Sciences and Natural Sciences
Courses
45 hours, 3 credits
Prof. Davide De Gennaro
The course presents concepts of tourism relating to food and geography, using Italy as its example. The course is relevant to students of all backgrounds but was designed specifically for students studying hospitality, business, and culinary arts. Students will study international organizations operating in tourism (i.e. WTO) and the different types of tourism with particular attention paid to sustainable tourism.
Students will be asked to investigate the tourism geography of Italy, becoming familiar with the most important tourist sites in Italy and Campania through several excursions. The third module of the course will be dedicated to a very important kind of tourism in Italy and the Campania region: Food and Wine Tourism.
BIOL 125 Ecology of Man
60 hours, 4 credits
Course Description
This course is an overview of the primary ecological concepts and how these apply to the problems facing the human species. The focus will be mainly on wildlife and terrestrial ecosystems. Population, pollution, energy and man’s effect on other species will be discussed. The course explores topics such as population dynamics, pollution, energy consumption, and the impact of human activities on ecosystems and biodiversity. Emphasizing real-world applications, the course includes field trips, laboratory activities, and data analysis to develop a comprehensive understanding of ecology and its role in addressing contemporary environmental challenges. Students will be encouraged to actively engage with the material, critically assess scientific literature, and conduct research projects that reflect their learning, while using tools designed and routinely used by researchers in different ecological fields.
CHEM 103 General Chemistry I
4 credits
Course Description
This course is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the fundamental concepts associated with atomic models, periodic table, periodic trends, chemical bonds, nomenclature, reactivity and reactions, stoichiometry and nuclear chemistry. Laboratories activities are included (45 hours).
CS 380 Web Programming
45 hours, 3 credits
Course Description
This course is an introduction to programming for the World Wide Web. Students will learn about the relationship between clients and servers, how the internet works, and how web pages are constructed using several technologies. More specifically, in the development of Web applications, the student will learn the scripting languages that can be execute on the browser or on the server and the languages adopted for the exchange of information and its management in database systems.
JU 330 Introduction to Geology
45 hours, 3 credits
Course Description
The course aims to give an introduction to the science of geology. In particular, the main types of rocks are analyzed with an emphasis on genetic processes and in relationship to plate tectonics theory.
This basic knowledge will provide a background to understand and study the main geological risks, such as volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, and landslides. Specific examples from the Apennines mountain chain and Campanian plain will be examined to contextualize these topics in the Italian environment. In addition, a significant aim of this course is for students to gain a conscious relationship with the environment. The Campania region is an ideal place for experiential learning via site visits, with the opportunity for students to witness a wide range ofgeological features.
The evaluation for the course will include mid-term and final written exams, a presentation and graphical exercises.
JU 330 Introduction to Volcanology
45 hours, 3 credits
Course Description
The course is an introduction to the main elements of geological sciences including stratigraphy laws, the maintypes of rocks, and an understanding of faults and folds. These elements will be used to understand Plate Tectonics theory.
Using this theory, different kinds of volcanoes will be analyzed, examining different magmatic compositions, igneous and pyroclastic rocks, and their geodynamic environments. The role of geologic and geomorphologic processes will be analyzed in reference to volcanic risk.
This course will also study landslides in volcanic soils (the case of Sarno mountains) and groundwater flow in volcanic aquifers and exploitation of thermal waters (the case of Ischia).
MSC 199 Field Marine Biology
Lecture hours: 15; field hours: 10; 1 credit (intensive course, extra fee)
Course Description
This course focuses on studying and discovering marine life in the Mediterranean Sea through an engaged learning approach in the coastal environment of the Marine Protected Area of Punta Campanella, located near the Sorrento peninsula. Students will identify, compare, and contrast the biology of marine organisms, including seaweed, seagrass, invertebrates, and vertebrates. In four days they will evaluate and assess the ecological principles governing marine life, paying special attention to the consequences of human impacts on natural ecosystems. Students will actively participate in data collection, sampling, analysis, lab activities, and supervised outdoor field excursions.
MSC 101/MSC 113 Introduction to Marine Biology with Lab
MSC 101 – 4 credits (Spring and Fall)
MSC 113 – 3 credits (Summer Terms)
Course Description
This course focuses on the biology of organisms residing in the sea, from the diversity of planktonic communities to marine megafauna, taking into consideration the ecological principles that govern marine life.The course aims to provide a solid educational background in basic and applied marine biology. Emphasis will be placed on marine environment issues and the adaptive and evolutionary mechanisms of organisms that allow them to occupy marine habitats. In particular, the Mediterranean Sea will play a central role in the course subjects, profiting from the availability of unique ecosystems and a nearby renowned marine research institute to conduct thematic field trips and practical tutorials.
REQUIREMENTS: bring a mask and a snorkle for Marine Bio field trips
MSC 430 Marine Conservation
45 hours, 3 credits
Please note: The course is opened only to students who major in Marine Sciences and Environmental Studies areas.
Course Description
This course will focus on the key principles of marine conservation biology, analyzing the main threats for the organisms and ecosystems that inhabit the world oceans, from the marine pollution and bio-invasions to the serious problem of fisheries and ocean over-exploitation.
In the second part of the course, students will study the most important conservation approaches (fishery management, species and habitat conservation measures, etc.) and the Marine Protected Area strategies to maintain and restore the natural equilibrium.
Conservation biology emerged as a recognized field of mission-oriented scholarship about a half century ago when many terrestrial ecologists, genecists and systemacists were horrified by the gathering momentum of a great planetary extinction event. After 50 years many conservation strategies reported good data in recovering population and restoring ecosystem.
PHYS 152 General Physics II: Electricity & Magnetism
4 credits
This calculus-based course introduces students to the major themes and principles of electricity and magnetism (fields, potentials, and Maxwell’s equations) and their applications in the context of charge distributions current distributions, circuits, and optics. Students will be guided in the basics of computational, experimental, and or theoretical physics practice.
Faculty
Domenico Sgambati
Chair of Natural Sciences - Area: Marine Biology
MS Marine Science – “Parthenope” University, Naples
Dr. Sergio Balzano
Chemistry, Ecology
PhD in Marine Biogeochemistry, University of Southampton (UK)
Adriana Nave
Geology and Volcanology
MS in Geological Sciences, “Federico Il” University, Naples
Dr. Flavia Occhibove
Ecology
PhD in Ecology, Aberystwyth University (UK)
Course highlight
INTRODUCTION TO MARINE BIOLOGY WITH LAB
MSC 101/113 – Professor Domenico Sgambati/Vincenzo Donnarumma
It’s a very humbling experience working for the Earth.
When I’m in the Ocean and I’m cleaning it, you can actually see the true human impact that we’ve caused on such a beautiful environment as the Ocean.
We’re part of nature, not above nature. Finding ways to get more aligned with that mindset and reverse the damage we’ve done to the environment is definitely something I want to dedicate my life’s work towards.
– Carly Owens, University of South Carolina – Marine Biology Intern
Watch her interview here
Available Internship Positions
At Sant’Anna Institute we believe in experiential learning.
Check our Internships page to learn more about the program and the available positions