As students head in to their midterms for this semester, the university has already provided enrollment appointments for many. There will be exciting new classes added to the spring catalog for 2007, giving students different choices in just about every department.
In order for a course to be added to the schedule, it starts with a professor in the department who has the idea, according to Dr. Shane Frehlich, an undergraduate coordinator in the kinesiology department.
The professor who wants the course to be added then goes to the department curriculum committee. Once the committee approves the course then it moves up to the university’s curriculum committee.
The Educational Policies Committee ultimately evaluates the course and it can take up to a year or two to process.
“It’s a long, drawn-out process,” Frehlich said.
The kinesiology department is offering two new classes, Kin 496/L, which is adapted and therapeutic aquatic exercise, and Kin 496 BAL, which is Ballet Technique.
The aquatic exercise course is designed to introduce intermediate/advanced knowledge in adapted aquatic therapeutic exercise. It will also offer students a chance to learn how to put together an exercise regimen underwater for a person with special needs. Aquatic rehabilitation is being used by some colleges to help their athletes with strength training.
“The biggest benefit is that students will become aware of individuals with (disabilities) and modify the water exercises for each person they work with,” said Dr. Belinda Stillwell, professor of the course.
According to Stillwell, students will be able to take their skills to a job at a health fitness club. “Students will know how to work with disabled people,” she said.
The course has a lab where enrolled students will pick a time when they can learn how to work with someone who has a disability in the water. In the lab, students will implement an exercise program for a person with special needs.
The assessment and evaluation processes to be learned include observations, screenings and various measurement instruments for the purpose of designing exercise programs for individuals and groups with special needs.
The ballet course is an intermediate/ advanced ballet class that is worth 3 units and is offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
“The intention of this new course is to offer serious training for dancers at CSUN who want to maintain and/or improve their dance technique,” said Paula Thomson, associate lecturer in the kinesiology department.
The course is also intended for students who would like to pursue a career in dance performance.
According to Thomson, the kinesiology department is in the process of creating a dance minor with future plans for an interdisciplinary degree in performance. They are also directly collaborating with the departments of music and theater.
“We are well aware that CSUN has many superb dancers and choreographers and we would like to provide opportunities for these students to continue their training and education in the dance field,” Thomson said.
The art department has two courses approved for the spring semester, Art 396EA, specializing in entertainment advertising design, and Art 396MG, a course on motion graphics.
The entertainment advertising design course is specialized for students who are interested in pursing a career in design for movie posters and trailers.
“We felt it would be smart to create a course that specifically addresses information that our graduates need to enter this highly competitive area of graphic design,” said art professor James Kelley.
Art 396MG is an introduction to motion graphics, which includes the categories of commercial, broadcast, main title and music video.
“The course includes lectures, showcases and demonstrations of the history, techniques and applications of motion graphics in broadcast media,” said art professor Magdy Rizk, who will be teaching the course.
Students will be learning industry standard computer applications, and there is a nine-hour lab for the course.
The humanities department has a new English course, ENGL 496PC, which takes a look at postcolonial literature. Students will be studying literature by writers from former colonies of the British Empire, including Ireland, India, parts of the West Indies, and parts of the African continent.
The business law department is opening a class to undergraduates, BLAW 496E, which will focus on entertainment law, and a new course BLAW 496S, with an emphasis on securities law.
The entertainment law course is a combination of topics that is relevant to the business, including contracts, publicizing their own name, endorsements, privacy issues, copyright and trademarks.
Securities law deals with ownership in an enterprise, stocks and bonds as a passive investor.
