2012-2013 D-Term Verandahs

How to Register

These one-credit hour courses are included in the  Winter 2013 listings under the course designation "Verandah"  within Merlin.  Be sure to change the credit option from "0" to "1" to register for credit.

Following a brief history of the development of square dancing as an American folk dance, participants will be shown several connections between square dancing and mathematics.  Students will be taught around 100 calls and 10 concepts (call modifiers) primarily from the first 3 levels of square dancing.  The "final exam" will be a dance called by one of the top square dance callers in the country. Neither dancing experience nor specialized knowledge of mathematics is required, but having a knack for spatial visualization will help. All majors welcome. Email David Schmitz for additional information.

This verandah course gives students an opportunity to become personally acquainted with students of other cultures while learning how cross-cultural interactions can influence a person's personal and professional learning, decision-making, and actions. Verandah participants will be assigned to a reading pair with a person from another culture.  Pairs will select, read, and discuss two short pieces of literature, each selected according to the work's appeal to the readers and its treatment of issues and values significant to the cultures of the readers. All participants in the verandah will join in opening and closing activities that prepare each member for the reading experience, probe insights across the reading pairs, and support each member in appropriately incorporating perspectives of "others" in their daily thinking and behavior.   Email Sheryl Finkle  or Jack Shindler for additional information.

Develop critical thinking skills while getting informed about contemporary art in Chicago. Become an art critic for a week, and visit a sampling of the numerous galleries the city has to offer.  Create a blog with photos and reviews of the art works that you encounter in order to improve your self-assessment abilities.  We'll walk to some sites and travel via public transportation to others.  E-mail Hale Ekinci for more information.

Families and friends celebrate the Christmas season in a myriad of ways: music, reflection, volunteering, religiously, shopping, food, reminiscing, theater, discussion, film, and through other outlets. We will experience various forms of Christmas celebration and discuss their impacts to our lives and the greater community. Most transportation provided.   E-mail Neil Nicholson for more information.

Learn more about the process of community action. Students will have the opportunity to learn about theories related to collective action and movements dedicated to social change. After learning about this process, we’ll visit community action organizations around Chicago to meet and to discuss community-organizing techniques with professionals. Organizations that students will be visiting include Greenpeace and IllinoisPIRG.  Transportation and selected lunches included. All majors welcome. Email Hillary Shulman for additional information.

A condition known as “nature deficit disorder” (NDD) has been noted in increasing numbers in American children and youth in recent years.  Besides having a lack of knowledge about nature, these children and young adults are more likely to experience Attention Deficit Disorder, obesity, and other challenges.  The remedy is simple: go outside and play.  This course briefly explores the concepts associated with nature deficit disorder.  The majority of the course involves nature study and hands-on activities in outdoor settings in Naperville, on the Illinois Prairie Path, and at The Morton Arboretum. Transportation Included.  Email Nancy Keiser  for additional information.

Play is an important part of development for young children.  Children’s museums provide an important setting for children and young families to explore and develop skills around open-ended play. This verandah will focus on learning about play and developing skills to engage in inquiry and research related to children’s play in two area children’s museums.  Participants will spend time learning how to complete observations and other means of data collection in an informal learning environment. E-mail Nicole Rivera for more information.

Have you ever wanted to be inside a text and to read it from the inside out? Have you ever wanted to have the ability to question authors and characters from inside the world of the text? Have you ever wanted to move through a story from a character’s perspective? Have you ever wanted a more active way to relate to students? The specific sort of drama used in this class is not focused on performance, but on process. After an intensive seminar with Dorothy Heathcote, the founder of process drama, and studying under Dr. Brian Edmiston, the creator of dramatic inquiry, Dr. Ressler has developed tools and strategies for teachers and learners to engage with texts in innovative and meaningful ways.   E-mail Mary Beth Ressler for more information.