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What Courses Will be Offered at JBA in 2009?

Dates for 2010 are listed below. 

Courses will be added around the end of September.

Session I - June 5-June 26, 2010

Session II - July 10- July 31, 2010

What Class Should I Take?

All of the Academy's classes are challenging, for they are designed to be the approximate equivalent of a semester-long university course offered during the regular academic year. Of course the classes have to be adapted to correspond to the three-week session (Truman semesters are fifteen weeks long), but faculty members still have high expectations for the performance of the students.  Students accepted to JBA will enroll in ONE concentrated college course, which meets six hours each weekday and three hours on Saturdays.  These classes are taught by Truman State University faculty.  

The Academy's classes fall within one of several categories:

Social Sciences are classes that investigate human behavior and activity in its social and cultural context. More specifically, social scientists consider what motivates human beings in both private and public settings. Students will learn how to collect evidence, test a hypothesis, analyze results, and present conclusions. Past JBA classes that belong to the Social Sciences group include: The Historian as Detective; Native Americans Frontiers:  Images and Realities; Psychology & the Media:  Reality Explored; Communicating Politics:  Rhetoric and Campaigns in the Communication Age and Crime and Justice in America.

Natural Sciences are classes that attempt to understand and explain the natural world. Students will learn how to gather and analyze evidence in order to develop experiments that will test a hypothesis. Scientists use proven and disproved hypotheses to develop a tentative series of laws and theories in order to create a model that describes the natural world. Past JBA classes that belong to the Natural Sciences group include: Introduction to Chemistry; The Horse; Exploring Ecology:  An Experience in the Field; The Human Lab and Missouri Mammals:  Natural History, Ecology and Behavior.

Mathematics/Computer Sciences are classes that create structures to describe the relationship and functions of concrete and abstract objects. Students must employ a rigorous logic whether they are working with a branch of mathematics (such as geometry, algebra, trigonometry, and calculus) or a specific language in computer sciences (such as JAVA or Visual Basic). These classes also are invaluable tools for many disciplines, especially the natural and social sciences. Past JBA classes that belong to the Mathematics/Computer Sciences group include The Art and Science of Computer Programming and Why You’re Wrong:  Statistics and Persuasion. We also offer two courses that teach sophisticated applications of computing technology: Computers in Art and Design: Digital Imaging with Photoshop and An “Animated” Course.

Humanities are classes that examine the culture of human beings. More specifically, the Humanities strive to examine and appreciate human values by examining creative works (such as literature, art, and music) and systems (such as languages and ethics). Students will learn how to analyze and evaluate the creative world of humans and to express their personal reactions. Past JBA classes that belong to the Humanities group include: Shakespeare Lives!; Elementary Latin:  The Words and Ways of the Ancient Romans; Ethnomusicology:  Music in the Real World; Russian Language and Culture; World Mythology and Italian Language and Culture.

Fine Arts are classes that nurture human creativity by allowing students to engage in the production of music, art, acting, and fiction. Students will learn the conventions of a specific academic discipline and how to channel and express their own creative impulses. JBA students in these classes will have an opportunity to display or perform their works before the Academy. Past JBA classes that belong to the Fine Arts group include:  Drawing: A Springboard to the Visual Arts; The Writer's Craft and Acting: Serious Play. This year we also offer two courses that approach fine arts via computers – see “Mathematics/Computer Sciences,” above.

Truman has a distinctive focus on interdisciplinary.  Interdisciplinary classes draw from different areas of the liberal arts.  For instance, these offerings have included:  Argumentation:  The Toolbox of Inquiry; Communicating Politics:  Rhetoric and Campaigns in the Communication Age and Language:  Myths and Truths, which are areas of study in their own right, but which apply to a wide variety of human inquiries, problems and endeavors. In fact, all of our JBA courses strive to meet the interdisciplinary challenge:  to bring various ways of thinking and learning together in one course, to challenge students to find how disciplines solve problems and address creativity in different ways.

Session I
June 6-June 27, 2009
 

An “Animated” Course 

An “Animated” Course is an introduction and exploration of traditional cell frame animation. Drawing, drawing and more drawing as well as marker skills will be developed and utilized throughout this course. Fundamentals of cartooning, character development and storyboarding will be explored and experienced. Macintosh computers using Adobe Photoshop and Apple iMovie will be utilized to prepare a DVD presentation of the final animations.

 Watching a documentary movie about animator Chuck Jones and his long career animating Loony Tunes characters for Warner Brothers, Chuck will impart vital animation tips and secrets. Yes, we will watch cartoons in addition to watching the summer’s best animation offering at the local theater.  Students should be confident in drawing and/or interested in making their drawings come to life. 

Enrollment limited to 20 students.   Course fee for supplies and materials is $50.00. 

Textbook - Animation: The Basic Principles. 

Instructor
Rusty Nelson, Associate Professor of Art, Truman State University.  B.F.A., Fort Hays State University; M.F.A., Kansas State University.

Historian as Detective

This course will introduce students to what historians do and will give students the opportunity to practice the historian’s craft.  Students will learn to analyze primary sources, conduct interviews, and detect bias and point of view.  In addition, students will have a chance to debate issues that historians debate, from the true authorship of the Declaration of Independence to the necessity and morality of the United States using atomic bombs against Japan during World War II.  As a group project, the class will work together to collectively study the life and times of Harry S. Truman (World War I, the 1920s, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War).  Research will be conducted via the Internet and with the resources in the campus library. A special component of the course will be an overnight trip to historic Independence and Kansas City, Missouri where we will utilize the archives at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Museum and Library.  The class will be a hands-on experience with history and will give students the chance to participate in lively discussions, debates and role-plays.  A highlight will be a historical simulation that will be held in the “White House Decision Center” at the Truman Museum, where rooms have been recreated to resemble the White House and add authenticity to the experience.  Students will find that the field of history is not dry and dusty, but rather a lively and challenging discipline. 

Special fee for the overnight field trip is $120.00. 

Textbook - After the Fact:  The Art of Historical Detection. 

Instructor
Jason McDonald, Temporary Assistant Professor of History, Truman State University.  B.A., University of Southampton; Ph.D., University of Southampton.

Introduction to Chemistry

The course will introduce you to several major concepts in chemistry through the study of such contemporary environmental issues as air pollution, ozone depletion, global warming, and acid rain.  You will consider many major chemical concepts throughout the session, including atom and atomic structure, molecules and chemical bonding, chemical nomenclature, writing and balancing chemical equations, the mole and molarity, pH, hydrogen bonding, solubility, and the structure and function of organic macromolecules.  You will have the opportunity to participate in several laboratory experiences in which you will learn to work safely in the laboratory and make careful observations of chemical reactions and phenomena.

A recent new component involves inquiry based learning, as you will conduct an environmental study of some local streams and lakes by collecting and analyzing samples using different spectroscopic techniques.  Other experiments include titration of citric acid in fruit juice, chemical reactions of inorganic compounds, paper and column chromatography of food coloring, making a spectrophotometer, analysis of artificial blood, the study of dyes through the making of tie dye T-shirts and creating a fresco and several others.  The laboratory will introduce you to recording and graphing data and to using proper techniques in the laboratory. 

Textbook - The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry, handouts and laboratory manual.  

Instructor
Dana Delaware, Professor of Chemistry, Truman State University.  B.A., Marist College; Ph.D., Purdue University, Postdoctoral Fellow University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana.

Elementary Old English and the Heroic Age of Britain

In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of Old English--the ancestor of Modern English, spoken between the 5th and 11th centuries.  Students with no previous experience with Old English will be able, by the end of the three-week session, to begin preliminary translations of central Old English texts, including Beowulf.  In addition, they will have a far deeper understanding of modern English grammar and vocabulary. 

Roughly half of the course time will be devoted to language study; additionally, students will become familiar with Heroic Age Britain and life during the early years of the English nation.  The arts, literature and scripts of the Anglo-Saxon peoples will be introduced.  Students will have the opportunity to study the social structure, farming arrangements, warcraft, runic script, and manuscript graphic art of the Anglo-Saxons.  We will attempt to bring much of this to life through staged recitations and the creation of a manuscript folio, as well as small-group projects that can include the production of dioramas, learning to cook--Anglo-Saxon style, producing a runic document, and composing classical Anglo-Saxon riddles.   

Students interested in JRR Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings trilogy are particularly encouraged to consider this course:  Tolkien was first a scholar of the Anglo-Saxons; nearly all of the themes in his fiction are directly derived from the world of Old English literature.   

The study of the language and culture that was the beginning of England and the English allows us more deeply and fully to understand our own shared Anglo-American culture and language, and thereby ourselves.    

Textbooks - Seven Old English Poems; An Invitation to Old English and Anglo-Saxon England; Introduction to Old English.

Instructor
Christine Harker, Associate Professor of English, Truman State University.  B.A., M.A., University of Victoria; Ph.D., University of California.

Reptiles and Amphibians of Missouri: 
Natural History, Ecology and Behavior 

Students will be exposed to the diversity of fascinating reptiles and amphibians of the world, with special emphasis on those species that inhabit Missouri. Through a combination of classroom, laboratory, and field activities we will examine in depth information about these amazing creatures.  Students will learn how to investigate reptiles and amphibians in a mixture of habitats, including ponds and streams, grasslands, and forests.  Through interactions with live specimens and preserved museum specimens students will learn how to identify various groups of reptiles and amphibians from around the world and all of those species which occur in Missouri.   

If you want to learn what a herpetologist really does then this course is for you.  The course will include:

Course fee for lab supplies and field trips is $70.00. 

Textbook - Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri 

Instructor
Chad Montgomery, Assistant Professor of Biology, Truman State University.  B.S., Northeast Missouri State University; M.A., University of Northern Colorado; Ph.D., University of Arkansas.

The Art and Science of Computer Programming 

Do you enjoy tinkering with and using computers, but want to know how they really work?  Do you enjoy using the programs that other people have written, but want to know how to write programs yourself?  This course is an introduction to the art and science of programming, using the Java programming language.  For the first week you will learn the basics of "speaking" in Java and write many simple programs.  During the second week you will build your vocabulary and learn to do more elaborate things with your programs.  During the last week you and your fellow class members will apply your skills to a tournament exercise, programming virtual Java robots that battle in real time on screen.  The course also includes an introduction to the GNU/Linux environment which is used as the development platform.  As an added bonus, this course serves as an excellent introduction to the Computer Science AP course, which also uses Java as the vehicle language. 

Textbook - How to Think Like a Computer Scientist (Java Edition) course pack. 

Instructor
Donald Bindner, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Truman State University.  B.S., Northeast Missouri State University; Ph.D., University of Georgia.

The Horse

For thousands of years, horses have served humans as a source of meat and milk, as beasts of burden, as vehicles of mobility, and as tools of war.  In this course we will consider reasons or explanations for the domestication of the horse and the resultant long-lived association of horse and human.  Most of our focus in addressing this subject will lie in the science of the horse, by which we will investigate the unique, anatomic, physiologic, and behavioral characteristics of the species we call Equus.  It is these characteristics that allowed the horse to be adapted to the uses to which humans have put it.  

Secondarily, we will consider the history of the human-horse association by focusing on several pivotal time periods and the transfer of technology between people-groups which facilitated the spread of horsemanship.  And, while not a primary focus of the course, a strong secondary emphasis on riding will provide students with multiple opportunities to ride horses in a supervised setting.  The riding component will be used to reinforce principles of equine behavior, anatomical and physiological discussions, and to illustrate the side-by-side development of technology (saddles, bits, bridles, etc.) which was required for the adoption and spread of horse use by and between various cultures. 

The course will be taught using lecture-laboratory methods with ample opportunities for hands-on activities.  Study of a whole-horse skeleton will be used to reinforce the consideration of anatomy, and observation of live horses at the nearby 400-acre University Farm will be used to reinforce discussions of horse behavior and herd dynamics.  Video clips and movies will be used to investigate the cultural aspects of horses in 20th-century American culture.

Enrollment limited to 20 students. 

Textbook - The Nature of Horses.

Instructor
Emily Costello, Lecturer in Equine Science, Horsemanship Instructor, and Equestrian Team coach, Truman State University.  B.S., Biology, Truman State University.

The Human Laboratory

Have you ever wondered how jumpers can jump so high or so far, how what you eat affects your health or performance, or how runners withstand the impact of two times their body weight with every step and stay injury free?  The human body is the most amazing machine on the planet.  It is a complex arrangement of interdependent systems that is powerful, adaptive…and is made to move.  Through examining the systems of the human body and how they interact with our environment, we will explore the wonder of movement.  Using your own body, we will learn how your brain and your muscles work together to produce movement (motor control), how your body uses the foods you eat to produce energy (exercise physiology), how muscles move the skeletal system to produce particular movements (biomechanics) and more.  You’ll even visit a cadaver lab where you will see what really lies underneath your own skin!   Finally, you will get to create and conduct your own research study on an aspect of human movement you find most interesting.   

Textbook - Body: An Amazing Tour Of Human Anatomy and a course pack developed by the instructor. 

Instructor
Evonne Bird, Instructor in Health and Exercise Sciences, Truman State University.  B.S., Eastern Montana College; M.S., Texas Tech University.

Theatre: Onstage or Off

This course introduces the many facets of theatre from basic acting techniques to theatrical designs.  We will explore principles in the art of acting, engaging students in a variety of valuable pursuits of practical application to every other study in life: cooperative discipline and trust, freeing the imagination, “inhabiting” great ideas, appreciating alternative views, gaining confidence in public communication, and, most importantly, greater physical, vocal, and personal self-awareness.  Our work will include reading and discussion in theory and technique from Stanislovski and more recent masters but will emphasize active workshop learning through extended series of improvisations, physical and vocal imitations and character analysis.  In addition, students will research the many design elements needed to produce a play; scenery, lighting, costumes and make-up.  The best way to learn and understand what it takes to do theatre is by doing!  So, not only will you study theatre, you will be involved in a full-scale production with scenery, lights, sound, costumes and make-up performed onstage to your peers!  

Enrollment limited to 18 students. 

Supplies - Make-up Kit (The Truman Bookstore will have this available for purchase with the textbooks.)

Textbook - No textbook required. 

Instructor
Ronald M. Rybkowski, Professor of Theatre, Truman State University.  B.A., Whittier College; M.F.A., California State University, Fullerton.

World Mythology

How are stories and legends created, narrated, embellished, transformed, passed on, and retold?  You’ve all loved listening to stories as children, and you probably enjoy telling them as well.  Did you know that many of our stories were based on mythologies developed over thousands of years? So, you might well ask, what can we learn about a people from reading their myths, folktales and legends?  How do their stories change their culture?  How do their cultures change the stories they were handed down?   

We will think about these questions as we read mythologies from various parts of the world.  Along the way we will consider the similarities and differences among the mythologies and folklore found in different parts of the world, from Kashmir to Kirksville.  Our investigation will allow us to understand some ways in which we are connected with humans who lived long ago and far away.  More specifically, we will read mythologies that have originated in various geographical locations and historical contexts, focusing on but not limited to the Middle Eastern, Greek, African, Asian, and Native American cultures.  We will consider the meanings of the symbols used in myths and try writing pseudo-myths of our own, using symbols which we find powerful and true.  We will view some videos to see how filmmakers have taken famous myths and rewritten them to suit their own purposes.  We will act out scenes from myths and folktales, using our own selves to get inside a story.  By the end of the session you should have a fundamental understanding of mythology and an increased awareness of similarities and differences that we share with other cultures. 

Textbooks - World Mythology:  An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics; Haroun and the Sea of Stories; Mahabharata

Instructor
Betsy Delmonico, Professor of English, Truman State University.   B.A., Spalding College; Ph.D., University of Notre Dame.

Session II
July 11-August 1, 2009
 

Advocacy and Debate:  Argument,
Critical Thinking, and Persuasion

In a culture with an active political life and fascination with the court system, argumentation has become a way of life, with debate occurring in settings from the halls of Congress to evening news talk shows, to popular sports programming. While most people may not engage in competitive academic debate in high school or college, as consumers of media and participants in an increasingly adversarial culture, learning the critical principles and practices of argumentation provides a basis for informed involvement in the world around us.   

This course utilizes a perspective rooted in debate as a mode of critical thinking and public involvement to study the processes of argumentation and persuasion in various interpersonal, political, and academic settings. Students will begin by engaging models of argumentation rooted in the classical rhetoric of the Greek and Romans and evolving through contemporary discourses about political ideology. As a complement to this discussion of argument theories, students will employ the model of competitive academic debate as a means to practice the ideas they learn.  Students will engage in several parliamentary and Lincoln-Douglas debates (popular in high school and college debate competitions) to test their skills in competition with classmates. Finally, lessons learned in both settings will be utilized as a framework from which to engage political discourses and persuasive popular media campaigns. 

Textbook - Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion. 

Instructor
Kristopher Stroup, Assistant Professor of Communication, Truman State University.  B.S., Truman State University; M.A., ABD, Ohio University.

Computers in Art and Design

Explore how the computer has been integrated into the image-making processes by incorporating traditional art processes such as painting and bookmaking with modern Graphic Design software. Learn how professional artists, designers and illustrators utilize the power of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Flash to create digital artwork and enhance images to create digital graphics such as maps, posters and postcards. The basic features of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash will be explored through tutorials and original artwork will be produced when techniques are mastered. By the end of the course, students will have a digital and print portfolio consisting of several projects including hand made journals, hand painted portraits and digitally produced invitations and posters. Students will also utilize digital cameras, scanners and output to laser/inkjet printers. Quad-Core Intel Macintosh computers (the industry standard platform) power this exploration into the realm of digital imagery.  Students will need to bring with them a 1 GB jump/flash drive and a digital camera. 

Enrollment limited to 20 students.   Course fee for supplies and materials is $70.00.  

Textbook - No textbook required. 

Instructor
Gary Rozanc, Assistant Professor of Art, Truman State University.   B.A., Cleveland State University;  M.F.A., University of Arizona.

Crime and Justice in America

What compels people to commit crimes? How does a detective go about investigating a crime scene and how does a district attorney prosecute a case? Is it possible for prisons to rehabilitate career criminals, or should we use our penal system simply to punish criminals and remove them from the streets? What do we mean when we talk about “justice”?

In this course you will examine the stages of the criminal justice system in America.  You will be exposed to a variety of activities that will enhance the learning process.  Special emphasis will be placed on ethics and how it applies to the three divisions (police, courts and corrections).  You will also have the opportunity to explore the dynamics of criminal investigation, the prosecution of cases, and correctional efforts for offenders.  You will research and debate various aspects of the criminal justice field, and visit area agencies. 

Textbook - Criminal Justice in Action:  The Core:  4th Edition.  

Instructor
Marjorie Burick-Hughes, Instructor in Justice Systems, Truman State University.  B.S., Youngstown State University;  M.J.A., Wichita State University.

Design:  An Introduction to the Language of Art

Design is an introduction and exploration of the basic principles and elements of two-dimensional and three-dimensional art. Sketching, painting, and construction skills will be used throughout this course to bring students’ creative ideas to life. Students will employ a variety of media, often starting projects with basic sketches and finalizing them as color or black and white designs on illustration or foam board. Both two-dimensional and three-dimensional design will be explored during the session. While not a computer-based course, computers may be used for the development of additional aspects of a student’s design work.  Additionally, students will learn the process of matting as a significant part of professionally presenting their artistic fabrications.  

Students with an interest in the fundamentals of design, as well as the skills of drawing, painting, and three-dimensional construction will find this course an exciting opportunity to explore art. 

Enrollment limited to 20 students.  Course fee for supplies and materials is $100.00. 

Textbook - Principles of Color Design. 

Instructor
James Pauls, Professor of Art, Truman State University.  M.F.A., Northern Illinois University; M.A., School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Elementary Latin:  The Words
and Ways of the Ancient Romans

Students with no previous experience with Latin will complete nearly an entire semester of college-level Latin.  By the end of the three-week session, students will not only possess a fundamental knowledge of the Latin language, they will also have increased and strengthened their knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary. Students will find that the study of Latin is a great introduction to the challenge of acquiring a second (or even a third) language.   

Much of our time in class will be devoted to reading passages of elementary Latin.  Our textbook follows the activities of Quintus and his sister Horatia, young people who lived in a village outside of Rome two thousand years ago.  As we follow their activities at home and in school, on the farm and in the village, students will gradually acquire a working knowledge of vocabulary and grammar.   

Our appreciation of the Latin language will be enhanced by our study of the important cultural achievements of the ancient Italians.  We will examine their art, science, literature, legends, religion, and mythology.  We will attempt to bring much of this to life today, through poetry readings, a production of a play (in Latin!), a trip to an outdoor market, rendering modern versions of ancient pottery art, and a Roman feast.  As we discover connections between ourselves and these people who lived two millennia ago, we will gain insight on ourselves, on our past, present and future.    

Textbooks - Oxford Latin Course; To Be a Roman: Topics in Roman Culture. 

Instructor
Alex Tetlak, Instructor in Classics, Truman State University.  B.A., Kenyon College; M.A., The Ohio State University.

Ethnomusicology:  Music in the Real World

Why do people need music?  Why does it have appeal and power in all cultures?  Is it possible for music to influence people’s actions?  In 2009, as in ancient times, social, geographical, and political conditions--as well as spiritual concerns--shape each society’s music.  The field of ethnomusicology includes the comparative study of the world’s music, examining its meaning and use in different cultures.     

We begin this course with a “soundscape tour” of the Truman campus, listening for the many types of music that define our own, twenty-first-century American experience.  These include: entertainment (pop-culture music); artistic or intellectual expression (classical music); group cohesion/motivation (national songs, marches, or protest/political music); and background/manipulation (film and television scores; Muzak Corporation music).  Activities include a trip to a local radio station, as well as several demonstrations by professional musicians.   

Then, we use various media to “visit” different parts of the world, doing research to answer the question, “Why do all cultures carefully preserve their ‘significant’ music?”   As part of the answer, we will compare the music of oral tradition to that preserved by notation.  And, to better understand the impact of written music, students will be introduced to the rudiments of Western music theory, as well as forms from the East.  Finally, we will consider the contributions of musical performers to society.  In addition to the classroom performances by guest musicians, class members who wish to share their musical training will be invited to do so.  A special field trip to view a professional musical performance will underscore--even in this electronic age--the relevance and appeal of “live” music.  

Textbook - Music in Our World.

Instructor
Shirley McKamie, Lecturer in Music History, Truman State University.   B.M., University of North Texas; M.A., Truman State University.

Psychology & the Media:  Reality Explored

First and foremost, this course presents overviews of the many and varied areas psychologists investigate. Through the science of psychology we examine brain functions, human development, motivation and emotion, stress and health, psychological disorders and their treatment, social issues, and many other processes and events involving the most interesting of Earth's creatures, human beings.  

As we scientifically explore human behavior and thought, we also spend time investigating the way those activities get portrayed in the media. We are media oriented; we can't get away from it. Daily we receive communications about human behavior and thought–on TV, in movies, through newspapers, billboards, and radio, and now over the Internet, which raises two important questions. First, do media representations accurately depict human activities? Second, what consequences does exposure to these portrayals afford our daily lives, our thinking, and our emotional responses? Throughout the course we encounter movies, advertising, and other media that provide students the opportunity to examine, from a research-based orientation, the plethora of information–and misinformation–that media afford us. The goals of such endeavors are to facilitate more effective evaluation of media and to foster more critical assessment of all types of information. 

During the class students regularly participate in activities, demonstrations, and discussions that promote understanding of human behavior and thought in interactive social and physical environments. For example, students simulate transmission of messages across neural pathways–in an intact brain and when the hemispheres lack communication with each other. Students become eyewitnesses to events to better understand eyewitness testimony in court, they take an IQ test and explore its ramifications, and they briefly experience the world in different "moccasins." Through journaling, students make concrete connections between their personal experience and the psychological principles and processes we study. Students also hone their presentational, speaking, and even acting skills. Finally, across multiple field trips students assume the role of psychologist as we venture out into the natural habitat of the amazing species we study. An example is our trip to a forensic psychiatric unit where students get to meet with clients and put a face to mental illness. In these various ways students come to better understand how and why humans think, feel, and act as they do and how those processes impact and are affected by our social and physical environments, with particular emphasis on media interaction. 

Textbook - Introductory Psychology (CD only). 

Instructor
Judith Misale, Professor of Psychology, Truman State University.  B.A., California State University, Northridge; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara.

The Writer's Craft

Emily Dickinson says the experience of a good poem is like having the top of your head come off. The haiku master Basho says it’s like being alive twice. We all have a favorite book or poem, a piece of writing that has moved us to new ways of thinking, feeling, or living in the world. One of the best ways to appreciate such moving writing is to let it move us toward creating our own poems, stories, and essays. In this course we will consider the possibilities and challenges of imaginative writing. We will explore the creative process, from generating ideas to shaping and revising, and we’ll seek to share our work with others—reading, performing, and publishing our collective and individual efforts. You will find out how your own writing process operates by learning how other writers work. Francine Prose says that literature “sets up a series of rules that the writer is instructed to observe, [and] reading will show how these rules have been ignored in the past and the happy outcomes.” We’ll spend our time recklessly learning and ignoring all the rules, remembering the poet John Ashbery’s advice to writers: “Let us leave the obedience school!” In addition to reading, writing, and work shopping, we’ll get out of the classroom to write with our feet, about the world, not as we’ve seen it on TV, but as we really find it, including both on-campus and off-campus explorations. Students who complete this course will grow as poets and storytellers, but also in their broader ability to communicate vividly, as they learn to think about audience and adapt expression to the reactions it provokes. 

Textbook - No textbook required.  

Instructor
James D’Agostino, Professor in English, Truman State University.  B.A., Loyola University of Chicago; M.F.A., Indiana University; Ph.D., Western Michigan University.

This Just In!  Radio and Television Broadcasting

The course will introduce students to the basics of radio and television broadcasting.  The course is a mix of readings, classroom discussion, and learning by doing.  KTRM, 88.7 FM, licensed to Truman State University, will serve as the learning laboratory for radio.  Students will be introduced to the basics of broadcast announcing, preparing music shows, characteristics of various music and talk formats, and writing and delivering local newscasts.  In addition, students will create copy and record public service announcements and commercials.  Students, under the instructor’s guidance, will operate equipment such as microphones, audio mixers, audio editing software, and CD players.  In addition, students will be introduced to the federal regulations that govern the broadcast industry.

After the radio lab section, students have the opportunity to engage in video production suitable for broadcast and online use.  Specially, students will learn the process of creating and producing a music video.  Through classroom discussion and hands-on learning, students will create scripts, develop a shooting schedule, shoot video with professional-grade video cameras, and assist in the editing of a five-minute digital production suitable for playback on a broadcast facility or online.  Students will be required to provide two recordable CDs and a Mini DV tape. 

Enrollment limited to 18 students. 

Textbook - Creating Powerful Radio; TV handouts from instructor.   

Instructor
Mark Smith, Assistant Professor of Communication, Truman State University.  B.A., Wayne State College; M.A., University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia University.

What Bugs You:  Insects and Human Affairs

Insects are not simply six-legged horrors, they are fascinating animals that comprise nearly 90% of all species on earth. In this class students will become familiar with the biological features that characterize insects and learn how to collect and identify the major insect orders. Students will learn about many of the ways in which insects have impacted human affairs in both beneficial and harmful ways.  Harmful aspects of insects include disease transmission, damage to livestock, crops and indigenous plants. As regards beneficial aspects, did you know that about a third of our diet (not just honey) is as a result of pollination, that insects help to solve murder mysteries (forensic entomology), that insects keep things clean by eating up dung and carrion, that insects and their products are used for medicinal purposes, making clothes and that in many countries, people even eat insects?

The format of the course will be varied and will include laboratory and outdoor activities along with lecture presentations, group work and research projects, insect artwork and assigned readings. If you are willing, you might even get to indulge in some entomophagy (eating insects). By the end of the course, students should have a basic knowledge of the structure and function of insects, completed a professional insect collection representative of local insect diversity and gained a meaningful understanding of how insects have and continue to impact human affairs.  

Course fees for lab supplies and materials is $60.00. 

Textbook - A Field Guide to the Insects.   

Instructor
Laura Fielden, Associate Professor of Biology, Truman State University.  B.S., Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa; Ph.D., University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa; Postdoctoral Fellow University of Utah, Salt lake City.