Registration for fall 2014 classes will begin in the next couple weeks for Syracuse University students and many will notice a few new courses they can take next semester.

The University Senate approved the classes at a Jan. 15 meeting. The courses were presented in a Committee on Curricula report and were unanimously approved by the Senate.

Some of the courses approved at the meeting included an African-American studies course focusing on race, class and gender in Hurricane Katrina, a marketing course about sales management in business-to-business markets and a class that deals with globalization and information technology.

Another course that will be offered through the College of Arts and Sciences in the fall is ECN 305: “Economics of Personal Finance.” Yildiray Yildirim, a finance professor who is also chair of the finance department, said the course is important, especially for any students who have never taken any finance or economics courses.

“At the minimum, everyone has to learn how to balance their monthly budget because we all use credit or debit cards, pay utilities and rents,” Yildirim said.

He added that once students enter the working world, if they have anything left over from their salary or allowances, they may want to save it or invest it.

“If you decide to invest, you need to learn your options,” Yildirim said.

AAS 412: “Hurricane Katrina: Race, Class, Gender & Disaster” will also be offered for the first time next semester. The class will look at understanding the influence of race, class, gender and age inequalities resulting from Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans levees breaches and the 2010 BP oil spill, according to the course catalog.

A similar course has previously been offered in the Department of African-American Studies. Professor Kishi Animashaun Ducre taught a class titled AAS 400: “Hurricane Katrina” in the spring of 2012.

That course explored the development of the Gulf region of the United States and looked specifically at the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the city of New Orleans, according to the course’s syllabus.

A few additional new courses will also be offered this coming fall, such as HOM 325: “Music in Latin America,” GEO 450: “Geographies of Migration and Mobility,” and EAR 311: “Introduction to Geophysical Methods,” according to the Committee on Curricula report.

Early registration for the fall 2014 semester begins on April 7, while the last day for early registration for undergraduates is May 7.

Published on March 26, 2014 at 1:30 am

Contact Brett: blsamuel@syr.edu | @Brett_Samuels27