A variety of topics will be explored during the college's week-long Summer Seminar program at the beginning of August.
A variety of topics will be explored during the college's week-long Summer Seminar program at the beginning of August.
The seminars will run Monday-Friday, Aug. 1-5. This year's four courses are "This Uncertain Journey: A History of the Video Documentary 'The Klan in Michigan,'" "Three Creative Geniuses: Leonardo Da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, and You," "Globalization and Poverty," and "The Fourth Genre: Creative Nonfiction."
The seminars "Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails: The Socialization of Boys" and "Gender and Islam" have been canceled.
The seminars will meet concurrently from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the air-conditioned Van Zoeren Hall on the Hope campus. Refreshments will be provided during mid-morning breaks.
All four of the courses are available for undergraduate credit or on an audit basis, and most are available for graduate credit, depending on the needs of the enrollee. Class sizes are limited to 15 students per course.
"This Uncertain Journey: A History of the Video Documentary 'The Klan in Michigan'" will examine the process of the investigation, analysis and filming of the documentary and provide a general historical context of the Ku Klux Klan and its origins, impact and place within American history. The course will be taught by Dr. Fred Johnson, assistant professor of history, who developed the documentary with Dr. David Schock of the communication faculty.
"Three Creative Geniuses: Leonardo Da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, and You" will present methods shown to improve natural creativity and problem-solving abilities, and will explore how different techniques may be needed to address different situations. The course will be taught by Dr. John Krupczak, associate professor of engineering.
"Globalization and Poverty" will consider what globalization is, whether or not it is good for the nearly three billion people living on less than $2 a day, whether the planet exists in "global apartheid," and how individuals can and should respond to globalization and global poverty in their daily lives. The course will be taught by Dr. Joel Toppen, assistant professor of political science.
"The Fourth Genre: Creative Nonfiction" will give those enrolled a chance to read, write and share "literary" nonfiction, practicing and sampling its range, from personal experience, to biography, to opinion, reflection, and senses of places and history. The course will be taught by David James, adjunct associate professor of English and director of the writing center.
Enrollment for each seminar costs $210 for those who wish to audit, $330 for one hour of undergraduate credit or graduate credit, and $660 for two hours of undergraduate credit. Pre-registration is advised, although final registration will be on Monday, Aug. 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. in Van Zoeren Hall.
Those interested in attending a seminar should call the Hope College Registrar's Office at (616) 395-7760.
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