STAGE I: Representation
Weeks 1-14 · 4 Courses · 13 Credits · Foundation for everything that follows
The Four Courses
Course 1: Dynamic Systems Analysis
3 credits · 14 weeks · Prerequisite: None
Learn to observe and analyze any system. Identify components, relationships, feedback loops, and how structure determines behavior. This is where systems thinking begins.
Course 2: Mathematics for Dynamic Systems
4 credits · 14 weeks · Prerequisite: None (high school algebra helpful)
Represent systems mathematically. Variables, equations, matrices, state-space models. The formal language that lets us reason about systems precisely and solve them.
Course 3: Introduction to NCFCA
3 credits · 14 weeks · Prerequisite: None (Course 1 helpful)
The Four-Channel Architecture formalized. Why systems must maintain channel separation to function. Non-collapsibility as the foundation of all system integrity.
Course 4: Programming for Systems Analysis
3 credits · 14 weeks · Prerequisite: None (basic programming helpful)
Implement systems in code. Build simulations, collect data, analyze behavior. Transform systems thinking from theory into working software.
Parallelization
All four Stage I courses can be taken in parallel (one 14-week semester), or split into two pairs over two semesters, or taken sequentially — depending on student pace and preference.
After Stage I
Upon completion of Stage I, students have:
- ✓ Learned systems thinking (observation, analysis, component identification)
- ✓ Mathematical representation (variables, equations, state-space models)
- ✓ Formal architecture (NCFCA and non-collapsibility)
- ✓ Programming implementation (simulation and data analysis)
Ready for Stage II: Structure, where rigorous formalization, causality, state estimation, and channel separation are studied in depth.
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