News

Lee University’s Encore Program, which offers people age 60 and over the opportunity to take university courses, has a new line-up of specially designed mini-courses for the spring. These mini-courses are planned exclusively for Encore-eligible students and are available along with selected traditional courses.

With only a $25 fee for up to two courses, the Encore Program will offer the following courses: The Age of Constantine: The Man, the Legend, the Impact; Handbuilt Ceramics; America: The Inter-War Years 1919-1941; Spanish Language & Culture for Travelers II; Memoir Writing: Crafting Memory for the Page; Survey of Japanese Cinema; The iHows in the iWorld: A Guide to the iPhone and iPad; Introduction to Fitness for the Encore Years; Computer for Beginners; WORD for Beginners; and EXCEL for Beginners.

The Age of Constantine: The Man, the Legend, the Impact will give students the opportunity to study a number of ancient texts and images and grapple with issues of political, religious, moral and intellectual importance to both the ancient and modern worlds through the history of Constantine the Great. Dr. Aaron Johnson, assistant professor of humanities, will teach this five-week course, meeting on Wednesday afternoons, Jan. 22–Feb. 19.

Handbuilt Ceramics is a beginning class in ceramics. Students will work with coil and slab methods to make cups, vases and other ceramic items. All items will be glazed by the students to take home at the end of the class. John Simmons, assistant professor of art, will teach this six-week course meeting on Tuesday evenings, March 18–April 29. A $30 materials fee is required.

Dr. Robert Barnett, distinguished professor of history, will teach America: The Inter-War Years 1919-1941. Topics will include fear and the Red Scare of the 1920s, the rise of popular culture, and the social, economic and political consequences of the Great Depression. The course will meet on Tuesday evenings for five weeks, Feb. 4–March 4.

Spanish Language and Culture for Travelers II is a four-week course in continuation of the Spanish Language & Culture for Travelers offered in fall 2013. It is intended for travelers to further their knowledge of Spanish speaking countries through the study of language, culture and useful expression. Students will be exposed to a more in-depth look into the political, social and religious issues occurring in some Spanish speaking countries at this time. Dr. Alexander Steffanell, assistant professor of Spanish, will teach this course on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, Feb. 4–Feb. 27.

Memoir Writing: Crafting Memory for the Page will explore the craft of memoir writing through a series of exercises and prompts. This course pays special attention to various methods of creative research to access memory. The course will be led by Dr. Delia Price, assistant professor of education, and the dates are still to be determined.

Survey of Japanese Cinema will study Japanese films from the pre-war era through the present. The emphasis is on the artistry of the films and how the films reflect the evolution of Japanese society. Dr. Arden Jensen, professor of English, will teach the six-week course on Monday afternoons, March 3–April 14.

The six-week course iHows in the iWorld: A Guide to the iPhone and iPad will introduce students to the world of iPads and iPhones. This course will cover the basics of navigation, settings, email, FaceTime, messaging and taking pictures and videos. The student will learn how to share pictures with friends and family through messaging, email and Facebook. They will also learn how to explore the Web and social media such as Facebook with the iPhone or iPad. Dr. Bill Jaber, professor of Computer Information Systems, will teach the course which will meet Tuesday evenings, March 18–April 22.

Introduction into Fitness, led by Roxanne Tyson, is a ten-week course that offers a variety of fitness concepts. The classes will include a fitness assessment, instruction on stretching, cardio equipment, weight training, swimming and group aerobic fitness. The class will meet Tuesday afternoons, Jan. 28–April 15.

Dr. Mava Wilson, associate professor of Computer Information Systems, will teach the three courses on computers: Computer for Beginners, WORD for Beginners, and EXCEL for Beginners.

Computer for Beginners is a five-week course designed for the student who is a computer novice, starting with the basics of computer language and instruction and going through the steps of sending and receiving emails, searching and surfing the internet, and using a digital camera. The class will meet on Tuesday evenings, Feb. 4–March 4.

WORD for Beginners is a five-week course for the accomplished beginner, offering an introduction to Microsoft WORD and its applications. Students will learn handy techniques, shortcuts and tips to become confident users of the most popular computer and word processing program. The class will meet on Wednesday mornings, Feb. 5–March 5.

EXCEL for Beginners is designed for more accomplished beginners. This five-week course offers a practical, comprehensive study of the spreadsheet portion of Microsoft Office: EXCEL. The student will learn techniques to develop and use the software in math, finance, database and record keeping applications. The class will meet on Monday mornings, Feb. 3–March 3.

Students may choose up to two courses from the list of traditional courses and special lecture topics. All enrolled students will have free entry to campus concerts, plays and athletic events.

In-office registration will begin on Jan. 6. Encore office hours are Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Fast Track Registration will be held in the Centenary Room of the Higginbotham Administration Building from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16 and Monday, Jan. 20. Participants can drop-in and complete registration in one step during these times.

Lee University’s Encore Program is a part of the institution’s commitment of service to the community.

For more information about Encore, visit www.leeuniversity.edu/encore or contact Bethany McCoy at 423-614-8598 or [email protected].