As the year comes to an end course enrollment season is fast approaching. A balance of electives and required courses can help ease your workload for next year. Having classes that are interesting and don’t leave you sitting in a lecture can keep you motivated. Here are some untraditional classes to brighten up your schedule.
Editing Practicum 26-305/Publishing Practicum 26-306 Taking these two consecutively gives students the chance to get real world experience in editing and publishing. In 305 students work with authors to edit their manuscript and get it ready for publishing. This involves deciding what needs to be added or removed from the work in order to make it a complete piece. In 306 students get to work on the cover and interior design of the book. All of the student’s names are published in the book, and students plan a book launch at the end of the winter semester where friends and family can buy the book! The courses are taught by Marty Gervais, who has had a successful career with the Windsor Star and has traveled to places such as Iraq to cover the war. (The course has also been recognized by Maclean’s Magazine!)
Walls to Bridges 53-345 This course is part of a program called Walls to Bridges and it has currently run over 38 classes in Canada. It is held at the South West Detention Centre in Windsor. Students who have been incarcerated and students enrolled in a university or college come together into one course. All students in the class are peers learning the class content together, and each member brings a unique perspective to the topic being covered. Last semester the topic was Tough Chicks: Representations of Women’s Strength and Anger in Popular Culture and Society. This upcoming year the topic will be Restorative Justice.
How to apply: http://www.uwindsor.ca/wgst/W2B-ApplyNow
Practical Strategies for Social Change: Intervening to Prevent Sexual Assault 53-351 This course is part of the Bystander Initiative at the university. Its goal is to introduce students to sexual violence as a social problem. It addresses how this problem is created and how it can be changed. It gives the students the opportunity and information needed to successfully teach information sessions on sexual assault prevention, which they have the chance to put into action in 53-450 Practicum in Social Change. A cool aspect of this course is that half of the seats are reserved for men.
More info and how to apply: http://bystanderinitiative.com/takeacourse/
Introduction to Film Studies 40-140 This course gives you come insight on the technical side of filmmaking. The course covers theoretical approaches and concepts in film. Students learn how to analyze techniques, genres, and movements. Students also look at cultural, historical, political, and socioeconomic contexts of films. This course is great at exposing students to films they wouldn’t normally watch. It also involves a 2-hour screening every week where students can bring snacks and watch the movie together.