
Are you a local history buff? Then you may want to consider enrolling in the HIST 273 B: Illinois History online course over the summer break!
Illinois History is one of the 700-plus courses that’s being offered during Summer Session 2021, which runs May 17 through August 5 with 4-, 8-, and 12-week courses available. Check out the Summer 2021 Academic Calendar here.
This 3-credit-hour course examines the history of Chicago and Illinois from prehistoric times to the present, illustrating the jarring conflicts and great achievements of peoples from all over the world. Topics include politics, economics, popular and high culture, education, mass media, racial problems, and ethnic diversity. There is an emphasis on the relation of city, state, and region to one another.
- Runs: June 14 – August 5
- Satisfies campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
If local history isn’t your thing, then there are plenty more courses in a wide variety of academic disciplines to choose from, including these:
ANTH 246 ONL: Forensic Science (4 credit hours)
This course may pique your interest if you’re thinking about becoming a forensic science technician, crime scene investigator, or medical examiner -- or you enjoy watching those CSI shows. It will provide the history and theory of underlying methods used in forensic science. Topics include the courtroom, units of a crime laboratory, methods of security and investigating a crime scene, and the analysis of evidence collected from a crime scene such as blood, fibers, hair, and fingerprints.
- Runs: June 14 – August 5
- Satisfies campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
THEA 101 A and E: Introduction to Theatre Arts (3 credit hours)
Are you interested in the theater, but it’s not your major? Then this course is for you!
You’ll get an introduction to the theater acting, design, directing, dramaturgy, and playwriting, together with a survey of theatrical history, minority theater, and plays by women. Attendance at Department of Theater productions (ticket fee required).
- THEA 101 A Runs: May 17 – June 11
- THEA 101 E Runs: June 14 – August 5
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: Yes
CHLH 330 and REHB 330: Disability in American Society (3 credit hours)
This introductory course to disabilities studies provides students with a broad overview of the history of challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and the Disabilities Rights Movement to secure equal rights and passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students will also delve into contemporary issues, challenges, and programs that are available to individuals with a disability and different ways to support them.
- Runs: June 14 – August 5
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
SOC 161 BD: Introduction to Poverty (3 credit hours)
Poverty is only a problem in developing countries and areas in the United States like Appalachia, right? Think again! This course provides an introduction to sociological research about the views, experiences, causes, and consequences of poverty in both advanced and developing countries. The purpose of the course is to set the facts straight about who experiences poverty, why poverty remains pervasive, and what is being done, at home and abroad, to alleviate poverty. For more about the course, read this U of I News Bureau story.
- Runs: June 14 – August 5
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
ANSC 250 B: Companion Animals in Society (3 credit hours)
This course explores the current and historical functions and influences of companion animals in American society. Topics include the evolution of animal protection, the use of assistance and service animals, and the growth of the pet supply industry. Controversial issues that are of current concern to society will also be examined.
- Runs: June 14 – August 5
- Satisfies campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: Yes
GLBL 228 A and HIST 257: Terrorism, Past, and Present (3 credit hours)
This course explores the history of terrorism, its goals, and practices. We recognize that it is not specific to any one ideology, religion, or people. Terrorism is political violence, psychological warfare meant to manipulate a large target audience.
- Runs: June 14 – August 5
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
RST 224 ONL: Politics of the National Parks (3 credit hours)
When most people think about our national parks, they are planning – or dreaming of – their vacation. But how did they come into existence, and how has public policy shaped them over the years?
This course examines the politics of national parks in the United States, including the creation of parks, local support or opposition to parks, and park policy as well as policy questions such as the value of wilderness ecosystem management, endangered species protection, and role of parks in national identity and remembrance of events such as the Civil War, the Indian Wars, or the civil rights movement.
- Runs: June 14 – August 5
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
DANC 125 OL1: Black Dances of Resistance (3 credit hours)
The Break Down: Black Dances of Resistance interrogates African American dance for its potential for social resistance. "Break Down" refers to the spirituality of perseverance and the "vital aliveness" of the African Diasporic movement that has counteracted the dismal social climate in which Black people have found themselves throughout American history. Concurrent with online lectures, students will participate in African-informed dance classes once a week to excavate the "Break Down" in selected African American dance forms including but not limited to plantation dances, hip hop, Black queer dance styles, and contemporary choreography.
- Runs: May 17 – June 11
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: Yes
ANTH 209 ONL: Food, Culture, and Society (3 credit hours)
Food is much more than nourishment for our bodies. It can be a part of our cultural identity. It can be a means of political control. This course introduces basic anthropological and sociological methods, concepts, and approaches to the study of food. It explores issues including gender roles, religious influences, family relationships, community sharing, nationalist rituals, and global processes in the production, distribution, and consumption of food. Film, ethnographies, and other social science studies will be examined. Watch a video on the course.
- Runs: June 14 – August 5
- Satisfies campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
View the full Summer Session Course list here.
Priority registration begins in conjunction with Fall 2021 registration on April 19, and open registration for all students begins on May 6. Get started at https://online.illinois.edu/online-courses/summer-session
To learn more, visit the Summer Session 2021 page at online.illinois.edu