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Mathematics And Socio -Cultural Behavior: A Case Study Of The Enculturation Of A New Mathematician, Timothy Byron Gutmann

Doctoral Dissertations

Research has shown that mathematics as we know it is a product of the socio-cultural climate in which it was developed. This research attempts to address the related question of how being involved in mathematics influences the socio-cultural lives of mathematicians. A new Ph.D. mathematician hired in his first faculty position was observed for a period of 13 weeks, most during his first semester. Analysis of this long-term, in depth case study followed ethnographic methods and drew on theories of rites of passage, organizational socialization, self-identity, and evolution. The role of mathematics in the departmental culture and in the newcomer's …