Poetry, globalization and poverty, Narnia, Web interactivity, and 9/11 and the war on terror comprise the diverse mix of topics being addressed during the week-long Summer Seminar program at Hope College this year.

The seminars will run Monday-Friday, July 31-Aug 4. This year's five courses are "What's to Fear? Writing Poems for All the Good Reasons," "Globalization and Poverty," "Entering Narnia: Imagination and Faith in C.S. Lewis's Fairy-Tale World," "Web 2.0: The Collaborative Internet," and "Now That the Smoke Has Cleared: 9/11, Five Years Later, and the Global War on Terror."

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 five 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.

"What's to Fear? Writing Poems for All the Good Reasons" will emphasize writing poetry, with feedback coming primarily from the class members with the instructor responsible for writing prompts and providing artistic information. The course will be taught by Jack Ridl, professor emeritus of English.

"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.

"Entering Narnia: Imagination and Faith in C.S. Lewis's Fairy-Tale World" will consider imagination and faith in the context of "The Chronicles of Narnia" with additional exploration of the relationship between the two - how faith is represented imaginatively in the Chronicles, and how imagination is important to faith generally. The course will be taught by Dr. Peter Schakel, who is the Peter C. and Emajean Cook Professor of English.

"Web 2.0: The Collaborative Internet" will explore the services and companies that reflect a growing emphasis on interactivity in the World Wide Web, such as blogs, RSS feeds, wikis, del.icio.us and Flickr. The course will be taught by Brian Yost, systems librarian with the rank of associate professor.

"Now That the Smoke Has Cleared: 9/11, Five Years Later, and the Global War on Terror" will review the events leading up to 9/11; assess the effectiveness of the response, both at home and around the world; and consider the war's impact in realms ranging from international relations, to the economy, to civil liberties in the U.S. The course will be taught by Dr. Fred L. Johnson III, assistant professor of history.

Enrollment for each seminar costs $210 for those who wish to audit, $345 for one hour of undergraduate credit or graduate credit, and $690 for two hours of undergraduate credit. Pre-registration is advised, although final registration will be on Monday, July 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. in Van Zoeren Hall, which is located along 10th Street between Central and College avenues.

Those interested in attending a seminar should call the Hope College Registrar's Office at (616) 395-7760.