10 Awesome Maymester and Summer Courses Available to Undergraduates

The College of Charleston offers hundreds of courses during the three-week Maymester and the four-week Summer I and II sessions . Maymester begins May 15 and ends with final exams on June 2, 2014. Summer I begins June 4 and ends July 3, and Summer II begins July 10 and ends August 8, 2014.

Maymester and summer courses offer students an opportunity to experience topics and fields that are not offered during the fall and spring semesters and include non-traditional topics. The following (in no particular order) is a sampling of the many exciting course options available to students.

1. Film Noir/Neo Noir – Maymester

Art History
Instructor: Frank Cossa

This class will study the influential genre of American film that flourished in the 1940s & ‘50s. Dubbed “film noir” by French critics for characteristically dark cinematography, and no less shady plots (heists, murder, political chicanery, gangsters, crooked cops, and the inevitable femme fatale in strange hats) these films exposed the dark underbelly of American life in the post WW II era. Students will write critical essays on the films, and master the technical vocabulary of the cinema.

RELATED: Check out more Maymester and Summer I and II course offerings

2. Chinese Politics in Film – Maymester

Students enjoying class outdoors

Political Science
Instructor: Guoli Liu

Chinese Politics in Film examines Chinese politics, culture, and history through critical readings, films, and historical documentaries. Students will study contending perspectives on and different approaches to Chinese politics. Due to China’s long history and rapidly changing nature of politics, a multidisciplinary approach is appropriate for understanding contemporary China.

3. Socioeconomics of Gambling – Maymester

Economics
Instructor: Douglas Walker

This course will take students deep inside the casino industry for a comprehensive analysis of its economic and social impacts. Examining the latest cutting-edge research, with a mix of theory and empirical evidence, the course covers the most important facets at the forefront of the public policy debate over this controversial industry.

While the casino industry continues to expand across the United States, and around the world, critics argue that casinos bring negative social impacts that offset any economic benefits. The course examines the evidence on the frequently claimed benefits and costs stemming from expansions in the casino industry. The course is aimed at students in economics, sociology, political science, or tourism, who have an interest in casinos as a public policy issue.

4. History of Crime in America

History
Instructor: Tammy Ingram

History of Crime in America will use an array of historical monographs, novels, and films to explore the contested meaning of crime in modern America. Although we will study a few well-known crimes, we will also examine incidents that have largely been forgotten.

From the murder of a prostitute in the early nineteenth century to the serial killer scare of the mid-twentieth century to the increase in arrests for white collar crime over the past decade, we will examine how and why popular ideas and anxieties about crime (and criminals) have changed over time and how these changes reflect major social, political, and cultural developments in U.S. History.

5. The Real Pirates of the Caribbean – Summer Evening (June 30 – August 7)

History
Instructor: Timothy Coates

This course is designed to introduce students to the realities of pirates of the 17th and 18th century West Indies. Topics will include the 16th century Caribbean, the formation of the West Indies as sugar producing islands, Spanish silver, shipbuilding, the golden age of Caribbean piracy, pirate hangouts and culture, the end of the golden age of pirates, and their lingering romantic image.

Because of the structure of this class (two nights weekly, each session is three hours), the format will be a movie on Tuesdays and a lecture/discussion/presentations by students on Thursdays. This will allow us to explore one additional and very important aspect about pirates (the romantic image of pirates and piracy), largely created through films.

6. Sports Marketing – Maymester

Marketing
Instructor: Yu Xie

This course illuminates the theories and practical applications of marketing strategies in sports-related activities. The course is designed to allow students an opportunity to apply key marketing concepts, tools, and strategies within the context of sports; and to examine the use of sports for marketing and the use of marketing in sports. Students will participate in lectures, projects, case studies, guest presentations and site visits.

Prerequisites: MKTG 302, must be a rising junior or senior

7. Like A Rolling Stone: History and Development of Rock Music – May Evening Online (May 14 – June 25)

Music
Instructor: Yiorgos Vassilandonakis

Like A Rolling Stone will trace the origins, development and stylistic nuances of rock music from its folk and blues beginnings via Elvis, Bob Dylan and the British invasion through the Woodstock, Motown, California surf, Psychedelic, Hippie culture, Heavy Metal, and Grunge movements, exploring the integration of Jazz, Country, Soul, Punk, Reggae & Ska, Pop, Disco, Classical, Rap, Hip-Hop and Electronica.

The course will follow the transition of rock from obscure counterculture to mainstream and superstardom, from clubs to arenas and MTV, through shifts in recording technology, industry and modes of distribution, and examine its sociopolitical context, role and influence in global culture.

8. Music of the Beatles – May Evening

Music
Instructor: Blake Stevens

The Beatles have remained popular and culturally influential for 50 years, through changes of style, fashion, and generation. Why do their songs remain meaningful and popular? What makes a Beatles song work?

This course explores the phenomenon of The Beatles from multiple perspectives: their early influences in blues, folk, and rock ‘n’ roll, the development of their style from album to album, their complex and provocative engagement with the culture of the 1960s, and the songs themselves as individual works of artistic expression.

RELATED: Find out 5 Reasons College Students Love the Beatles

9. Stand-Up Paddle Boarding – Summer I and II

Physical Education – Activity
Instuctor: Thomas Carroll

This course is designed to provide the student with the necessary skills and techniques to explore flat-water and the surf environment through stand-up paddle boarding, one of the most exciting and fastest growing water sports in the world. This course will emphasize proper paddling technique, safety, equipment, and responsible and ecological paddling. Course venues will include the surf zones, tidal creeks and other local waterways.
The class will culminate with one of the most unique final exams offered: an ecological paddle and river clean up.

10. Reel Nature: Environmental Politics in Film – Maymester

Political Science
Instuctor: Annette Watson

This course examines what it means to “know” nature in pop culture, and the politics that result from visually representing the environment. Students will be introduced to the history and politics of environmental filmmaking, in both the United States and around the globe, and class time will be divided between discussion of required readings and watching films and film clips. Students will be evaluated based on film reviews and their final projects, which may take the form of either a written term paper or visual film project.