Classes might be ending next week, but that doesn’t mean students interested in taking summer classes have to wait long after conclusion of the semester to get back in the classroom.
Maymester is a three-week mini-semester in which students take only one class. The classes offered are much smaller than normal classes, usually enrolling no more than 20 students. The shortened semester length causes most classes to meet five days a week for about three hours.
The purpose of Maymester is to provide students with a rewarding, engaging and creative educational experience and tend to immerse students in the details of a specific subject matter, according to Karen Young, assistant dean and director of undergraduate programs.
“It is really exciting to be so immersed in an intellectual experience,” Young said. “Students can dig deeply into a subject in a way that is not possible during the regular semester when they are being pulled in so many different directions.”
This year’s selection of courses will include classes such as “Current Controversies in Health and Life Sciences: Ebola” and “The Vietnam War on Film.” These classes fulfill the university’s GEP requirements.
Recently, NC State received the “Intelligent Community Center for Academic Excellence Award” that will allow many Maymester teachers to take their students on field trips that will enhance their learning experience at no additional expense to the student.
Kathleen Vogel, who will be teaching the Ebola class, is looking forward to taking her class to Washington, D.C. Before the trip, Vogel’s class will analyze literature from medical, scientific and humanities disciplines regarding the issue of Ebola. The field trip to Washington, D.C. will provide her students with a first-hand perspective of how Ebola is dealt with in the United States.
While in Washington, D.C., students will speak to national medical officials about governmental policies regarding Ebola. To bring the issue of Ebola closer to home, Vogel’s class will also take a trip to local hospitals to learn how individual hospitals would respond in the case of an Ebola outbreak. Vogel hopes that her class and the field trips will give students insight into interdisciplinary careers.
“I am looking forward to going to D.C. and letting students hear first-hand from people involved in responding,” Vogel said. “I like being able to bring these real world examples into whatever I’m teaching.”
Although not every class goes on field trips, other classes offer plenty of other opportunities, such as Hayden Cherry’s “The Vietnam War on Film.” The class will watch several movies that depict 125 years of Vietnamese history. These movies include “The Quiet American,” “Platoon,” “Apocalypse Now” and “Born on the Fourth of July.”After watching each of these films, the class will analyze the film for historical accuracy and meaning. The last week of the course will give students the chance to independently analyze a Vietnam War film and develop their own thoughts on the film.
Cherry hopes that this more relaxed learning environment will help students learn to have a critical perspective on historical films.
“I believe this class will provide an exciting but relaxed way to learn in a shortened period,” Cherry said. “It will give students a critical perspective on film.”
Registration for the 2015 Maymester began March 18 and remains open until classes are filled. Maymester will begin May 11 and continue through May 29.
