Math Boot Camp, Department of Political Science, UCSD
Sept
15-23, 2008
Math Boot Camp is a 5-day intensive math refresher course for incoming graduate students. We will focus on core concepts that you will use frequently as a graduate student. Some of the material must be mastered before the first day of class; other topics can be explored and developed over time.
Each day you will attend a lecture with a faculty member and a workshop run by one of our graduate students. To maximize your benefit from this program, you should read all the material very carefully before class and do your best on all of the assigned problems. Learning math is essentially the same as learning a language. Repetition will make it easier and easier to read any formula and tackle any problem you encounter. You will get as much out of this experience as you put into it.
Location
SSB104
Book
We will be using Professor Jeff Gill's book, Essential Mathematics for Political and Social Research.
Contacts and Questions
Professor Scott Desposato is directing the boot camp this year, you can reach him at swd@ucsd.edu.
There will also be a teaching assistant.
Tentative Schedule
Monday, September 15
Topic: Basics
Lecture: 9am-noon, Professor Sebastian Saeigh
Tutorial: 1-3pm
Reading: Chapter 1
Tuesday, September 16
Topic: Calculus
Lecture: 9am-noon, Professor James Fowler
Tutorial: 1-3pm
Reading: Chapter 5
Friday, September 19
Topic: Linear Algebra
Lecture: noon-3pm, Professor Keith Poole
Tutorial: 3-5pm
Reading: Chapters 3 and 4
Tentative: Monday, September 22
Topic: Probability Theory
Lecture: 9am-noon, Professor Thad Kousser
Tutorial: 1-3pm
Reading: Chapter 7
Tentative: Tuesday, September 23
Topic: Random Variables and Statistics
Lecture: 9am-noon, Professor Gary Cox
Tutorial: 1-3pm
Reading: Chapter 8