B.A.: Mathematics, University of California, Santa Barbara
M.S.: Mathematics, University of California, Davis
Ph.D.: Mathematics, 2005, University of Washington
Office: UW1-117
Phone: 425-352-5268
Email: plittig@uwb.edu
Mailing: Box 358530 18115 Campus Way NE, Bothell, WA 98011-8246
At its best, education is life-affirming. It encourages students and teachers alike to reflect on their lives and to strive for self-actualization. By raising our awareness of the natural and social systems of which we are a part, education informs our decisions and grants us greater agency in the world. It also has the potential to cultivate in its participants a deep love of life and a commitment to social justice. In my teaching, I seek to create affirmative learning environments in which my students and I engage in scholastic inquiry and seek to connect course content to the lives we live beyond the walls of the classroom. By exploring the historical, cultural, and moral dimensions of modern mathematics, I believe that students are better able to place mathematics in the context of their lives and to make positive contributions to the world around them.
BIS 315 Understanding Statistics
BIS 329 Issues in Mathematics Across the Curriculum: Cryptography: Its History & Theory
Math 441 Topology
Math 310 Introduction to Mathematics Reasoning
Math 324 Advanced Multivariable Calculus
Math 308 Linear Algebra
Good research can transform the lives of those involved in it. By asking meaningful questions, teachers and students create the possibility for innovative scholarship and genuine collaboration. Good research also invites its participants into a space of active learning and intellectual excitement. As a scholar, I am committed to engaging in research that links theory to experience, that illuminates the connections between disciplines, and that sustains the intellectual curiosity of my academic community.
My research interests are in algebraic topology, Lie theory, the historical development of mathematical thought, and the sociology of mathematics.
