This course begins with an interdisciplinary study of philosophical and religious thinkers from the earliest Greek philosophers through the Middle Ages. It begins with a study of how the ideas of the Pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Anselm, Maimonides, and Aquinas change through time and inform our contemporary search for moral and religious values. Next, the course covers a chronological study of the development of mathematics. Emphasis focuses on the solution of selected mathematical problems associated with historical periods. Finally, this course further explores Italian culture from various perspectives to help deepen learners’ understanding of the interconnectedness of culture and communication. To experience this interconnectedness first-hand, the course explores the various Magna Graecia territories and Ancient Sicily, including parts of the modern Italian regions of Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia, and Campania and the coasts of Sicily to understand better where these ideas, texts, and values originated.
- Designed by Dr. Marco Panza, Lisa Sparks, and Daniele Struppa.
Moments from The Origins of Western Civilization: Mathematics and Philosophy in Magna Graecia and Ancient Sicily