I'm teaching several classes during the Spring 2003 term that might be interesting to many of you in the St. Louis area. For those of you who can't take them, you can find a lot of the information I use in my classes at this Web site,, so go ahead, freeloaders! :)
I'm teaching three classes at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley and two at Washington University. In brief, the classes are as follows:
1. Flo Valley 'Website Development Certificate' Wednesdays 6-9 pm
2. Flo Valley 'Website Development Certificate' Saturday afternoons 12:30-3:30 pm (a separate section of the class)
3. Flo Valley 'Transitioning from Windows to Linux' Mondays 6-9 pm
4. Wash U 'Going, Going, Gone: Technology & Your Rights as a Consumer' Every Wednesday in February 1-2:30 pm
and my first literature class in 7 years:
5. Wash U 'Literary Representations of Hell' Tuesdays 6-8:30 pm
Now, let's go into depth about my Spring 2003 courses for those of you interested in more details.
St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley
Here's the description of 'Website Development Certificate' :
'Our exceptional course is intense and comprehensive. You'll learn how to develop Web sites using the three methods that have been used since Web design first began: hand-coding HTML using a text editor, then building Web pages using a WYSIWYG editor like Dreamweaver, and finally using the most modern method, a Content Management System that separates design from content while making it easy for anyone to update the site. Within this broad framework, we're going to cover a lot of ground, including good design principles, Cascading Style Sheets, server-side vs. client-side technologies, Web browsers, and Web servers. We'll finish up the class with a brief overview of the future of Web development: XHTML and XML. (We'll cover graphics, but not in depth). Familiarity with Windows, Mac OS, or Linux is required.'
I've taught 'Web Design' now since 1997, and I think I'm pretty good at it. :) I also think this course is unique in the entire St. Louis area because of the path it follows. Students first learn how to hand-code HTML, then how to use Dreamweaver, then cover Cascading Style Sheets, and finish with a Content Management System, which is the future of Web development.
This class will be offered in two sections: either (1) Wednesday nights 6-9 pm, running from 29 January–8 May (class ID is COMP 745-550), or (2) Saturday afternoons 12:30-3:30, running from 1 February–10 May (class ID is COMP 745-500).
Here's the description for 'Transitioning from Windows to Linux' :
'One of the hottest new areas in technology is the Linux operating system. It's big advantages? It's free, it's open, it's powerful, and it never crashes. This class will focus on Linux on the desktop. If you use Windows now and you're interested in switching over to Linux, or in just learning more about this exciting software, then this class is for you. We'll use Red Hat, the most common distribution of Linux, and we'll cover the following subjects: installation of Linux and other software, common desktop environments (with particular attention to KDE), office software such as StarOffice (a free and powerful office suite), networking seamlessly with Windows machines using SAMBA, using the Web and email, setting up a Web server, basic system administration, and more. Finally, we'll evaluate whether Linux is the right solution for you and your business. Note: This is not an intro to computers, or remedial, course. You are expected to understand the Windows or Macintosh operating system before signing up for this course.'
We'll be using Red Hat 8.0, which is an awesome operating system. My students in the last class really enjoyed Red Hat 8.0, and it's advances in ease of use and power made my job as a teacher a lot easier. In addition to Red Hat 8, we'll also look at some other versions of Linux, including Mandrake, Lycoris, and Xandros.
This class will be Monday nights 6-9 pm at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley. It runs from 27 January–5 May. Class ID is COMP 782-550.
You can find more information about all 3 courses at https://www.stlcc.cc.mo.us/conted/. Go there, and then do this (it's ridiculous, but it's what ya gotta do):
1. Click on the 'Schedule of Non-Credit Classes' link.
2. Next to Term, scroll down and choose 'CE Spring 2003', then click on 'Begin Class Search'.
3. Next to Instructor, scroll down and choose 'Granneman, Ralph S' (that's me!) and next to Campus, choose '5–Florissant Valley', then click on 'Search Class'.
On the resulting page, you'll see a list of the three classes I'm teaching at Flo Valley this spring–2 are 'Website Development Certificate' and 1 is 'Transitioning from Windows to Linux'.
Registration for any of my Flo Valley classes began on 2 January 2003. I warn you–I've taught Web Design many times now, and my classes fill up VERY quickly. The Linux class also tends to have a good number of students, but it's not totally full usually. At any rate, register now.
You can register in the following ways:
1. At the Continuing Education department at any campus in the St. Louis Community College system. Make sure it's the Continuing Ed. dept., and not the regular for-credit dept.! And make sure you get there early!
2. Use the Web site, as detailed above. It's a bit more complicated, but it will work.
3. Via the phone, by calling 314-595-4565 (I think this is the correct number).
More info on registration can be found at https://www.stlcc.cc.mo.us/conted/spring01/info.html. (Mail will not be an option, since it's my understanding you can't register classes like mine ahead of time).
Washington University
Here's the description of 'Going, Going, Gone: Technology & Your Rights as a Consumer' :
'Ever tape a TV show to watch later? Convert a CD into mp3's? Borrow a book from the library? Don't look now, but the laws and rights governing copyright and intellectual property are changing rapidly–and the shift favors the owners of content and disadvantages consumers. After an overview of the legal, historical, and philosophical ideas behind intellectual property, we'll look at specific examples facing us today, including Napster, digital television, & current laws in Congress.'
This is not a class; instead, it's a 4-part lecture series. It's going to meet every Wednesday in February from 1-2:30 pm. Since it's not a class but is instead a lecture series, it's really inexpensive–only $100 for the entire series–and there is no homework and no grades. It's for enrichment only, which also means that you won't receive credit for the series. But you will learn a lot, I guarantee.
I've been studying the subject of intellectual property for the last several years, and it's a major passion of mine. Join me if you can!
If you'd like more info, check out http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~ucollege/article.html?id=ne3dc7f65497db1. Information about signing up for the series is also on that page.
Let's take a look at my last class. It's not technology related, and that's a good thing: we all need a bit of variety in our lives. And believe me, this class will offer variety!
Here's the description of 'Literary Representations of Hell' :
'This course will examine different representations of Hell in Eastern and Western literary and religious texts. By studying closely the concept of Hell, students will investigate artistic influences, compare different religions and literature, and examine individual and cultural value systems. Some of the authors and texts we will read and discuss include Gilgamesh, Homer, Virgil, Ovid, Augustine, The Quran, Dante, Chaucer, Milton, Baudelaire, Wilfred Owen, and 'The Far Side'.'
This is going to be a fun class! Back when I was an English teacher, I taught this course for several years. After a hiatus from teaching literature for seven years, I'm back and teaching a course I love. You'll get a great overview of a fascinating subject, you'll read some wonderful and thought-provoking texts, and you'll discuss literature, religion, and philosophy.
This class will be on Tuesday nights 6-8:30 pm at Washington University in St. Louis. It runs from 14 Jan–6 May. Class ID is U32 325. This class starts in one day, so sign up now! (Yes, you can miss the first class if you need to)
Registration for my Wash U classes is still open. Information about registering can be found at http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~ucollege/ or by calling 935-6700 in St. Louis or toll-free at 1-866-340-0723.