New UVic Courses Will Keep You Smiling Till Christmas

The University of Victoria’s new Continuing Studies Calendar for Fall 2012 is packed with more than 200 courses for people who want a reason to smile now summer is over. The adult education courses cover a wide range of topics such as the arts, business, health, history, languages, science, sustainability, travel and more. New courses are starting throughout September, October, November and December.

An array of unique undergraduate classes is also underway for the new term, including:

“Hockey Night in Canada” (Dept. of History). Hockey and Canada are almost synonymous. Now a new third-year course, taught by UVic historian Dr. Eric Sager, looks through the lens of hockey and sports in general to explore questions on specific sports and how they relate to changes in capitalism, culture and ethnicity in our country, and especially why Canadians love hockey.

“Alien Grammars” (Dept. of Linguistics). A new second-year course, taught by UVic linguist Dr. Martha McGinnis-Archibald, delves into the grammar of fictional languages including Klingon and Tolkien’s Elvish to explore how they either respect or defy the constraints of human language. Students will also construct grammar for a fictional language of their own creation.

“Art of the Action Film” (Dept. of Writing). Budding film buffs get a chance to analyze the artistry of the action film genre. This third-year writing course, taught by Michael Giampa, parses the genre from superheroes to sidekicks through lectures, feature films, clips, guests and creative exercises.

“Guns and Barbies” (Centre for Early Childhood Research and Policy). This inter-disciplinary course, taught by UVic psychologist Dr. Ulrich Mueller and offered jointly through the Division of Continuing Studies and three UVic faculties, will review contemporary issues and controversies about the complexity of play in early childhood. The evening sessions will offer a variety of disciplinary perspectives and guest speakers from academic departments and the community.

Among the new courses throughout this fall especially for adult learners:

“Improvisational Comedy” (page 8 of the fall calendar). A fun full-day workshop on Oct. 20 for beginners and people who may have some experience. Through lively, fun exercises and lots of performance time you will learn how to stimulate your creativity, increase your confidence and discover the comic inside of you. Improvisation is a phenomenal and necessary tool in acting, and very helpful in improving public speaking skills. Instructor Jan Rabson is a former member of the Los Angeles improv group, The Groundlings, was a regular on the “Tonight Show,” and has taught improv comedy and voice-over for more than 20 years.

“Wisequacks: Medical Myth-information” (page 27). On Oct. 18, Drs. Dave Hepburn and Rob Sealey, who co-host the popular national radio program “Wisequacks” heard weekly across Canada, will wade through the plethora of medical misinformation that creates a cornucopia of confusion in our high-tech, fast-paced society. In this evening session, they will discuss modern medical myths and confront some of the ideas that are easily formed but firmly held thanks to Google searches and viewers of the popular television series House.

The continuing studies calendar is accessible in an online format with convenient one-click registration features at http://www.uvcs.uvic.ca/fall/. Printed copies are also available at various locations in the Victoria area including regional public libraries and recreation centres.
 

-- 30 --