FTS204

Chaos and Culture

Lorenz Attractor

How to get in touch with me

Professor Tom LoFaro


Office: Olin 314
Office Hours: see schedule
Phone: 933-7463
Email: tlofaro@gustavus.edu

Texts

  • Chaos: Making of a New Science, James Gleick, Penguin Books.
  • Arcadia, Tom Stoppard, Faber and Faber.
  • The Everyday Writer, Andrea A. Lunsford, Bedford/St. Martin's.

 

Objective

The First Term Seminar (FTS)  plays a unique role in a student's education.  The objective of the course is not simply to master the subject matter, but to help ease the transition to the intellectual and social challenges of a liberal arts education.  Our primary goals are to develop critical thinking and communication skills.  The topic of this course, the mathematical field of chaos theory,  will be the primary tool for honing these skills.

We will explore the scientific and mathematical basis of chaos and how these ideas are manifested in modern culture.  Scientific and mathematical ideas discussed include fractals, the chaotic phenomena of non-linear dynamics, and the mechanisms through which these concepts arise in nature.  We will discuss how these scientific ideas have influenced art, literature and other aspects of modern culture and ultimately how they have changed the way we view our world.

Because an FTS is an agent for transition, there is also a significant advising component to the course.  In addition to acting as these students academic advisor until they choose a major, I have incorporated activities that will provide the students with an overview of the resources and opportunities available to them on the Gustavus campus.

Course Schedule.

Grading

 

Short Writing Assignments (12)

35%

Lab Reports (4)

25%

Term Paper

15%

Class Participation/Attendance

15%

Misc. homework

10%

Short Writing Assignments

These will be 1-2 word processed pages in length.  The lowest of your 12 scores will be dropped and thus no late assignments will be accepted.  These writing assignments will pertain to the readings and related material.  Some of these assignments will have 1 rewrite cycle.
 

Lab Reports

Labs will be done in groups and one lab report per group will be turned in.  These will be 1-2 pages in length and do not have to be word processed.   No late assignments will be accepted.  Graphs and figures from the labs need to be included in the reports with appropriate labeling and descriptions.  Lab reports will cover computer labs that explore the fundamental mathematical ideas covered in this course.

Term Paper

This will be 8-12 pages in length.  There will be at least 1 rewrite cycle.  More details on this will be provided as the semester progresses.
 

Class Participation

This part of your grade will come from informal class discussions and on brief presentations that each of you will be making during the semester.  The presentation topics will usually (but not necessarily always) be related to your short writing assignments.

Homework

Homework assignments will be posted on the FTS 204 homework page .  Explain your work clearly and concisely in complete sentences when appropriate.  No late homework is accepted for any reason.   The lowest homework score will be dropped.

Internet Resources

 


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