The MU Seminar (Mathematics/Urban and Multi-University) is composed of four autonomous, interdisciplinary seminars carrying graduate credit (3 hrs. per semester), spanning the disciplines of mathematics and mathematics education, psychology and cognitive science, urban education and urban studies. It addresses carefully selected topics embodying the research and leadership missions of the MetroMath Center.

The MU seminar is now in its third year. There are cohorts at Rutgers University, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, and the University of Pennsylvania.

The four seminars have themes determined to be central to urban mathematics education. These are:

• Teachers and Teaching in Urban Mathematics Classrooms;
• Learning Mathematics in Urban Environments;
• History and Reforms in Urban Mathematics Education Policy;
• Research in Urban Mathematics Education.

During Fall 2006, Rutgers University offered both the History and Reforms in Urban Mathematics Education Policy and Learning Mathematics in Urban Environments seminars. The Graduate Center offered the History and Reforms in Urban Mathematics Education Policy seminar and the University of Pennsylvania offered Research in Urban Mathematics Education.

This semester, Spring 2007, Rutgers University is offering Teachers and Teaching Mathematics in Urban Environments and the Urban Mathematics Education Research Seminar. The Graduate Center and the University of Pennsylvania are also both offering the Urban Mathematics Education Research Seminar. In addition, the Graduate Center is offering Learning Mathematics in Urban Environments.

The MU seminars highlight the following:

• Incorporation of a knowledge base to address MetroMath's focus and key issues in depth, together with other, carefully-selected essential topics;
• Establishment of the content of each seminar so as to be sufficiently independent of the others, to allow students the flexibility to enroll in any of three seminars, taken in any order, prior to a capstone research seminar;
• Schedule of simultaneous sections based on the same content at different university sites, allowing for cross-linkages through video-conferencing.

For further information, contact Project Manager Karen Murray klmurray@rutgers.edu or 732-445-1408 .