[wtallis]

In many university mathematics curriculums, discrete math is the course used to transition students from the computation-oriented mindset (instilled in them by high school and early undergraduate courses up through calculus) to the more abstract and proof-oriented mindset. Thus, teaching you to use that "really really advanced level math notation" is often one of the primary goals of the course, even if it seems like unnecessary overkill at the time. If you refuse to learn it, you're setting yourself up for failure in any future math course that uses that notation as the starting point for building new concepts and abstractions.

[tmpz22]

We were never taught the notations, he would just pull out dozens of glyphs from his vast experience in mathematics - not the standard notations you might find in a text book. I won't deny that I could've researched these topics deeply in my own time enough to keep up with the graduate student, but I myself had no interest in being a graduate math student just to pass the course.