The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida and a public research university located in Tampa, Florida, USA.
This course is the first in a two-part series that introduces numerical methods. Numerical methods are techniques to approximate mathematical procedures (e.g., integrals). Approximations are needed because we either cannot solve the procedure analytically (e.g., the standard normal cumulative distribution function) or because the analytical method is intractable (e.g., solving a set of a thousand simultaneous linear equations for a thousand unknowns). OBJECTIVESBy end of this course, participants will be able to apply the numerical methods for the following mathematical procedures and topics: differentiation, nonlinear equations, and simultaneous linear equations. Additionally, they will be able to calculate errors and implement their relationship to the accuracy of the numerical solutions
This course examines the political (world order), economic (globalization), social/cultural (beliefs, values, and lifestyle), and psychological (human capacity for change) forces that are re-defining the quality of life in the 21st century.Students will leave Forums for a Future with an explicit (written) worldview of their own creation as the basis for developing a coherent sense of self-direction for living peacefully and sustainably on a crowded planet in the 21st century.Students should have some familiarity with the basic concepts of political science, economics, sociology, and psychology. Although an introductory level course in any of these areas is helpful, it is not necessary.Much of the material has been published by the instructor as op-ed pieces in newspapers and popular (not academic or technical) books. Any thoughtful person can and should grasp the messages and may simply skip the complicated conceptual writing and still profit from reading the contributions of others. It is not highbrow; it is intended to promote general public civic discourse.This course is based on a very popular honors level course at the University of South Florida. Participants should have related background and knowledge along with the ability to self-direct their learning.
At its core, this course is about providing students with a broader understanding of music as a uniquely human activity. This will be accomplished by discussing the music you actually listen to, learning about various dimensions and elements of music, and creating your own music. No previous experience making music is necessary. This course is designed for individuals at all levels of musical understanding and experience.
Princess stories have been popular for centuries and remain so today around the world; we’ll dive into what these fairy tales mean, and trace the history of these narratives back to their source material, examining contexts all along the way. We’ll borrow tools from cultural studies, literature studies, and film studies to help us analyze these phenomena and what they mean to our society.Many of us may associate princess stories with modern-day products (much of it marketed to small children) or with Disney movies and theme parks. We’ll examine these current versions of fairy tale mythos as well, using our new interpretive tools to uncover not just what’s been changed in the moral and message of the narrative, but what the stories mean as told now.