New courses and programs debut this spring

Home Archived News New courses and programs debut this spring

Brent Scott

Published: November 8, 2006

When registration for the spring term begins Nov. 6, students will find several new classes and programs along with changes to some existing ones.

The new electrical and carpentry programs begun this fall will continue this spring term.  Both of the new programs are headed by Bob Pierce, director of information technology programs.

In the carpentry program, students build Habitat for Humanity homes in an on-the-job training atmosphere.

The electrical program will be offered at PJC’s Pensacola campus and will have a day and a night class. It will be offered in the A term or the C term, depending on enrollment.

“We are looking forward to the new classes, and the enrollment is doing well,” Pierce said.

Two existing courses, CCJ 1020 (Criminal Justice) and MMC 2000/2000W (Mass Communication), will now be accepted as options for Category IV (History, Behavioral/Social, and Human Sciences) in the associate in arts general education program. These courses provide more options for A.A. students, especially with the convenience of an online class (MMC 2000W).

Another important development in PJC’s online campus is THE 2000W, the online version of Introduction to Theatre.  The class, which is a writing emphasis class, is one of the first to use the new Angel system.  Beginning with the spring semester, Angel will begin to replace WebCT as the primary delivery method for online courses. Students who have used WebCT should have no difficulty with Angel, according to information technology staff.

“The course uses the same book as the regular face to face class,” said Don Snowden, music and theatre department head. Snowden said that they think the class will be a success because both sessions had already shown popularity before the class had even been advertised.

Also a new addition to PJC’s curriculum, Children’s Literature (LIT 1330) will be offered for the first time in the spring. Students will examine poetry, picture books, traditional folktales and myths, fiction, and nonfiction designed for children from preschool though elementary grades, noting development, writing and publication, storytelling methods, and criteria for selection and evaluation, said Julia Ruengert, course instructor.

“The course has been designed to meet the needs of students in the Early Childhood A.S. program, but it will also be valuable for parents and those who enjoy children’s literature,” Ruengert said.

LIT 1330 will not satisfy the A.A. literature requirement, but the course is available as a general elective for students in the A.A. program, Ruengert said.