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Abundant story ideas found in summer class offerings

June 18, 2009

June 18, 2009

To: Editors, news directors

From: Gwen Evans, University Communications, 608-262-0065, gevans@wisc.edu

Re: TIP/ABUNDANT STORY IDEAS FOUND IN SUMMER CLASS OFFERINGS

After a brief break, the University of Wisconsin–Madison is buzzing once again with its eight-week general session, which runs June 15-Aug. 9.

Some 8,000 people are enrolled in the general session. These include currently enrolled students; special and guest students, such as professionals in a range of disciplines and people considering or in the midst of a career change; visitors from other colleges and universities; and seniors auditing classes at no charge.

In addition to the general session, more than 60 sessions of various lengths are offered from May-August. The following are just a few classes that have story potential. Complete course listings are available online as a PDF and in a searchable course guide, which includes course descriptions. Both are available from the university’s home page, http://www.wisc.edu, in the academics section.

  • UW-Madison is an international leader in foreign language education and research, offering instruction in more than 80 modern and ancient languages, from Akan-Twi to Zulu (two African languages). This summer, the Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia offers an abundance of courses, including an eight-week intensive program in Arabic and Persian. Fifteen students are studying Arabic, 13 are studying Persian. The students live together in Adams Residence Hall and will speak only their immersion language for eight weeks. A few of the other nontraditional language classes available on campus include Burmese, Javanese, Nepali, Tamil and Tibetan. Contact Amy Stambach for information on the Arabic and Persian immersion program, 608-265-2631, aestambach@wisc.edu. Stambach will not be available until next week. Please contact Quinn Fullenkamp for immediate assistance at apip@global.wisc.edu. Visit http://lca.wisc.edu for information on the Asian languages instruction.
  • Field School: Vernacular Architecture in Southwestern Wisconsin combines studies in landscape architecture, folklore and art history. Students will dive into an immersion experience on the cultural heritage of Wiota, Wis., in Lafayette County. The historical legacy of neighbor Mineral Point is well-documented, yet Wiota has received little attention. Students will learn about preserving cultural landscapes by identifying Wisconsin’s rural historic and cultural features and the planning alternatives available for their preservation and utilization. Wiota experienced a succession of historical periods: original immigrants replacing indigenous people in the 1820s, a period of lead mining and a second wave of European immigrants. The class is working in partnership with the Lead Region Historic Trust and the Lafayette County Historical Society. The research gathered will also be part of the Vernacular Architecture Forum to be held in Madison in 2012. The class includes lectures, labs and field sessions. Contact Anna Andrzejewski, 608-262-9183, avandrzejews@facstaff.wisc.edu; or Janet Gilmore, 608-265-8270, gilmore@facstaff.wisc.edu.
  • UW-Madison’s School of Social Work is consistently ranked among the nation’s best, teaching students to understand social problems and their impact on vulnerable populations. Social Work 663, Topics in Contemporary Social Welfare: Criminal Justice Field Observation, places student interns in all components of the criminal and juvenile justice systems. Students have worked all across Wisconsin in every type of program and office designed to serve the criminal population. Placements include law enforcement, courts and corrections, and programs dealing with alcohol and drug abuse, mental health and victim advocacy. Contact Carolyn Lesch, 608-262-4360, clesch@ssc.wisc.edu.
  • Learn how the experts nurture green thumbs with Horticulture 375 Special Topics: Summer Gardens — Propagation, Design, Maintenance and Harvest. The class will grow a summer garden with all the associated trials and tribulations, such as insects, pests, weeds and diseases. Students will also run some experiments to test folk adages about gardening. Texts for the class include “The $64 Tomato” and “Designing Your Gardens and Landscapes.” Contact Edward Woolsey, 608-262-8332, eawoolsey@wisc.edu.
  • Anders Carlson studies the interaction of ice sheets, oceans and the climate system, and the effects of deglaciation on climate. Carlson and six students will head to Greenland later this month to look at past and present glacial processes and landforms — all part of his class, Modern Glaciers in Iceland and Greenland. The group will be in the field hiking and camping for 12 days in west Greenland near Kangerlussuaq to study the behavior of ice sheets and their effect on climate. Contact Anders Carlson, 608-262-1921, acarlson@geology.wisc.edu. Note: Carlson is available before June 20 and after July 14.