The main aim of these lectures is to tri gger the interest of the restless under- graduate student of physical, mathematical, engineering, or biological sciences in the new and exciting multidisciplinary area of the evolution of "large-scale" dynamical systems. This text grew out of a synthesis of rather heterogeneous mate- rial that I presented on various occasions and in different contexts. For example, from lectures given since 1972 to first- and final-year undergraduate and first- year graduate students at the School of Engineering of the University of Patras and from informal seminars...