Gannon University students have the opportunity to take several unique classes that are being offered in the 2016 Spring semester. Many of these courses also contain a travel abroad element, allowing students to expand their worldview.
Students of any major can earn three biology credits with a course about Yellowstone National Park taught by David Gustafson and Steven Ropski, Ph.D.
The course will cover many aspects of Yellowstone National Park, including grizzly bears, wolf reintroduction, the impact of fires, geysers and volcanic activity on the park and its wildlife, geological history and the herbivores of the park.
Gustafson has traveled to Yellowstone during the summer for the past 23 years.
“We have made over 30 trips to Yellowstone National Park with students, alumni and friends of Gannon University,” Gustafson said.
“The program was founded in 1992 and many times we made two trips in the summer because of the demand.”
Ropski has also taken part in the trip since 1994. He said that his favorite part of these trips is “seeing the reaction of students when they see their first wolf, grizzly bear or some of the fabulous sights.”
Students have the opportunity to fulfill a literature requirement with a four-week summer program offered onsite in Rome.
The course is taught by Professor Phil Kelly, who holds a Doctorate of Arts in English, and will allow students to explore Roman mythology in the classroom and at monuments, churches and ruins across Rome.
Students will also take several day trips to Assisi, Florence and Pompeii as part of the course curriculum.
Jeff Bloodworth, Ph.D., and Jimmy Menkhaus, Ph.D., are offering students a class to fulfill either a liberal studies capstone or theology II requirement with a course about the Holocaust.
Good & Evil: Reconciling the Holocaust will look at the historical events of the Holocaust, as well as Jewish-Catholic reconciliation after the conclusion of World War II. In May, students will travel to Poland and Prague as part of the class.
In Poland, students will visit Auschwitz and Treblinka, well-known Nazi death camps, as well as the cities of Warsaw and Krakow.
Jill Chezosky, a freshman nursing major who is taking the class, is excited about expanding her worldview while learning more about the events of World War II.
“I’m looking forward to traveling to Europe for the first time and learning more about the Holocaust,” Chezosky said.
Faculty members are also leading trips to Puerto Rico, Iceland, England and Wales, Thailand, Mexico, Beijing, Rome, Paris, Jordan and France.
In addition to all of the classes that have a travel component, Gannon is also offering several unique classes for students who prefer to remain on or near campus.
The psychology department is offering one of those courses – Horses for Interpersonal Skills is a class that students can take as a psychology elective.
The course allows students to develop skills related to self-awareness and emotional intelligence, as well as explore theories and research related to these skills through work with therapy horses.
Students studying environmental science have the opportunity to learn about the ocean depths in an oceanography course that will be given in the spring.
The class will focus on the physical, chemical and biological properties of the marine world.
Students interested in taking this course should contact Christopher Dempsey, Ph.D., in person at his office, located in Zurn 205 or by email at [email protected].
Whether you have a taste for adventure or just a taste for something unique, Gannon has plenty of classes to choose from.
LYDIA FENNESSY
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