Mid-semester classes offered

By Alissa Hayward

Students can now take two mid-semester courses, offering them different learning experiences and a way to get more credit hours.

The College of Arts and Sciences is offering “Campus & Community” which begins Sept. 20, and “Passport to China,” which begins Oct. 4. Both classes are two credit hours.

The courses begin mid-semester because “some classes may be taught better in a format other than the three times a week for 16 weeks format,” said Mark Kornbluh, the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences.

He said students benefit from these because it helps them “manage the toughest times of the school year by starting late and finishing early.”

Students also can get more credit hours, which moves them closer to getting a degree, he said.

“Campus & Community,” also known as “Community 101,” is taught by geography professor Richard Schein. The class is an “introduction to the city of Lexington, and will identify opportunities and possibilities for becoming more engaged with Lexington life,” Schein said in an email to the Kernel.

The course will discuss being urban citizens and the citizens’ “obligation to the city as our home in a democratic society,” he said.

Schein’s class syllabus includes lectures, panel discussions and visits to local sites including the Lexington Farmer’s Market and the Kentucky Horse Park.

“Passport to China: Global Issues and Local Understanding,” taught by Keiko Tanaka, a sociology associate professor, aims to teach students to “recognize the importance of China in the global economic and political systems and appreciate the richness of Chinese traditions,” Tanaka said in an email to the Kernel.

Passport to China will look at similarities and differences between Chinese and American histories and cultures, he said.

Tanaka’s class syllabus includes guest speakers and films. Students will also attend Year of China events.