First-Year Seminar: Math and Movies

1 Course Unit

Introduction to the creative processes through which screenwriters and mathematicians conceive and develop ideas, craft dramatic arguments and proofs, and solve narrative and mathematical problems. Using films featuring math and mathematician-based storylines for reference, we’ll develop a common language for evaluating the accuracy, success, and significance of dramatic and mathematical arguments. This is not a course in advanced math, nor is it about the nuts and bolts mechanics of screenwriting. They will learn with an instructor with experience selling screenplays to Hollywood about what the screenplay is, what it aims to accomplish, and how screenwriters approach crafting a narrative. 1 Course Unit