LEXIS®-NEXIS® Academic Universe - Document
LEXIS®-NEXIS® Academic Universe
Copyright 2000 The New York Times Company
The New York Times
January 9, 2000, Sunday, Late Edition - Final
SECTION: Section 4A; Page 12; Column 5; Education Life
Supplement
LENGTH: 222 words
HEADLINE: BLACKBOARD: CURRICULUM;
Nietzsche and Math, Together Again
BYLINE:
By Abby Ellin
BODY:
In the latest effort to convert the mathematically
squeamish,
Dartmouth College has developed a new program,
"Math Across the Curriculum," that integrates the subject into some
very unlikely places -- art and
literature, for example.
"A Matter of Time" pairs a comparative literature professor
and a math professor to lead
discussions on the fourth dimension. Readings include
"One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Book
of Genesis and works by Freud, Nietzsche,
Poe and Borges.
"Pattern" explores elementary group theory and its applications to
art, ranging from
mandalas to Escher to Islamic tiles. For die-hards,
"Integrated Mathematics and Physical Sciences" combines math, science
and physics.
The program, which is financed by the National Science Foundation,
"presents math in the most integrated fashion, using students' interests
as the
hook," explained Dr. Jane Korey, an anthropologist and consultant on the
project.
"We all learn better if we can attach ideas to something we already know,
so if
you're a strong literature person and the math you use has to do with
literature, you can bootstrap your way up."
She added:
"It shows students that math is relevant to their lives and will be useful
to
their futures. Math is a whole way of looking at the
world." ABBY ELLIN
http://www.nytimes.com
GRAPHIC: Photo: Prof. Delo Mook integrates math into science
at Dartmouth. (Amy
Thompson for The New York Times)
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: January 9, 2000