Interim Term Courses at UA Cover the Mob to ‘The Office’

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama is offering its 2008 Interim Program May 12-30, giving UA students an opportunity to experience a creative and innovative approach to learning.

Course offerings are versatile, ranging from travel-study courses and pop culture explorations to more traditional classes in business, sciences and humanities. Interim courses are offered by most schools and colleges across the UA campus for academic credit.

New this year is Organized Crime, a historical study of the vice-filled underworld of the Mob in America, how it has developed and how it can be fought today. Dr. Robert Jenkot of the criminal justice department, 205/348-3390, rjenkot@bama.ua.edu, gives students a look into various criminal behaviors that typify organized crime.

This is just one of the many exceptional classes students can enjoy during the Interim Term. More than 100 courses will be taught during Interim 2008, including:

The American Classics and Hollywood, taught by Dr. Philip D. Beidler, professor of English studies, 205/348-8508, pbeidler@english.as.ua.edu, examines movie re-creations of early American literary classics, as well as the literature-to-film process. Approaches will range from literary and film aesthetics to popular culture history and theory.

Law and Order SVU: Tuscaloosa – Instructor Christina Janvier of the women’s studies department, 205/348-5782, ijohnson@bama.ua.edu, connects the media and pop culture to feminist scholarship as it relates to domestic violence, rape, child abuse, sex trafficking, social inequalities, and sexual harassment. Students will learn how laws work with these special topics both nationally and locally.

Composing ‘The Office’ – Instructors Kevin Waltman and Jessica Fordham Kidd of the English department, 205/348-3353, waltm001@bama.ua.edu or kidd005@bama.ua.edu, focus on the historic and contemporary imaginings of office-life in American literature and film, with a special emphasis on how it affects gender roles. Students can enjoy segment screenings of the popular hit show on NBC, “The Office,” and how close to reality it may be.

The Life of Abraham Lincoln, taught by Lawrence F. Kohl of the history department, 205/348-1852, lfkohl@bama.ua.edu, examines historical works, Hollywood films, documentaries, photographs and Lincoln’s own writings in order to piece together the “real Lincoln,” the representative American.

The U.S. South on Film – Michele McElya, professor of American studies, 205/348-9764, mmcelya@bama.ua.edu, will use representations of the South in feature films from the silent era to the contemporary period as definitions of identity, experiences, analysis. The film context will have special emphasis on race, gender, class, sexuality, region and nation, including their social, political, and economic impacts.

J.R.R. Tolkien – Lucas P. Niiler of the English department, 205/348-9460, lniiler@as.ua.edu, will review the major works of J.R.R. Tolkien, including the literary epic and box office trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. Strong emphasis will be placed on larger historical, cultural and literary influences, as well as his relationship between medievalism, modernism, fantasy, myth and ecology. Films, audio recordings and maps will enhance the lecture and discussion experience.

The Great Hotels of Alabama – Professor Roy Maize of the restaurant and hospitality management department, 205/348-9147, rmaize@ches.ua.edu, gives his students an opportunity to gain understanding of the hotel industry through visits to the great hotels in the state of Alabama. Students explore career options in the hotel industry with lecture tours and presentations by leading hotel executives in Alabama.

For more information about Interim Term or available courses, contact Dr. Mark Nelson or Jackie McQueen in the UA Office for Academic Affairs at 205/348-4893.

For a complete listing of 2008 Interim classes, go to http://www.interim.ua.edu/courses.html.