The College Short Term
Jan. 7th, 2010 07:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kybearfuzzMy college was and is on a 4-1-4 semester system, going four months, one month, then four months. The one month is in January where we students would take one course for the month for several hours a day. I loved the Short Term because that's when the really cool classes would come up, a chance to step outside your major and explore new things. One year I took "Science & Fiction," where we read and discussed fictional sciences, like phrenology, and also read science fiction novels and watched movies, seeing the evolution of science fiction and how some fictionalized science at the time eventually became reality. My very favorite was "Humor Writing," where we learned to write jokes, cartoon gags, situational comedy, stand-up, etc. Don't be fooled, trying to be funny on command was hard.
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martini_tim reminded me yesterday how much I loved college. so on a lark, I checked my college's current short term catalog and found the following gems I would love to take. I put the descriptions behind the cuts to save space on everyone's pages.
Computer to Paint:
"Computer to Paint" is an introductory studio experience that employs modern digital technology — PhotoShop and digital photography—as a tool in the design, critique, and development of paintings. Acrylic paint on board or canvas configures works completed in "natural," not digital, media. Using the "Computer to Paint" method in a structured learning sequence of four paintings, students will expand essential skills in painting and in digital design, facilitating creative production. In this course, commitment to the painted image over the digital image is understood.
“Bring Out Your Dead”: Plague, Pestilence, and Pandemics (taught by my old Genetics prof, who has a great sense of humor)
More than all the governments that have risen and fallen, more than all the wars won and lost, perhaps nothing has shaped the course of human history more than infectious disease. Plagues and pandemics — past and present — have molded human society, politics, culture, and human evolution from the beginning. The power of plagues cannot be underestimated. This course will examine the impacts, the consequences, the costs (both monetary and societal), and the lessons (learned and unlearned) of
plagues and pandemics throughout the ages. The infamous Black Death was only one of many. We will use a historical perspective to study the numerous plagues and pandemics that have, in many ways, made us who we are today. Bubonic plague, the "spotty monster" small pox, the fever plagues of typhus and malaria, the stealthy Spanish flu, King Cholera, and our modern plague HIV/AIDS are only a few of the "poxes" we will study. We also will examine how plagues and pandemics have been portrayed in television and film. This course will involve a significant amount of reading (scientific, historical, and fictional), writing, and discussion. While the focus of the class will be on plagues, pandemics, and the agents that cause them, we will study these topics and their impacts from a broad perspective. Students need not be a senior pre-med Biology major to take this course. It is open to all—freshman to senior, science and non-science major. Non-science majors are particularly encouraged to consider this course. The hope is that students of all majors might gain a better and deeper understanding and appreciation of these history-altering organisms and how we might avoid their devastating consequences in the future.
The Geometry, Art, and History of Quilts:
Quilts evoke an image of home and warmth, but they are much more than this. They serve as family histories and a record of America's past. Constructed originally out of necessity, quilts became a means to bring communities together, and to celebrate the events of life: weddings, births, friendships, and departures. Quilts have even been used as burial sacks, as expressions of political affiliation, and as commemorative gifts to religious and social leaders. America has a rich visual history sewn into the quilts' pieces and designs.
This course is designed to explore quilts through a multi-disciplinary approach. The course will begin with a historical and cultural look at quilt patterns, materials, construction techniques and usage. As part of the course, students will learn how to make and design and date quilts. The course requirements include individual construction of a wall hanging or lap quilt.
martini_tim reminded me yesterday how much I loved college. so on a lark, I checked my college's current short term catalog and found the following gems I would love to take. I put the descriptions behind the cuts to save space on everyone's pages.Computer to Paint:
"Computer to Paint" is an introductory studio experience that employs modern digital technology — PhotoShop and digital photography—as a tool in the design, critique, and development of paintings. Acrylic paint on board or canvas configures works completed in "natural," not digital, media. Using the "Computer to Paint" method in a structured learning sequence of four paintings, students will expand essential skills in painting and in digital design, facilitating creative production. In this course, commitment to the painted image over the digital image is understood.
“Bring Out Your Dead”: Plague, Pestilence, and Pandemics (taught by my old Genetics prof, who has a great sense of humor)
More than all the governments that have risen and fallen, more than all the wars won and lost, perhaps nothing has shaped the course of human history more than infectious disease. Plagues and pandemics — past and present — have molded human society, politics, culture, and human evolution from the beginning. The power of plagues cannot be underestimated. This course will examine the impacts, the consequences, the costs (both monetary and societal), and the lessons (learned and unlearned) of
plagues and pandemics throughout the ages. The infamous Black Death was only one of many. We will use a historical perspective to study the numerous plagues and pandemics that have, in many ways, made us who we are today. Bubonic plague, the "spotty monster" small pox, the fever plagues of typhus and malaria, the stealthy Spanish flu, King Cholera, and our modern plague HIV/AIDS are only a few of the "poxes" we will study. We also will examine how plagues and pandemics have been portrayed in television and film. This course will involve a significant amount of reading (scientific, historical, and fictional), writing, and discussion. While the focus of the class will be on plagues, pandemics, and the agents that cause them, we will study these topics and their impacts from a broad perspective. Students need not be a senior pre-med Biology major to take this course. It is open to all—freshman to senior, science and non-science major. Non-science majors are particularly encouraged to consider this course. The hope is that students of all majors might gain a better and deeper understanding and appreciation of these history-altering organisms and how we might avoid their devastating consequences in the future.
The Geometry, Art, and History of Quilts:
Quilts evoke an image of home and warmth, but they are much more than this. They serve as family histories and a record of America's past. Constructed originally out of necessity, quilts became a means to bring communities together, and to celebrate the events of life: weddings, births, friendships, and departures. Quilts have even been used as burial sacks, as expressions of political affiliation, and as commemorative gifts to religious and social leaders. America has a rich visual history sewn into the quilts' pieces and designs.
This course is designed to explore quilts through a multi-disciplinary approach. The course will begin with a historical and cultural look at quilt patterns, materials, construction techniques and usage. As part of the course, students will learn how to make and design and date quilts. The course requirements include individual construction of a wall hanging or lap quilt.
