Honors College to offer summer mini-courses for the public

This summer, the Honors College will offer three-day mini courses for interested participants.

The courses will take place at 9-10 a.m. and 10:30-11:30 a.m. June 25-27. The cost to participate is $75, which includes a choice of courses in each time slot as well as a catered coffee break in between.

“The idea behind this program is to reach out to the local community,” says Heather Servaty-Seib, associate dean for student life in the Honors College. “When we think about the Honors College, we think about instilling that investment in lifelong learning. We want to offer individuals in Lafayette and West Lafayette excellent educational experiences and we want to be able to invite them onto campus.”

The courses are open to students, faculty, staff and community members.

9 a.m. mini-courses

* “Exploring Mars: NASA’s Search for Life on the Red Planet,” taught by Briony Horgan, assistant professor of planetary science.

* “Powerful Pollinators and Bee Keeping,” taught by Christian Krupke, professor of entomology.

* “Wine Appreciation: Honors Edition,” taught by Christian Butzke, professor of food science.

10:30 a.m. mini-courses

* “The Human-Animal Bond,” taught by Alan Beck, the Dorothy N. McAllister Professor of Animal Ecology.

* “Trends and Issues in Autism Intervention,” taught by Mandy Rispoli, associate professor of special education.

* “The History of Immigration and Nativism in the U.S.,” taught by David Atkinson, associate professor of history.

The Honors College plans to offer this program each summer and expand course offerings in the future.

“The Honors College is dedicated to reaching out to the local community and these mini-courses are a clear application of the mission of the college,” Servaty-Seib says. “We want to provide local community members with the opportunity to learn about current and intriguing topics from some of Purdue’s amazing faculty experts. We see it as a win-win situation as faculty are committed to Purdue’s land-grant mission and these courses allow them an opportunity for outreach and for communication with audiences that they may not encounter during the academic year.”

More details can be found here. Registration here is required as classes will fill quickly.

Writer: Kelsey Schnieders Lefever, kschnied@purdue.edu

Sources: Heather Servaty-Seib, servaty@purdue.edu
             Rachel Newell, newellr@purdue.edu