Several New, Unique Courses Planned for Summer, Fall
Date: April 24, 2008
Contact: Office of Admissions
417-255-7955
SUMMER INTERSESSION
The week-long summer intersession class schedule lists six courses, including The Hidden Life of Plants (BIO 197), a one-credit-hour course set for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. each day from May 19-23. Taught by per course instructor Elizabeth M. Boyle, the class will explore the unique ways plants interact with their environment. Students will use dissecting and light microscopes as they look at plants from the inside out and from an embryo to a mature plant and back again, Boyle said. “This is very much a hands-on approach to understanding the way plants have so successfully adapted to their many environments,” she explained.
Beginning Acrylic Painting (ART 98), a one-credit-hour course set for 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. each day from May 19-23, provides an introduction to methods and techniques of painting with acrylics, according to the class’ instructor, Alice Vandergriff. Preliminary sketching will be incorporated as students learn about the nature of acrylic paints while taking paintings from the sketch stage to completion. They will paint from photographs and still life objects, completing a few small paintings and one larger one, she said.
“This class is designed for the beginning painter,” Vandergriff said. “We will learn to compose the painting by sketching, become familiar with the nature of acrylic paints as we work with them, complete some paintings from objects and some from photographs, will use both still life and landscapes as subject matter, and will complete several small paintings and one larger one. Paintings will be suitable for framing when they are completed.”
SUMMER SESSION
Over 70 courses will be offered during the eight-week summer session period, which begins June 9. Among the list is a new course, Special Problems in Theater: Dinner Theater Performance (THE 197). This three-credit-hour course, set for 12:30 to 3:20 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, will give area theatrical artisans a chance to hone their skills by preparing a dinner theater production for July 25 and 26. The concept for the class, according to instructor Randy Story, is to give students the opportunity to create a full-length comedy production, including rehearsals, set construction, costumes and other technical aspects for the production, for presentation at the West Plains Opera House. The meal will be provided by Cafe 37, he added.
Students also will have the opportunity to work with professional actors, directors and technicians as part of the National Audio Theater Festival’s annual Audio Theater Workshop in June at the West Plains Civic Center. Area students and residents interested in the course can contact Story, a 25-year veteran of theatrical production, at 417-274-3418 or by e-mail at hopharrigan@centurytel.net.
Area writers might be interested in enrolling in Creative Writing: Nonfiction (ENG 205). Taught by Professor of English Dr. Craig Albin, this three-credit-hour course scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1:50 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays is an introductory course in the writing of creative nonfiction, a genre that makes use of a wide range of literary techniques, including narration, dialogue, imagery, symbolism, interviewing and research. The course will be conducted through the literary workshop method, which makes each writer’s manuscript a central text in the course. Students also will read and discuss creative nonfiction anthologized in the text Tell it Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Nonfiction by Brenda Miller and Suzanne Paola.
FALL SEMESTER
Area residents will find over 300 classes listed for the 16-week fall semester, which begins Aug. 25. Among them is Ozarks Writers (ENG 232), a three-credit-hour course set for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays. Taught by Professor of English Dr. Craig Albin, Ozarks Writers is a literature course that explores significant works by poets, fiction writers and essayists who reside in or possess important connections to the Ozarks region. In addition to studying the literary aspects of each work, students also will pay special attention to the varying portraits of Ozark culture, Ozark identity and Ozark landscape that emerge from the texts. Student will read two works of nonfiction, A Country Year by Sue Hubbell and The Drownt Boy by Art Homer; one poetry collection, The Woman in the Painting by Andrea Hollander Budy; and three novels, The Choiring of the Trees by Donald Harrington, Dahlia’s Gone by Katie Estill, and Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell.
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences and Biology Joyce Jennings-Pineda will teach Bioethics (BMS 197), a one-credit-hour course from 10 to 10:50 a.m. Mondays. Students need only an interest in ethical theories and principles with regard to healthcare in the U.S. to attend this course. The class will focus on traditional conceptions and emerging problems within the field of biomedicine. A critical thinking approach will be used to address major bioethical issues raised in the class, she said.
Students who enjoy tutoring others in their field of expertise may want to consider enrolling in Tutor Training (IDS 187). In this three-credit-hour course from 4 to 4:50 p.m. Tuesdays, students will study leading tutoring theory across the curriculum with emphasis on writing and math. Students who successfully complete the class will attain two levels of College Reading and Learning Association certification through training and hands-on experience in the Student Advisement & Academic Support (SAAS) Center lab. The course is being taught by SAAS Writing Specialist Alexandra Graham and Math Specialist Karen Ryburn.
Students interested in taking leadership roles on campus and in their communities might want to consider Exploring Leadership: For College Students Who Want to Make a Difference (IDS 280). Taught by Chancellor Drew Bennett from 5:30 to 6:20 on Tuesdays, this one-credit-hour course is designed for those students who want to develop their leadership skills. It is primarily directed at students who want to serve resident assistants in the residence hall, senators in the Student Government Association, and student organization leaders; however, the class is open to all students.
Students with an artistic flair may want to consider taking Digital Photography (ART 98). This two-credit-hour course scheduled for 4:30 to 6:20 p.m. Thursdays will provide a basic overview of photography techniques and Photoshop procedures, according to instructor Kelli Albin. Those who enroll will need to have their own digital camera to use in the course.
Aspiring or current small business owners will be interested in Technology Management (EPR 225). This three-credit-hour online course taught by Assistant Professor of Technology Cathy Proffitt-Boys covers technological innovation and how to effectively acquire, utilize and manage technology to improve a business’ competitiveness and opportunities for success. Students enrolled in Technology Management (ITC 220) will not receive credit for both courses.
Outdoor enthusiasts will find Outdoor Skills for the Ozarks (AGR 197) to their liking. This three-credit-hour special topics course scheduled for 5:30 to 8:20 p.m. Mondays will cover a wide variety of subject matter, including hunter education, ethics and responsibility; outdoor survival skills; cast iron cooking; an overview of wild edibles; map and compass reading; and a special section on orienting oneself in the woods. The course will be taught by Scott McWilliams, West Plains, a wildlife damage biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Small Fruit Production (AGR 197) is another special topics course that will be taught online during the second eight-week session of the semester by Marilyn Odneal, horticulture outreach advisor at the Missouri State University-Mountain Grove campus. The course will give an introduction to the small fruit crops that can be grown successfully in Missouri, including strawberries, blueberries, grapes, raspberries and blackberries. The course will give the pros and cons of growing each species and help students learn which crops are best suited for their property, Odneal said. The course will be text based with other materials and structured discussion online. For more information, contact Odneal at MarilynOdneal@missouristate.edu.
Although not new, Fundamentals of Public Speaking (COM 115) will be offered as a hybrid course for the first time this fall, according to Dr. Gary Phillips, Assistant Professor of Communication. Instead of attending class on campus twice during the week, students enrolled in the class will come on campus once during the week for discussion and watch lectures via DVD at home later in the week. Two sections of this hybrid course, which covers the principles of preparing and delivering speeches, will be offered, with one section meeting on campus from 9:30 to 10:50 a.m. Mondays and the other meeting from 9:30 to 10:50 a.m. Wednesdays.
Regular registration for all of the summer intersession, summer session and fall semester courses begins April 28. Copies of the printed course schedule can be obtained by calling the Missouri State-West Plains Office of Admissions at 417-255-7955, or toll free at 1-888-466-7897. Area residents also can view the schedules online by visiting the Missouri State-West Plains Web site at http://www.wp.missouristate.edu.