for the topic and audience.