WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Classes planned for the 2014 summer intersession period at Missouri State University-West Plains will have students learning about fur-bearing mammals, how to paint with water colors and studying classic literature.
Learning and Teaching about Mammals (BIO 197) is a one-credit hour course set for 2 to 5 p.m. each day May 19-23 that will teach students about Missouri’s fur-bearing mammals. Students will learn how to identify their furs, tracks and bones and become familiar with their habitats, said per course instructor Dave Mayers.
“This course is open to everyone who is curious about the behavior, relationships and characteristics of fur-bearing mammals,” he said. “Activities, appropriate for pre-K through adult, will include a skull study, track patterns, pelts, camouflage and predator/prey relationships.” For more information e-mail Mayers at DavidMayers@MissouriState.edu.
Beginning Water Color Painting (ART 098) is a one-credit-hour class set for 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. each day May 19-23 that is designed to acquaint students with the essential materials and techniques of transparent watercolor painting through exploration of color value, composition, washes, wet on wet, dry brush, glazing, texturing and layerings. “Students will be encouraged to pursue personal expression through the joy of using water media,” said per course art instructor Barbara Williams.
Dr. Phillip Howerton, associate professor of English, will teach three literature classes, two during the May 19-23 intersession period and one during the June 2-6 intersession period.
In the one-credit-hour Sherlock Holmes: The Classic Cases (ENG 184 X1) class, set for 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. each day May 19-23, students will study some of the classic cases of the most iconic detective in the world in fiction, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, Howerton said. Approximately 20 stories will be required reading, such as “A Scandal in Bohemia,” “The Speckled Band,” “The Dancing Men,” “The Solitary Cyclist,” “The Blue Carbuncle” and “The Crooked Man.” The readings will be supplemented with the viewing of film adaptations of five of the stories, Howerton said.
Discussions will explore Doyle’s contributions to the detective genre, the plot structures of detective fiction, Holmes’ methods of detection and his interpretations of justice, how the stories reflect the culture in which they were created, and how Holmes and his methods compare to detectives that came before and after him. In-class participation, daily quizzes, a two-page essay, and a final exam will be required, Howerton said.
In the one-credit-hour The Poetry of Robert Frost (ENG 184 X2) class, set for 2 to 5 p.m. each day May 19-23, students will closely study a selection of the most popular works by this American poet, who is arguably the most popular and critically acclaimed of the 20th century. Students will read approximately 60 poems spanning the breadth of his long career. They include such classics as “The Tuft of Flowers,” “The Road Not Taken,” “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” “Birches,” “Mowing,” “Mending Wall,” “The Over Bird,” “Dust of Snow,” “Home Burial,” “The Death of the Hired Man,” “Nothing Gold Can Stay” and “Fire and Ice.”
Insights into Frost’s life and times will be presented, and numerous themes and aspects of his poetry will be explored, such as his use of nature and philosophy, his development of metaphor, his consideration of existential questions, his argument that poetry is a temporary stay against confusion, and his resistance to diminishment and dehumanization, Howerton said. In-class participation, daily quizzes, a three-page response paper, and a final exam will be required, he added.
From 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. June 2-6, Howerton will teach Mark Twain: Life and Literature (ENG 187 Z1). This one-credit-hour class will offer insights into the life and literature of one of the nation’s most recognizable authors. Students will be asked to revisit some of Twain’s most popular works by reading excerpts from The Innocents Abroad, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Life on the Mississippi.
Students also will read some of his lesser known works, such as “The Story of the Old Ram,” “Buck Fanshaw’s Funeral,” “Cone-Pone Opinions” and a selection of speeches and letters that demonstrate the range of genres in which Twain worked and demonstrate his range of romanticism and realism, optimism and pessimism, and hilarity and tragedy, Howerton said. These readings will be supplemented with excerpts from Ken Burns’ documentary, Mark Twain, and with audio recordings of Twain’s writings.
“Mark Twain is not only the most recognizable American author, flaunting his trademark white suit and brushy eyebrows and mustache, he also has proven to be the most prolific and influential,” Howerton said.
In-class participation, daily quizzes, a two-page essay, and a final exam will be required.
Area residents interested in any of these courses may register beginning April 25, the first day of regular registration for 2014 summer session and fall semester classes. For more information about the admissions and registration process, contact the Missouri State-West Plains admissions office at 417-255-7955 or toll free 1-888-466-7897.