How to Make an Introductory Class in Set Theory and Logic Exciting I am teaching a "proof techniques" class for sophomore math majors.  We start out defining sets and what you can do with them (intersection, union, cartesian product, etc.).  We then move on to predicate logic and simple proofs using the rules of first order logic.  After that we prove simple math statements via direct proof, contrapositive, contradiction, induction, etc. Finally, we end with basic, but important concepts, injective/surjective, cardinality, modular arithmetic, and relations.
I am having a hard time keeping the class interested in the beginning set theory and logic part of the course.  It is pretty dry material.  What types of games or group activities might be both more enjoyable than my lectures and instructive?

Sometimes it makes sense to teach a little bit backwards. Rather than always teaching the foundations first and then building on top of them, it sometimes pays to build a little higher-level context first, and then build foundations underneath. One way is to use a partially historical approach. That is, start by teaching about the history of an idea, and a little of the mathematics and/or philosophy surrounding that history, before you actually teach the idea.
