When it comes to scheduling classes, advisors and students alike seem to offer up the same advice: get general education requirements out of the way.
The BELL Core, or general education requirements, include courses like fundamentals of speech communication, math, religion and first-year seminar that all degree-seeking students must complete in order to graduate.
But whether you’re a freshman bogged down in all BELL Core classes, or a senior taking freshman physics, Belmont offers some unique classes to break up the humdrum of those basic gen eds.
The Evolution of the Hipster
Punks, hippies and beatniks are a few of the topics discussed in the new course taught by theatre and dance Assistant Professor Jessica Mueller.
The class “will be an analysis of how counter-cultures throughout history drive the mindset and trends of the current ‘hipster’,” Mueller said. “We will study how each group rebelled against mainstream culture, discover which aspects of these movements went mainstream and try to determine the identity of today’s ‘counter-culture’.”
It’s listed under liberal studies on ClassFinder, and it’s a three-credit-hour course scheduled for the first eight weeks of the spring semester. The class is open to all students.
For more information on the course:
Email: jessica.mueller@belmont.edu
Phone: 615-460-8233
Stage Makeup
While this course is only available to theatre majors, learning stage makeup techniques like how to make cuts and bruises from Mueller can break up the standard course load.
After learning techniques to make the world of theater come alive, students will hopefully “be able to tackle the makeup of any future role and character through their knowledge of the skills and terminology,” Mueller said.
The three-credit-hour course is listed under theatre and drama on ClassFinder.
For more information on the course:
Email: jessica.mueller@belmont.edu
Phone: 615-460-8233
Bob Dylan: His Songs, Prophetic Voice and Influence on the American Music and Culture
If you’re interested in Bob Dylan, this is the perfect class.
It will uncover the “literacy of his music that everyone should know,” music business Adjunct Professor Mark Maxwell said.
On a more academic note, the class will include studying Dylan’s songwriting, musical influence on the Civil Rights Movement, the Beatles and more.
By the end of the course, not only will six of Dylan’s albums be dissected, but each student will hopefully gain an appreciation for his views and how they changed music, Maxwell said.
The class is listed under songwriting on ClassFinder and is offered for the spring semester. It’s open to anyone intrigued by Bob Dylan and his influences on American music. The one-credit-hour course requires the purchase of three texts, plus six albums.
For more information on the course:
Email: markhmaxwell@gmail.com
Tweet: @MarkHMaxwell
Phone: 615-419-4186