One might assume that summer break would leave the UNC Asheville campus rather empty, but students are showing up and showing out for the many summer courses that are offered. While many are taking courses to get ahead on general requirements, there are plenty of fascinating classes that draw in students no matter their major, because they’re just so darn cool.
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the wonderful and creative classes UNC Asheville offers over the summer.
Assistant Professor of Drama and Costume Manager Casey Watkins heads up this class, in which students explore the intersection of music and fashion from the past 100 or so years. Reaching all the way back to the 1920s and the burgeoning jazz scene, through Elvis and Rock and Roll, hair metal bands, Cyndi Lauper and Prince, a stop through KPop, and finally breaking down the current musical genres of today’s age, the class walks students through how music has changed fashion and vice versa, and more importantly, the cultural, societal, and political aspects of both topics.
Who would’ve thought we could learn biology better by studying the fictional biology of planets from Star Wars? Well, Associate Professor of Biology Graham Reynolds did, and this class has been a staple in the summer course catalog ever since he dreamt it up. Students from across the university come together to learn about biological evolution here on Earth and then turn their knowledge towards the strange creatures from the galaxy.
Students also have the opportunity to create their own plant or animal that might exist on one of the many planets in the universe. Check out Joseph Walston’s creation and experience in this amazing course.
Combining the powers of technology with the ancient practices of weaving and textiles, students in this new media class have the ability to broach the process of creating their own fabric and its design from scratch. Associate Professor Victoria Bradbury, in collaboration with a local weaving mill in Tryon, NC, will create digital patterns in Photoshop, and watch them come to life with the help of the mill.
Alongside the creation of their own fabric and a showcase of their work, students will also learn more about embroidery and the range of practices that focus on textiles throughout this course.
As part of the Great Smokies Writing Program–which is a collaboration between the UNC Asheville Department of English and Creative Writing, as well as the Asheville Graduate Center–students of all experience levels are brought together under different workshop courses, ranging from poetry, fiction, or memoir writing.
In this class, Jacqui Castle teaches the importance of setting for a piece of fiction, whether it’s Aladdin’s Cave of Wonders or the Overlook Hotel from “The Shining.” Working with the emotions of the writer, Castle aims to teach students that viewing the setting as an element of the story that deserves all the love and attention of a supporting character with its own arc will influence the protagonists and the story itself.
With the help of current and past students, community actors, and tech hands, Assistant Professor Anne Slatton leads a group of filmmakers under the UNC Asheville banner to compete in the 48-Hour Film Project.
The 48, as it’s commonly known, is a sprint of filmmaking, where the group pulls their genre, a word or prop to include in their film, and usually another strange element that forces the group to come up with a 5-minute film in only 48 hours. A regular tradition for the Mass Communication department, students gather to write the script, film in a random house (or Highsmith Student Union), and edit it all together to submit to the regional judges. Many of the 48 film projects have come away with awards, but students, and Slatton alike, have no clue what they’re in for until they do it.
Of course, these are only some of the fun classes you can only find here at UNC Asheville. If you want to learn more, click here.
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