Global Travel for May and June Courses

Precalculus will be taught in Florence, Italy, the home of the scientific revolution, from May 25 through June 9, by Peter Astor, mathematics, T-H. The course will cover the mathematical advances made up to and through the time of the Renaissance. This 85-year period is remarkable for the new math and science that was developed and which spawned a whole new wave of mathematical thought. Starting with number theory of the Egyptians and Greeks, the course covers the mathematics contained in Models of the Celestial Heavens, Mechanics of Motion and Limits to Growth, proposed by Galileo, Kepler, Descartes and other scientists of the Renaissance as well as “the calculus” of change by Newton and Leibniz, and probability and fractals.

White Nights in St. Petersburg, Russia, will explore present-day realities of business, education and politics in the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and discuss the question, “What does globalization mean for St. Petersburg and its citizens?” Lectures, discussions and field trips to business enterprises, schools and legislative bodies as well as numerous historical and cultural sites are included. The course will be taught by Paul Lerman, business administration, T-H, from June 15 through June 28.

Three courses — Ancient Greece, Modern Turkey and Special Topics: Comparative Economic Systems of Turkey, Greece and the United States — will be offered in Greece and Turkey from May 20 through June 6. Michael Gisser, director of Jewish affairs, T-H, is the instructor for these courses.

Ancient Greece examines the history, philosophy and religion of that era with an emphasis on rudimentary democracy as portrayed by the Athenians.

Modern Turkey will look at the modern secular nation-state of today as constructed by Ataturk in the 1920s; Turkey’s place in today’s world as a bridge between the Islamic Middle East and Europe when discussing business initiatives with the Economic European Council and Ankara’s membership in NATO; and whether today’s Islam should follow the Turkish example.

Special Topics will explore the economic styles and systems of each country, emphasizing political, cultural, environmental and social influences, and examine current trends and issues.

All courses offer side trips and cultural opportunities. For information call x2392.

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