Pre College Academy

Pre-College Online Courses

Fall 2013: September 30 - November 22, 2013
Spring 2014: February 3 - March 28, 2014
Summer 2014: June 30 - August 22, 2014

PSYC 101P:  Topics in Psychology
Noel Garrett, visiting lecturer in Graduate Liberal Studies

This course focuses on behavior and why an individual thinks, feels, and reacts to certain stimuli. Major emphasis will be placed on research methods,stages in childhood and adolescence, how the brain works, altered states of consciousness, psychological testing, and psychological disorders. Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. They also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice.  Learn more . . .

MUSC 101P:  History of Rock and R & B
Eric Charry, professor of music

This course will survey the history of rock and r&b (rhythm & blues)--broadly defined as a conglomeration of loosely connected musical genres, including rock ‘n’ roll, folk rock, soul, funk, heavy metal, punk, and rap, among others--from their origins in the late 1940s and ‘50s through the early 1990s. Students will become literate in a broad range of the constituent traditions of rock, and become familiar with a variety of theoretical and journalistic approaches to understanding the music, examining issues such as economics of the industry, race relations and identities, youth culture and its relationship to American popular culture, and popular music as a creative, cultural, and social force. Students will also experience the workings of the music industry by producing creative projects, such as audio and video recordings and a magazine.  Learn more . . .

ENGL 101P:  Flash Fiction/Prose Poetry: A Reading and Writing Workshop
Martine Bellen, author and visiting lecturer in Graduate Liberal Studies

Though flash fiction (short short stories) and prose poetry have been known to rub elbows from time to time, readers of flash fiction will tend to discuss character, plot, conflict, while readers of prose poetry will deliberate about sound devices, figurative language, and rhythm. In this course, students will conduct close readings of these two genres, investigating, side by side, how they work as a means to explore fresh avenues of entry into fiction and poetry, using the other as a springboard to more deeply navigate each genre. Students will also write both flash fiction and prose poetry, applying the techniques identified in class.  Learn more . . .

E&ES 101P:  Environmental Studies
Helen Poulos, postdoctoral teaching fellow, Mellon Environmental Studies Program

This interdisciplinary course will provide students with knowledge of the physical, ecological, social, and political principles of environmental science. Students will learn about how ecological realities and the material desires of humans often clash, leading to environmental degradation and pollution. The goal of this course will be to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems, both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them.  Learn more . . .


If you would like information about summer 2013 courses offered on campus, please click here.