Fractal Geometry is a new and exciting way to describe nature and the world around us. This course provides an introduction to fractals without requiring an extensive mathematical background. We will explore fractal geometry and how it relates to the natural world, the arts, and the social sciences. Fraboni

Graph theory deals with the study of graphs that consist of a finite set of points connected by lines. Topics include graphs as models, undirected and directed graphs, trees, connectivity, traversability, graph colorings, matchings, and network flows. Problems will be formulated and analyzed in diverse areas such as transportation and project networks, organizational structure, tournaments, group structure in psychology and sociology, and scheduling. Somers

We human beings have trouble with infinity. Philosophers and mathematicians have gone mad contemplating its nature and complexity -- and yet it is a concept now routinely used by school children. We will trace the history of this mind-boggling concept from Archimedes to Cantor through the eyes of the mathematician. Schultheis

Cryptography is the study of how to disguise information in order to limit access. Traditionally, cryptography was used solely for military and government purposes, but today it has broader application in areas such as wireless networks, cable and satellite TV transmissions, and internet banking. In this course, we will take a historical perspective to discuss a variety of classical and modern methods of encrypting and decrypting information. We will carefully introduce the relevant mathematics, which includes topics on number theory, probability, and abstract algebra, as well as descriptions of algorithms and complexity theory. In addition to reading and homework assignments, students will work on in-class activities and use computer techniques when appropriate. Coleman/Sevilla

The course will investigate topics related to choices and actions in social and political fields and how mathematics can help us analyze and understand these choices. There will be four main topics: game theory models of conflict situations; models of escalation addressing, for example, auctions and the arms race; yes-no voting and measures of power; and social choice voting procedures and fairness criteria. Somers

The course investigates man.s obsession with building mechanical beings and the impact that this obsession has and will have on our everyday lives. We will begin by studying the history of this obsession and some of the predictions that scientists and futurist writers were predicting for their future (our present) and what has come to pass. Next we will study, in some detail, the present state of the art in robotics and how this has affected us. Finally, we will look at the predictions being made for the future of robotics and the consequences for us all. Schultheis

This course will explore ideas of mathematical modeling through applications in graph theory, including networks, and the mathematics of social choice, including voting and fair division. Part 1 will cover material in chapters 1 through 4 in the text Introduction to Graph Theory and selected sections in other chapters of the text. Part 2 will cover topics in the mathematics of social choice, including common voting methods (such as plurality, Condorcet.s method, Borda count, approval voting) and fair division schemes. Somers/Stehney

This course will provide an elementary introduction to knots, links and tangles. These are a part of a branch of mathematics called topology (or "rubber-sheet geometry"). We will look at many examples, including torus knots, 2-bridge knots, brunnian links, and composite knots. In the process, we shall develop a catalogue of knots and links and learn how to distinguish and classify knots in a mathematical context. We shall take a look at the history of the mathematics of knots, which really began at the end of the 19th century when Lord Kelvin suggested that atoms were composed of "knotted vortices". The historical look will take us all the way forward to new research over the past decade that suggests surprising uses of knot theory in the fields of chemistry and microbiology. Hartshorn