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.

LCIS 200b: Medieval German Romance

Chris Chiasson
Online, Synchronous, M-F 9:00-11:00am
May 11-June 5

The two masterpieces of German Medieval literature are Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival and Gottfried von Strassburg’s Tristan and Isolde. Parzival offers one of the most original takes on the legend of the Holy Grail and its connection to King Arthur while its main character learns what it means to be a knight and to take seriously the idea that chivalry is a life-defining morality. The couple Tristan and Isolde meet cute, kind of, following Tristan’s fight with a dragon, and are then bound to each other by a magic potion, even though Isolde must marry someone else. Together they are in many ways ideal courtiers, gifted in almost all the known arts, but the story suggests that the Medieval ideal of courtesy produces adultery, which can ultimately destabilize a kingdom. Both romances also find space for many other contemporary interests: Wolfram depicts non-Christians positively and incorporates the latest Western and Arabic contributions to astronomy, among other things, while Gottfried gives a state of the art report on the connection of medicine, magic, and witchcraft, criticizes the ritual of trial by ordeal, and throws some shade at Wolfram.

This course will focus on reading and understanding these two stories in terms of their contexts: the emergence of the legends of the Holy Grail and King Arthur in the 11th and 12th centuries; the Crusades and their results, including increased knowledge of and connections to the Arabic and Muslim worlds; the development of chivalry and courtesy as ideals in the 12th century; and the connection between romantic love and adultery in Medieval poetry.

LING 201: Language Diversity in the USA

Rachel Olsen
Online, Asynchronous
June 8-August 2

Do you speak "American", and what does that even mean? Why does your friend from New York sound different than your friend from Chicago? How have languages other than English shaped the linguistic landscape of the US? What impact do attitudes about language have on education, the legal system, the medical system, and across wider US society? Join us as we explore these questions and more in LING201 - Language Diversity in the USA. Fulfills UCC Multicultural/Diversity: Improving Human Relations requirement.

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.