Short Noncredit Courses
University College offers a range of short noncredit courses and workshops on contemporary issues, professional development, current events, literature, culture, and music. Tuition for each course is $50. Registration is done by telephone or mail only. See below for registration information.
Short Noncredit Courses, Fall 2008
Register for noncredit courses by phone or in-person, with a check or credit card. Call (314) 935-6759 or come to University College, January Hall Room 100.
- Chimes at Midnight: Orson Welles’s Shakespeare Films
- Vision, Character and Courage: The Making of the President 2008
- Distant Voices: Historic Operatic Singers on Record
Looking at Modern Art
- Diversity and Inclusion: The Competitive Advantage for Creating
Organizational Excellence
- Critical Thinking and Transformational Learning: A Model for Personal,
Organizational, and Social Change
- Creativity at Work and in Life
- Career Development
- Fiction Workshop
- Playwriting Workshop
This course examines the film-making strategies that Orson Welles applied to the preeminent dramatist in Western tradition. How did Welles use, modify, or adapt his trademark camera strategies to Shakespeare’s characters and scenarios? The first meeting focuses on Welles as a filmmaker (with examples from Citizen Kane and others) and on Shakespeare’s particular appeal for him. Each of the three subsequent class sessions focuses on one of his Shakespeare films: Macbeth (1948), Othello (1952), and Chimes at Midnight (1966). An optional DVD screening of the film in question will precede the final three class sessions.
Brian Walter, Adjunct Faculty, Film and Media Studies
Thursdays, August 28; September 4, 11, 18
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Noncredit Fee: $50
To register call (314) 935-6720
Vision, Character and Courage: The Making of the President 2008
The history of Presidential leadership often focuses on vision, character and courage. In this election season we will examine the ways in which leadership is presented and how political campaigns position their candidates as leaders. Using the news coverage of the Presidential election and Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How they Changed America 1789-1989 by Michael Beschloss, we will look at situations where prior Presidents took courageous actions based on clear vision and strong character to fundamentally changed the course of American history. Using these historical precedents we give a close reading to the current political season to see how vision, character and courage are being used to position the presidential candidates to be the next Leader of the Free World.
Steve Lawler, Founder, The Lawler Organization and Officer, The Society for Business Ethics
Fridays, October 3, 10, 24, 31
10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon
Noncredit Fee: $50
To register call (314) 935-6720
Distant Voices: Historic Operatic Singers on Record
In 1950 George Bernard Shaw claimed and titled an article, “We Sing Better Than Our Grandparents.” Was this true then and now, over a half-century later? The phonograph, developed at the end of the nineteenth century, captured the art of the greatest singers of the past century and many of their colleagues. This recorded legacy allows us to investigate Shaw’s proposition in some detail. Through listening to examples of familiar arias, we will consider such topics as performance traditions, styles of singing, and historical trends, as well as the ways in which the evolving recording technology may have affected them. Examples will be drawn from Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, Verdi's La Traviata, Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots, and Puccini's Tosca. Familiarity with the operas is helpful, but not necessary.
Bruce Carvell, Registrar, College of Architecture, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
Wednesdays, October 15, 22, 29; November 5
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Noncredit Fee: $50
To register call (314) 935-6720
Looking at Modern Art
This short course will explore multiple ways of looking at and engaging with works of modern art, while critically reflecting on this process. Along with visits to see works in the Kemper Art Museum's collection and the upcoming special exhibition “Action/Abstraction: Pollock, de Kooning, and American Art, 1940-1976” at the Saint Louis Art Museum, the class will meet with guest speakers to engage in dialogues about modern art and the various ways in which we can approach it. During the class, students will read and discuss selected artists' writings and will view one film providing a unique perspective on the work of Abstract Expressionist artists. This class is for anyone with an enthusiasm for art and a desire to experience and think about modern art in new and different ways.
Michael Murawski, coordinator of education and public programs, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
Saturdays, October 18, 25; November 1, 8
10:00 a.m.-noon
Noncredit Fee: $50
To register call (314) 935-6720
Professional Development
Register for this professional development course by phone or in-person, with a check or credit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover). Call (314) 935-6759 or come to University College, January Hall Room 100.
Diversity and Inclusion: The Competitive Advantage for Creating Organizational Excellence
Organizations whether academic, business, government, non-profit or volunteer groups are competing for the best and brightest employees in today’s challenging environment. An organizational culture that embraces diversity and inclusion lays the foundation for attracting and retaining the best and brightest. This course will explore how leveraging employee differences and managing inclusion become the strength for competitive advantage. We will examine research findings, tools, models, and best practice strategic approaches for optimizing organizational performance and growth through employee diversity and inclusion policies and practices.
Narmen Hunter, President and CEO, FENNOY Consulting Group, Inc. Mondays, September 8, 15, 22, 29
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Noncredit Fee: $50
To register call (314) 935-6720
Critical Thinking and Transformational Learning: A Model for Personal, Organizational, and Social Change
This course provides a working model for personal, organizational, and social change through an examination of theories and applications of critical thinking and transformational learning. These two related concepts, rooted in principles of adult development and adult learning, offer skills and strategies for successful and creative decision making, and they help us fully understand and change our personal lives, workplaces, and communities. We will discuss the theoretical foundations of critical thinking and transformational learning, and learn to apply the principles to personal dilemmas and transitions, professional decisions, and social and political issues that dominate a presidential election season.
Steve Ehrlich, associate dean for undergraduate and special programs, University College
Tuesdays, October 7, 14, 21, 28
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Noncredit Fee: $50 each workshop
To register call (314) 935-6759
Creativity at Work and in Life
Are you burnt out at work and overscheduled at home? This short course operates from the premise that everyone is creative and that the business world rewards creative people. We will use proven exercises that: 1) help you reclaim your leadership and creative potential at work through reclaiming your hobbies at home; 2) keep poisonous criticism from sapping your power; and 3) tap into your smartest self to create the life you want, both at work and at home. The course draws from themes and exercises in Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way at Work.
Lynnea Brumbaugh, adjunct faculty in Business and Women and Gender Studies
Mondays, September 8, 15, 22, 29
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Noncredit Fee: $50
To register call (314) 935-6720
Career Development
This course provides you with the skills and resources to make intentional and meaningful career choices, whether you're looking for a first job or making a mid-career transition. Students are guided through the entire career-planning continuum, including identifying unique interests and personality styles; learning how to find work that maximizes talent, purpose, and goals; and refining the tools needed to manage a career today and in the future.
Aimee Wittman, associate director, The Career Center
Tuesdays, September 2 to October 21, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Fee: $495 One-Credit Course
Register online at ucollege.wustl.edu. Course listed as General Studies 130.
Creative Writing
Fiction Workshop
Peter Leach
Tuesdays, October 28 to December 16, 2008
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Methods and techniques of writing fiction, including creating an environment, developing characters, and constructing a plot.
Fee: $495 One-Credit Course
Register online at ucollege.wustl.edu. Course listed as EComp 217.
Playwriting Workshop
Peter Leach
Tuesdays, September 2 to October 21, 2008
6:30–8:30 p.m.
A first course on playwriting, from initial idea to the completion of a one-act play by each student.
Fee: $495 One-Credit Course
Register online at ucollege.wustl.edu. Course listed as EComp 219.
REFUNDS A full refund is granted if a course is canceled, or if notice of withdrawal is received prior to the beginning date of a course. Refunds are not granted on short courses after the first class meeting. To receive a refund, please submit a signed request in person or by mail. Washington University tuition remission benefits are not applicable to noncredit courses.
To register for non-credit courses call (314) 935-6759, or download this printable form
