‘State of the Earth’ Just One of Spring Continuing Studies Classes

‘State of the Earth’ Just One of Spring Continuing Studies Classes

BY DAVID KAPLAN
Rice News Staff
Jan. 28, 1999

When seeking answers to profound questions, a person may want to consider more than one perspective. That’s just the approach Professor of English Walter Isle took when organizing a spring School of Continuing Studies course that will address such questions as: How should humans interact with their environment, and what is the fate of the planet? The course, “State of the Earth: The View from Rice University,” will feature outstanding professors from nine Rice departments.

“We wanted to cover as many different disciplines as we could,” says Isle, who organized the course with Edie Carlson-Abbey, Continuing Studies assistant dean and director of programs. Isle has been teaching an environmental literature course at Rice for about five years and is president of the national Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment.

Isle and many of the participating professors have together taught interdisciplinary environment courses at Rice. “We really have enjoyed working together,” says Isle, who believes the course will interest both members of environmental groups and the general public.

“State of the Earth: The View From Rice University” is one of many interesting courses being offered this spring by the School of Continuing Studies that feature Rice faculty. Registrations are now being accepted for the entire spring noncredit program, including enrichment courses, career development programs and professional training. Most classes begin the week of Feb. 15. The next foreign language classes begin in early April.

This session marks a change in the Continuing Studies calendar: Instead of a winter session followed by a spring session, the school has combined its offerings into one Spring 1999 session, its largest ever. The new combined session will give participants more choices and, in many instances, lengthier courses. The new spring session will also give participants the chance to take more than one level of studio art, creative writing or career development courses within the same session.

For most general lecture courses Rice employees receive a 50 percent discount and up to a 25 percent discount on limited enrollment courses, such as studio art, creative writing and technical and professional programs.

Six courses, including “State of the Earth,” are being co-sponsored by the Association of Rice Alumni and feature discounted fees for Rice alumni.

“State of the Earth” will be held Wednesdays, Feb. 17-May 12, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Along with Isle, speakers will include Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology; Paul Harcombe, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology; William Leeman, professor of geology and geophysics; Randy Hanson, the Center for the Study of Science and Technology; Mark Wiesner, professor of environmental science and engineering; Arthur Few, professor of space physics and astronomy and of environmental science; Ron Sass, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, chemistry and education; Andrew Whitford, assistant professor of political science; James B. Blackburn, an attorney and a lecturer on environmental science; Gordon Wittenberg, professor of architecture; and Gerald McKenny, associate professor of religious studies.

Another far-reaching spring course will be “Dean’s Series: School of Humanities.” Outstanding professors from history, linguistics, religious studies, English and philosophy will explore a broad range of topics. Judith C. Brown, dean of humanities and the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of History, will launch the course with a talk on the past and future role of the humanities.

A “Millennium Series” course, “A History of Western Art: Revolutions and Innovations,” will feature four art historians. They will focus on the turning points in the history of Western artistic achievement.

“The New World of Biotechnology: Promises, Hopes and Fears” will explore cloning, artificial organs, genetically engineered food and other biotechnological advances. Speakers will include researchers from the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, led by Ron Laby, and Bernard Patten, former chief of neuromuscular disease and vice chair of the Department of Neurology at Baylor College of Medicine.

Continuing Studies is also offering a variety of courses in a wide range of topics including photography, art and creative writing. Career development courses include “Grammar Revisited,” “Effective Public Speaking” and “Writing on the Job.”

The Rice University Foreign Language Program is offering noncredit, conversational classes in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Russian.

For a spring catalog or to register call the School of Continuing Studies at (713) 527-4803, Ext. 174. Call (713) 527-4019 for information on language courses. The Continuing Studies e-mail address is scs@rice.edu.