Descriptif

Jessica Perich Carleton

Mathematicians in History and Cinema:         

English Class – Thursday mornings

This course focuses on answering the question: What is the probability of a math genius coming from nothing? In order to answer this question, the class will investigate four themes resonating from noteworthy mathematicians in history and their portrayals in popular cinema. Mathematicians examined will include: Srinivasa Ramanujan, Alan Turning, Paul DePodesta, and Katherine Globe Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. The first film challenges the theme of intuition vs proof from an informally educated young Indian man who is credited with contributions to a wide range of mathematical developments (number theory, infinite series, continued fractions) as seen in The Man Who Knew Infinity; the second film looks at computers vs people in Hidden Figures which tells the story of three African American women whose mathematical genius helped win the Space Race; next, the beginnings of developing AI and its implications and consequences in contemporary culture as seen in The Imitation Game; and finally, tradition vs originality as applied to a major league baseball team searching for new strategies of becoming more successful with less fiscal resources as seen in Moneyball. There will be plenty of opportunities to practice your spoken English, to discuss and debate in small groups, to challenge your listening skills and to express yourself clearly in writing.