You may hate Algebra. It may bore you. Or maybe you love puzzles in equation form. But why do we all have to take algebra in school? Why do the word problems imagine someone needs 58 watermelons? They say it's important to learn but why, how and for who? This class is a chance to throw open a door that few realize is closed.  

But why bother? What's to be gained from close study of what you could just either do or ignore? 

If you ever asked "why?" and felt like the only answer you got back was "get better and you'll know" or "it's important for reasons", this might be the class for you. If it ever seemed weird that parents claimed algebra was super important yet never bring it up outside grades, this might be for you. If all the letters really never made sense, ditto. If you ever wondered why word problems seem backwards and fake, welcome. If you wondered what algebra is actually used for, not just plugging and chugging formulas, but how it is a tool for thought, this might be a good place for you.  

Right now, instead of just taking algebra for granted as a part of life, you have a chance to take a closer look as what this has been all about. It doesn't come for free. We'll need to develop the skills of critical curiosity. But they will serve you well when it comes to uncovering other mysteries, not just mathematical ones. In the end, this class is a chance to improve as an independent scholar, to learn how to get past the convenient myths you've been fed. 

Like all Honors courses, there is no textbook. What we read will emerge from our inquiry. But here are a few representative works to start: 

* Radical Equations: Civil Rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project by Robert Moses and Charles Cobb  

*Taming the Unknown: A History of Algebra from Antiquity to the Early Twentieth Century* by Victor J. Katz, Karen Hunger Parshall  

* The Crest of the Peacock: Non-European Roots of Mathematics by George Joseph 

*Is Algebra Necessary* by Andrew Hacker

*Andrew Hacker and the Case for and Against Algebra* by Keith Devlin

*Unknown Quantity* by John Derbyshire

*What is mathematics for* by Underwood Dudley

*Descartes Dream* by Philip Davis and Reuben Hersh

Deeper, more honest algebra does not need fancy ingredients, just dedication. We will read, talk about and do math. Think writing and explaining just as much as solving. This may take courage and encouragement as it doesn't always come naturally. 

We will research questions like where algebra comes from, why we all have to do it, and whether you'll ever need it IRL or not. We will practice looking, considering provenance, perspective, and purpose, not merely gleaning information. 

We will learn how to help each other with the hard stuff and keep asking more questions, to take responsibility for our curiosity and the progress of the group. 

Specifically, this entails

* Participation: Immaculate attendance, enthusiasm for working as part of a team each day, and an active interest in building curiosity for a subject most would rather ignore. You need to become a trusted and valued member of this team.

* Reading: Weekly short articles and chapters, active research, recording responses, asking questions, and working through details, correctly or not. There's no point in talking if we're only conversing with our existing prejudices. 

* Student teaching: twice a semester, as a pair or triple, take responsibility for getting us, the whole group, through a session. Not a slide deck. Teach.

* Set the record straight: Build up to a roughly 5-7 page research paper that tells a story in the book of algebra as responsibly as possible and how the world will improve when everyone knows.