What are my options for studying mathematics online?
In the next few years, I’m looking to start a PhD in applied linguistics or language teaching.
I’d like to do some pre-emptive work on my maths – I will obviously need statistics. However, I also have a layman’s interest in complexity theory, and would ultimately like to explore that in relation to language learning and language change.
I haven’t formally studied any maths since I was 16. I wasn’t unsuccessful at it, I was just uninterested at the time.
I don’t need a bachelor’s degree, although I will consider it.
So… What are my options? Concrete recommendations and specific courses will be welcomed!
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11 Answers
See if http://www.khanacademy.org/ suits you in style and purpose. I also have a course on complex systems – pretty decent. But will have to look through my external HDDs.
I have noticed that universities and community colleges have major-specific courses. If you take a general stats course, and the university that you end up in won’t accept anything but their particular stats course, you might have to take it over, even though maybe you could test out of it. That happened to my daughter regarding several courses required for her major. I suggest you check with the school you intend to attend for your major and find out their specific requirements.
Well, I meet all the requirements for the course – the maths is primarily to improve my analytical skills.
While I would encourage anyone to study mathematics for the sheer beauty of it, I am wondering how necessary it is to study applied linguistics. There is a lot of mathematical work in theoretical linguistics, related to things like Turing machines, that is of relevance primarily to artificial languages like those used by computers. Is that what you want to pursue, or are you mainly interested in spoken languages.
@LostInParadise – I’m primarily interested in natural languages.
I have a couple of motivations for wanting to learn maths, though:
1. As you said, the beauty of maths – an intrinsic motivation.
2. I think that there is a skills gap in applied linguistics – I’m nowhere near alone in being well-read and well-qualified in the field (to MSc level) but not having any post-compulsory maths. There are, to my knowledge, probably three or four major academics covering applied linguistics who have a thorough grounding in mathematics. Complexity theory strikes me, from my interested layman’s perspective, as a hugely fruitful area of study that could advance the program of language teaching and learning. I’d like to ber able to contribute, but I can’t with no maths past the age of 16!
I second @phoebusg‘s link to Salman Khan’s prolific collection of videos.
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