WEST PLAINS, Mo. –Area residents can learn how to speak Chinese, investigate careers in the geosciences and learn more about some of America’s most beloved novelists in some of the new courses being offered during the 2015 spring semester at Missouri State University-West Plains.
Elementary Chinese Language I (CHN 100) is a three-credit-hour course that will use a combination of in-class and online instruction to help students learn this language. Through the course, students will develop their skills in interpersonal (speaking, listening, reading and writing), interpretive (reading and listening) and presentational (writing and speaking) communication, according to instructor Wan-Tzu Chen, a certified Chinese language teacher in Missouri and Pennsylvania. They will have the opportunity to orally practice their skills in real life communication situations, as well as learn more about the Chinese culture itself to enhance their understanding of its influence on the language, she explained. No prior knowledge of the Chinese language is required for this course. It will meet on campus from 9:30 to 10:50 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, in addition to one hour of online instruction.
Geoscience Orientation (GRY 197) is a three-credit-hour course scheduled for Mondays from 2 to 4:50 p.m. that will bridge the social and natural sciences, according to Assistant Professor of Geoscience Dr. Rajiv Thakur. “Geoscientists use many tools and techniques in their work. Geographic technologies like geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, global positioning systems (GPS) and online mapping such as Google Earth are increasingly important for understanding our complex world,” he said. “This course will help students broaden their horizons about geospatial techniques, its applications and employment opportunities in today’s rapidly globalized world.”
The class will include a three- to four-day field trip to understand the job profile of geographers, geoscientists, cartographers, urban and regional planners, and other geoscience professionals. Students also will experience geocaching and understand the functioning of GPS.
“Geoscience Orientation is right for anyone who wants to enter today’s competitive job market, which demands that students possess the knowledge, skills and relevant job experience that will set them apart from other applicants,” Thakur said. “This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of geosciences, the applications of geographic information science and how in all this cartography, spatial analysis and data management combines to facilitate spatial decision making.
“If you like the outdoors, if you like to travel, if you want to understand the truth about natural resources and environmental change, if you want to help people by providing energy, resources, safe homes and a clean environment, if you love the natural world, then a major and career in geoscience might be just right for you,” he added.
Major Writers of English (ENG 110) is a three-credit-hour class set for 11 to 12:20 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays that will give students the opportunity to study noted American novelists beginning with James Fenimore Cooper and ending with Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison, said Professor of English Dr. Craig Albin, who will be teaching the class. The course will explore several dominant themes linking these writers, including their varying treatments of community, conscience, race and gender. The reading list will include Last of the Mohicans by Cooper; The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, O Pioneers! by Willa Cather, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, Go Down, Moses by William Faulkner and Sula by Morrison. Writing requirements will include two interpretive essays and a research paper, so students enrolled in the class should have successfully completed Writing I (ENG 110). Additional course work will be required for students taking this class as an honors course, and a B grade or higher must be earned in order to receive an honors designation, Albin said.
Earth Science for Teachers (GRY 240) is a four-credit-hour class scheduled for 5:30 to 8:20 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is specifically designed for elementary education majors and is closely aligned with the state of Missouri’s Learning Assessment Standards for Science, according to instructor Mary Mutrux. The class explores the fundamentals of geology, meteorology, oceanography and astronomy, participating in over 100 hands-on activities. “The students will be found often times making moon and sunset observations, which is especially handy for the evening class,” she said. Emphasis will be placed not only on state science standards, but also inquiry science teaching methods, brain-based learning and geo-literacy. Mutrux is a retired public school teacher who has received several state awards. She has taught this course at Missouri State-West Plains for the past six semesters.
Project Management (TEC 255) is a three-credit-hour online class that will teach students how manage projects and how successful projects are tied to an organization’s success, according to instructor Ron Hensley, superintendent of the physical plant at Missouri State-West Plains. Students will learn how to organize, plan and keep current with ongoing projects and follow through to the completion of a project. In addition, the class will offer suggestions for tools and software that can make projects run smoothly and make them easier to manage, Hensley said. “The class is basic enough that anyone can take the class and get good information from it,” he added.
Current and readmitted students can begin registering for 2015 spring semester classes during early registration Nov. 17-21. Registration times are based on number of hours completed. Area residents, as well as current students who did not sign up during early registration, can begin registering for classes Nov. 22 during regular registration, which will continue through Jan. 11, 2015.
For a complete look at the 2015 spring semester schedule, visit grizzlyden.missouristate.edu/Schedule.htm. A printed copy of the schedule will be available Nov. 1.
For more information about admissions and registration procedures, call the admissions office at 417-255-7955 or toll free at 1-888-466-7897 or visit the university’s website, www.wp.missouristate.edu.