Special Topics and Elective Courses

Summer 2026

American Sign Language (numerous courses)

Beginning ASL

ASL 120A. May 11-29. M-F. 9am-12pm. On campus, face-to-face.
ASL 120B. June 1-19. M-F. 9am-12pm. On campus, face-to-face.

Intermediate ASL

ASL 220A. May 11-29. M-F. 9am-12pm. On campus, face-to-face.
ASL 220B. June 1-19. M-F. 9am-12pm. On campus, face-to-face.

Deaf Culture

ASL 370. June 9-August 3. Online, asynchronous.

History of Sign Languages

ASL 375. June 9-August 3. Online, asynchronous.

HIST 409: Food & History: A Global Perspective

Hale Yilmaz
Online, Asynchronous
May 11-June 7

Food is fundamentally about survival-it was for our ancestors millenia ago, and continues to be so, not only for the millions of undernourished worldwide, but for all of humanity as we confront the impact of obesity, globalization and environmental change. Because food is essential to our survival, its history is long, varied, and rich, and touches on themes including (but not limited to) politics and government; gender, race, and ethnicity; the family, religion and culture; health and the environment, and business, industry, and advertising. This class will explore these themes of global food history.

**This course counts toward the World History Teaching Certificate and the Online Master of Science in Education with World History focus.

WGSS 201: Multicultural Perspectives on Women, Gender, and Sexuality

Jo Christian

Online, Asynchronous

June 9-August 3

Important issues in women, gender, and sexuality studies around the world. Topics include reproductive justice, the prison industrial complex, LGBTQ+ cultures and politics, film and media. Within each topic, issues of race, class, ability and other intersecting aspects of identity will be discussed.

Fall 2026

ANTH 410K/510K: Ecological Anthropology

Chris Stantis

Tuesdays, 5:00-7:30pm

Are you interested in: Sustainability? Environmentalism? Different ways of interacting with nature? This course is intended as an introduction to ecological anthropology. Ecological anthropology addresses questions of how sociocultural groups interact with their environments in culturally informed ways.

Some questions relevant to this subfield are:How do humans adapt to environmental conditions over time and shape their environments? How do culture and nature influence each other (if such dichotomies are even meaningful)? How can we untangle the issues of power, economy, and politics in relation to environment?

CMST 362-001: Special Topics in Communication, Advocacy, and Leadership (Nonprofit Leadership Communication)

Sandy Pensoneau-Conway

MWF, 11:00-11:50

This course focuses on leadership communication in the nonprofit sector, with a practical focus on small nonprofit organizations. Students will read communication literature and learn about theoretical approaches to nonprofit leadership communication. There may be opportunities to shadow or otherwise examine the communication strategies of nonprofit leaders local to the Southern Illinois community.

CMST 448: Intercultural Training

Nilanjana Bardhan

T/R 12:35-1:50pm

Introduction to communication theories and practices informing the training/education of individuals and groups anticipating extensive interactions with persons from differing cultural communities. Includes practical application.