Unsure of your summer plans? Summer classes are a great way to get ahead, catch up, and keep your mind fresh. You can even take classes and learn credits virtually anywhere! Online summer classes fit in to even the busiest of summer schedules. Why not learn something new about a culture this summer? CAS 471: Intercultural Communication Theory and Research examines the issues of belonging diaspora, and immigration in international cultures such as Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The class also discusses power, history, and race in intercultural interactions. Students will even get the chance to apply international theory and research skills. This 3 credit online course may satisfy U.S. (US) or International Cultures (IL) requirements. Please email the instructor, Dr. Soumia Bardhan at sbardhan@psu.edu, with any questions.
Evelyn Mugge Named Summer 2012 Liberal Arts Student Marshal
The College of the Liberal Arts has selected Evelyn Mugge as the Student Marshal for the summer 2012 commencement ceremony. She has chosen Donna Bahry, Professor of Political Science, as her faculty marshal escort.
Originally from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, she is the daughter of Nanette Mugge-Alden and John Mugge. Evelyn graduates with a Bachelor of Arts in International Politics and a minor in History. She received the President’s Freshman Award, Sparks Award, and Evan Pugh Scholar Award, and she was a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society. She interned with Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, edited The Dialectics: Journal of Leadership, Politics, and Society, and volunteered with the Centre County SPCA. Her future plans include law school where she hopes to study international or employment law.
The summer undergraduate commencement ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, August 11, 2012, at 10:00 a.m., in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Making the Most of Your Summer
In addition to Harry Potter and all the other great movies coming out this summer (2011), there are other opportunities that can help you more in life than casting spells ever will. Personally, I am still on the hunt for a summer internship. Here are a few options for those Liberal Arts undergraduates trying to plan their summers.
Of course you can enroll in summer classes to get some credits out of the way and even possibly graduate early. Make sure to check out a blog post on summer courses recently written by CLA Adviser Tracey Melnick. You can also find a job to save up some cash for next year. If you plan ahead, you might even be able to find yourself an internship. OR, you can participate in LeaderShape!
For those of you who are unfamiliar with LeaderShape – maybe you’ve seen the fliers but don’t quite grasp the concept – I can explain a bit more about the program. I actually participated in LeaderShape and was the on-site coordinator last year. LeaderShape is a six day leadership program, the week after finals (May 8th-13th). It takes place at the Hartman Center in Milroy PA, about 45 minutes outside State College. Students stay in cabins and are provided with three meals a day (and lots of snacks). Each year, approximately 60-70 Penn State student leaders participate in this program. Participants are broken up into “family clusters.” Students work in these clusters to develop their leadership skills and discover the powerful leader within. Several team building, trust, and personality activities are played throughout the week after which students are encouraged to reflect on the lessons learned. This is an opportunity to network with other student leaders as well as Penn State faculty and staff who serve as cluster facilitators. To sum up the experience: with the exception of my allergies, everything was GREAT! It is, however, what you make of it. So if do not step outside of your comfort zone or choose not to interact with others, your time will not be well spent. The application deadline for this summer has passed, but keep this in mind for next summer.
The next opportunity I would like to discuss is Explore Law (future lawyers take note!). This program lasts roughly a week in the summer (this year, it is actually scheduled for the week after LeaderShape so you can potentially do both). Explore Law provides participants with the opportunity to go to the Dickinson School of Law and attend classes as if you were an actual law school student. The difference is that Explore Law participants get to meet with panelists consisting of practicing lawyers, judges, students, and the admissions board. Participants have to do some homework, but they will also receive help with writing skills and feedback on a mock LSAT essay. If you are wondering where you will live and what you will eat, no worries. This is a FREE program and you will be provided with housing and a meal plan. As a past participant, I can tell you that Michele Vollmer (the law school professor in charge of the program) is one of the nicest and most helpful people you will ever meet. I have learned so much about what to expect from law school and the legal profession and I have also been able to apply a lot of these concepts to my Political Science classes. The application process is not an easy one, and again, the deadline has passed for this year. But definitely think about applying in the future!
The last opportunity I would like to mention is the Penn State Summer Leadership Conference. I attended the one offered at PSU Berks two years ago. It was an amazing three days spent with Penn State student leaders from across the commonwealth. I am currently on the planning committee for this year’s which will be taking place from August 8th-10th at PSU Erie. Visit the Commonwealth Summer Leadership website to register! The registration deadline for this year is May 30.
I highly recommend all of these programs. And as I previously mentioned, they are what you make of them. The key term here is networking. You will at the very least gain a significant amount of helpful contacts from these programs. I hope that you make the most of your summer. Although the semester is almost over, take some time to research potential options to make your summer as productive as possible!
PEACE & LOVE ALWAYS. Stay Motivated. Stay Positive.
Earn Penn State Credits No Matter Where You Spend Your Summer
Do your summer plans include taking classes? If not, there are many reasons you could consider adding summer credits–you don’t even have to stay in town!
- Gen ed courses that have watch lists during the fall and spring have availability in the summer. Courses such as CAS 100 (Effective Speech–GWS), ENGL 202 (Effective Writing–GWS), PHIL 012 (Symbolic Logic–GQ), and 400-level PL SC, which students often have to wait to take, are easier to schedule during the summer.
- Have you had trouble fitting in a lab science? ANTH 021 (Biological Anthropology–GN) is available during the summer, and it fulfills the lab requirement for Liberal Arts.
- Still need foreign language credits? You have the opportunity to complete one, two, or three levels of language in the summer. Because the educational objectives vary somewhat from traditional language courses, the language placement policy enforced during the fall and spring is not in place for these summer courses. That means that if your previous units place you in a higher level of a language than you are comfortable with, you would still receive credit if you take a lower-level language in the summer.
- Class sizes are small. As an example, CRIM/SOC 012 (Criminology–GS) could have 300 students during the spring and just 20 students during the summer.
- Courses are offered during different sessions and different formats, so you choose what works best with your schedule:
- Online, six-week courses: Courses are available in two different sessions–May 16 to June 24 and June 29 to August 10. Examples are AAA S 110 (Introduction to Contemporary Africa–GS, IL, Other Cultures), CMLIT 108 (Myths and Mythologies–GH, IL, Other Cultures), ECON 102 (Introductory Microeconomics Analysis and Policy–GS, Business and the Liberal Arts Minor), LER 100 (Employment Relations–GS, Business and the Liberal Arts Minor), and WMNST 003 (Introduction to Women, the Humanities, and the Arts–GH, US, IL).
- Online, summer-long courses: Courses are available from May 16 to August 10. Examples are ENGL 202 (Effective Writing–GWS), PHIL 103W (Introduction to Ethics–GH, Writing Across the Curriculum), PL SC 014 (International Relations–GS, IL), and PSYCH 100 (Introductory Psychology–GS). The educational objectives are the same for the summer-long courses as the six-week offerings–you are doing less work per week, though, since the lessons are spread across more weeks.
(NOTE: For a complete listing of online offerings, search both the University Park and World Campus listings on the Schedule of Courses. You do not need residency at University Park for any portion of the online courses.)
- Resident instruction six-week courses:Courses are available on campus during two different sessions–May 16 – June 24 and June 29 – August 10. Examples are ANTH 045 (Cultural Anthropology–GS, US, IL, Other Cultures), CAS 100 (Effective Speech–GWS), CAS 450W (Group Communication Theory and Research–Writing Across the Curriculum), CRIM 100 (Introduction to Criminal Justice–GS), ENGL 050 (Introduction to Creative Writing–GA), HIST 010 (World History I–GH, IL, Other Cultures), LER 201 (Employment Relationship: Law and Policy–GS), PHIL 105 (Introduction to Philosophy of Law and Legal Ethics–GH), and PSYCH 100 (Introductory Psychology–GS).
- You can catch up on credits if you are behind, or you can get ahead so you have more flexibility in future scheduling. If you have late dropped credits or taken smaller semester loads and are looking at a heavier credit average for your remaining semesters, summer credits are a way to get back on track. Maybe you are completing a concurrent major or minor and want to take some of your minor credits or 400-level major credits in the summer to make things easier in your final semesters. Some students even plan for full-time enrollment in the summer in an effort to graduate a semester early.
- Students pay the current tuition rate for summer credits. You may use the tuition calculator on the Bursar’s site to determine your costs based on the number of credits, and you would check with Student Aid to determine if you are eligible for financial aid during the summer.
You may register for summer courses through eLion. If you have questions about whether or not taking summer credits is a good idea for you, consult with your adviser.
For more information about Penn State Summer Courses, visit the outreach website.
Center for Strategic and International Studies Intern
My name is Eli Glazier and I will be a junior in the fall, majoring in International Politics. This summer, I have the great opportunity to intern at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, more commonly known as CSIS, a non-partisan think tank in Washington, D.C.