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Course Catalog 2023-2024 
    
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Course Catalog 2023-2024 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Mathematics

Christoph Marx, Associate Professor of Mathematics; chair

Robert A. Bosch, James F. Clark Professor of Mathematics
Jack S. Calcut, Professor of Mathematics
Susan Jane Colley, Andrew and Pauline Delaney Professor of Mathematics
Rachel Diethorn, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Grace Jaffe, Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Benjamin Linowitz, Associate Professor of Mathematics
Zeinab Mohamed, Assistant Professor of Statistics and Data Science
Meredith Shea, Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Elizabeth L. Wilmer, Professor of Mathematics
Alexander N. Wilson, Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Jeffrey A. Witmer, Professor of Statistics
Kevin M. Woods, Professor of Mathematics

Mathematics is both a technical and a cultural field of study. The Department of Mathematics at Oberlin College has several objectives in its approach to engaging in the field:

  • to introduce students to a central area of human thought;
  • to prepare students for graduate study in pure or applied mathematics, or in related fields, including statistics and operations research;
  • to support students studying fields that use mathematics, such as the physical, biological, social, and information sciences; and
  • to provide liberal arts students with an introduction to the kinds of mathematical and quantitative thinking important in the contemporary world.

See information about Research, Internships, Study Away, and Experiential Learning (RISE).

Explore Winter Term projects and opportunities.

Departmental Policies

Initial and Advanced Placement

The following score(s) will correspond to credit for the following course(s), fulfilling corresponding prerequisite requirements (if applicable) and counting toward total credits needed for graduation:

  • AP Calculus AB, 4 or 5  →  MATH 133  (one full course)
  • AP Calculus BC, 3 (with AP Calculus AB subscore, 4 or 5)  →  MATH 133  (one full course)
  • AP Calculus BC, 4 or 5  →  MATH 133  and MATH 134  (two full courses)
  • IB HL Mathematics AI, 6 or 7  →  MATH 133  (one full course)
  • IB HL Mathematics AA, 5  →  MATH 133  (one full course)
  • IB HL Mathematics AA, 6 or 7  →  MATH 133  and MATH 134  (two full courses)

Note: Transfer credit received for MATH 133  and MATH 134  does not count toward the mathematics major or mathematics minor. However, students awarded transfer credit in either course do not need to take the calculus readiness or statistics readiness examinations prior to enrolling in a higher-level mathematics course.

The department discourages students from taking courses at Oberlin for which they could have received transfer credit. Students who have studied calculus or more advanced mathematics outside Oberlin, including those who took AP Precalculus, should consult with the department chair about appropriate course placement and transfer of credit, if applicable.

Majors and Minors

Curriculum

Course Sequence Suggestions

Students with any questions about course selection are strongly urged to consult the department chair or any member of the mathematics department.

arrow View more information about appropriate starting points and other mathematics resources for students.

Courses

    MathematicsStatistics