Course selection can be one of the most exciting parts of the college experience and Suffolk is making sure students have relevant and hands-on classes to choose from. Four new courses will be introduced, three freshmen seminars and one Sawyer Business School (SBS) class, in the fall that will be sure to fill up quickly.
“It makes you want to be a freshman again,” said Nina Huntemann, PhD., who is teaching one of the new courses and also the Director of Seminars for Freshmen.
Huntemann, an associate professor in the department of communication and journalism, is teaching the freshman seminar titled “Sustainable Media,” to explore media use – how fast people go through cell phones and laptops – and to discuss whether digital media is truly beneficial for the environment.
“This class explores that paradox,” said Huntemann. “Where’s all this stuff going?” Her class, which will sit 25 students, involves lots of research and mapping on where the metal, cords, and wires, for digital media come from and go to when they are disposed of. She does not want the class to appear completely negative though; students will have the opportunity to create projects to help the cause and possibly team up with the university’s sustainability team.
Huntemann is also excited about the other new courses being offered exclusively to the class of 2017.
“Lincoln is really hot right now,” said Huntemann, as she described her excitement for government professor Graham Kelder’s course, “Lincoln and the Law.”
“Professor Kelder is the perfect person to teach this,” she said. A few students have already registered.
Coursework in the form of exams and papers will be based on the movies and literature the class studies. Kelder will be showing the newest Lincoln films as well as one from the early 20th century.
“I’m most excited for students to see Lincoln’s role as a lawyer in Illinois,” said Kelder. As a professor of pre-law, Kelder thinks the course is, “a sneaky way to teach students about the Constitution.”
The third of the new courses is “Beacon Hill: Fact, Fiction, and Fantasy,” with Professor Richman of the English Department. So far, the class has five of 25 seats filled.
“How perfect,” said Huntemann. “Here we are, sitting on top of Beacon Hill as a university.” Richman plans to take advantage of this by spending half of the class period exploring the historic areas of the Hill.
“Beacon Hill is right outside the door,” said Richman. The students will do a lot of coursework in the form of reading about historic societies and analyzing historic pictures of the area, many dating from the 1840s.
SBS is hosting a new two-credit course taught by the editor of the Boston Business Journal, George Donnelly. The course, titled “Understanding the Amazing Boston Economy,” will explore opportunities for students around the city.
“The basic goal is to raise the awareness level of students,” said Donnelly. The class has seven of 20 students registered. Donnelly said students will work on group projects and will analyze individual companies around the city.
“Its an opportunity to teach students what the economy will be like,” said Donnelly. He also plans to have plenty of guest speakers bring perspective into the classroom. Donnelly hopes students of various majors who are planning to stay in the area will register for the course.
The hands-on classes are sure to fill up quickly and entertain the interests of Suffolk students.
