University announces summer and fall JBS programs
The University announced the four new course topics for the summer and fall 2011 Justice Brandeis Semesters, an experiential learning program, in a campuswide e-mail Oct. 20.According to the e-mail, the four programs are "Civil Rights and Justice in Mississippi," which will be taught by Prof. David Cunningham (SOC); "Environmental Health and Justice," by Prof. Laura Goldin (AMST); "Filmmaking: From Script to Screen," by Prof. Marc Weinberg (ENG); and "Mobile Applications and Game Development," by Prof. Tim Hickey (COSI). The e-mail explains that "Environmental Health and Justice" will be offered in the fall, and the others will be offered during the summer.
The JBS website explains that JBS is "an engaging, immersive academic program in which small groups of students explore a thematic topic through inquiry-based courses linked to real-world experiential opportunities." A subcommittee of the Curriculum and Academic Restructuring Steering committee proposed implementing a Justice Brandeis Semesters in 2009.
Alyssa Grinberg, the manager of the JBS programs, wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that the JBS committee evaluated the program proposals to determine which ones would more on to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.
She explained the programs announced to the student body had already received approval from the UCC Oct. 14 and that "no major revisions were incorporated in the proposals" after they had been approved.
When asked if there was a targeted student enrollment number, Grinberg wrote that "each program will roughly enroll ten to fifteen students."
"With the benefit of small class sizes, learning will become a collaborative process, as professors are able to engage students on a more personal level, and students and their peers share their own ideas and experiences," she explained.
Five of the eight JBS programs the University originally planned to offer last year were canceled due to both administrative reasons and a lack of student participation, according to an April 13 Justice article. When asked if there would be a concerted effort to promote enrollment in these upcoming programs, Grinberg explained that until the application deadline on March 15, the University will emphasize the benefits of the program to students in an effort to ensure adequate enrollment.
Grinberg explained that the promotion of the program would occur through e-mails and information sessions.
"Students will receive some e-mails with information and we will hold a series of information sessions," she wrote, further explaining that students are encouraged to contact her or the faculty members teaching the programs to "discuss the students [sic] academic career and explore whether JBS would be the right match for the individual."
Grinberg also emphasized that students participating in these programs would have housing for both the fall and spring semesters.
"Students can choose to live on campus or off," Grinberg wrote.
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