MAT485 Differential Equations and Matrix Algebra for Engineers (Spring)

MAT485 Differential Equations and Matrix Algebra for Engineers (Spring)

Open to students in the Florence Engineering program; open to others with permission from the Florence Academic Team.

Solution of ordinary differential equations, including series methods. Vector spaces, matrix algebra, rank, linear systems, eigenvalues and eigenvectors.

Course restriction: For matriculated Syracuse University students, credit not given for both MAT 485 and MAT 414, nor for both MAT 331 and 485. Does not count toward mathematics major.

Prereq: MAT 397 (Calculus III) or the equivalent

MAE251 Thermodynamics (Spring)

Open only to students admitted to the Florence Engineering Program. Basic concepts in engineering thermodynamics. Thermodynamic properties of solids, liquids, and gases. First and second laws of thermodynamics. Reversible and irreversible processes. Entropy equation. Energy analysis of basic cycles. PREREQ: PHY 211 (General Physics I) OR 215 (General Physics I, Honors and Majors)

LIT421 Classical Mythology (Fall, Spring)

Myths and rituals of Greek mythology and religion. Ancient poets/playwrights and important mythological themes found in later Western religious/artistic traditions.

Learn to interpret the many examples of mythological themes that occur in Italian art and literature. From the twelve Olympian gods to the Trojan sagas and the Roman kings. Emphasis given to those themes that are especially relevant for the students’ experience in Italy, so one of the site visits will be at the Uffizi, to find the many connections between Renaissance art and ancient Mythology. Finally, the course aims to present the students with a reflection on the role of Mythology in our contemporary society: where can we find our Hercules or Perseus? Who can be the new Achilles?

Cross-listed with CLA/REL 421.

This course has an associated course fee. See the Course Fees webpage for more information.

LIT424 Sex, Politics, and Religion in Italian Literature (Fall, Spring)

All texts read in English translation.

Sex, politics, and religion in Italian literature from the fourteenth to the twenty-first centuries, using various theoretical approaches. Explores the influence of Italian writers on British and American literature. Discuss issues of gender and sexuality, power and coercion, social class and ethnicity. Almost all the texts read have a central focus on the existence or absence of God that shapes the authors’ world views; we will explore these comparatively, reading Dante with T. S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf, Petrarch with Shakespeare and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Boccaccio with Keats, and Montale with Hemingway. We will also discuss the authors’ political views and political movements that have shaped Italian and European history, such as Republicanism, Communism, Fascism, and Nazism.

Counts as an IDEA course requirement for Syracuse students.

ITA421 Patterns of Modernity in 20th Century Italian Literature (Fall, Spring)

Italian literary works marking the transition of Italy from an agricultural to an urban/technological society. Concepts of national identity and modern self.

Taught in Italian. Literature course designed for students who have studied the Italian language for at least four semesters and are able to read original texts and discuss them in class and in writing. Authors will include major figures such as the poets Giuseppe Ungaretti and Pier Paolo Pasolini and the novelists Giovanni Verga and Italo Calvino. We will also watch films and short videos and visit places of interest in Florence.

Prereq: ITA 202 or four semesters of college-level Italian. Students in the Advanced Language or Direct Enrollment programs at the University of Florence can take this Florence Center course to fulfill program language requirement.

ITA325 Advanced Language Usage (Fall)

Furthers the mastery of Italian through selected readings, targeted discussion, and weekly compositions. Advances students’ understanding of Italian language and culture through readings drawn from mass media, popular culture, short stories, excerpts from literary works, essays, political speeches, etc., as well as through conversations meant to simulate real life experiences.  Students maximize their language acquisition by using Florence as a natural language laboratory, experiencing and reflecting on its culture through context-specific learning activities.

Prereq: ITA 202 or four semesters of college-level Italian.

REL490 Independent Study/Guided Research in Religion (Fall, Spring)

Independent Study during Module C allows students to conduct in-depth guided research on a subject related to Hong Kong, China, or Asia. Students should have background in the subject area based on prior study and often focus on specific interests developed during Modules A and/or B. During this five-week period, students are supervised by a faculty member in Hong Kong who teaches in a discipline related to the research subject. Faculty guide the research process, assign readings, provide resources and grade the final paper. Students are able to take advantage of excellent on-site resources to conduct both library and primary research (through interviews, surveys, etc.). Students should attend all lectures and meetings in order to complete the research and paper.

REL387 Religious Belief Systems in Everyday Asian Life (Fall, Spring)

This course covers three influential Asian religions: Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. It  also considers popular belief systems in everyday life, such as Feng Shui and Chinese folk religions which combine elements of the major religions with ancestral and temple worship. You will examine the responses of Asian belief systems to Western religions, modernization and globalization to see what impacts the Western religions and modern institutions have on political, social and cultural life in the Chinese and Asian context.

PSC490 Independent Study/Guided Research in Political Science (Fall, Spring)

Independent Study during Module C allows students to conduct in-depth guided research on a subject related to Hong Kong, China, or Asia. Students should have background in the subject area based on prior study and often focus on specific interests developed during Modules A and/or B. During this five-week period, students are supervised by a faculty member in Hong Kong who teaches in a discipline related to the research subject. Faculty guide the research process, assign readings, provide resources and grade the final paper. Students are able to take advantage of excellent on-site resources to conduct both library and primary research (through interviews, surveys, etc.). Students should attend all lectures and meetings in order to complete the research and paper.