One month left of summer and we're looking forward to the beginning of another school year! We hope your preparations are on track for your new school year and that you've saved some time to take advantage of the fall course selections we've planned with you in mind.

Fitchburg State University fall graduate course offerings for teachers include a variety of courses in education and special education, but also courses in content areas.

A sample of available courses include:

• ART 7007         Mosaic Mural Project                                           
                                                    Students will work with ceramic mosaic tile as an art form, and will also have the opportunity to create mosaic panels to be installed as pieces of public art in various possible locations within the City of Fitchburg. Students taking the class for graduate credit will be expected to complete an additional final studio project and presentation.
  
  
• ASL 6800         American Sign Language and Deaf Culture
  This course emphasizes visual readiness skills and conversational skills by utilizing grammatical principles, language functions, and cultural behaviors. Students explore the functions of language and identify cultural behaviors characteristic of deaf people. Students increase their fluency in American Sign Language: describing behavior, making requests, and giving directions, etc.

• BIOL 7001        Biology of Mammals
  This course is an investigation of the evolution and present biology of mammals involving extensive use of native New England species. Laboratory work includes identification of mammal species from skins, skulls, and tracks. Field trips enhance familiarity with what is learned in the classroom. The course involves four hours of lecture/laboratory plus additional hours for field trips.

• CRAR 8145      Celebrating Diversity Through the Arts (online/hybrid)
  The course is a study of methods used for balancing Euro-centric cultural backgrounds; celebrating cultural diversity through the arts; building respect and understanding through cultural grid systems; creating harassment-free learning environments; teaching without gender bias; and understanding, discussing, and preventing classroom sexism, racism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia.
  
  
• ENGL 9025      Romantic Women Writers
  Romantic-era literature is known for its invocations of the power of the imagination through lyric poetry that illustrates the contemplations of a mind nurtured by the power of nature. While these ideas hold true to well-known male poets of the period (Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, et al), they seem less precise in describing writings by female authors of the Romantic era. This course will examine works by female poets, novelists, and critics from 1789-1834 to uncover how women's writing can adapt, challenge, or controvert well-established ideas about the Romantic era. Our readings will include works from writers such as Helen Maria Williams, Hannah More, Mary Wollstonecraft, Charlotte Smith, Joanna Baillie, Mary Robinson, Anna Barbauld, Dorothy Wordsworth, Felicia Hemans, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, and Mary Shelley.
  
  
• ESCI 7400       Oceanography (online)
  This course examines the physical and chemical properties of sea water and their roles in the energy/nutrient cycles of marine ecosystems, the role of nutrient cycles and upwelling in fisheries locations, the fluid dynamics of oceanic circulations in both the surface and deep water regions, and the geology of the seabed, including plate tectonics (continental drift), marine sedimentation processes and coral reef formation and bleaching. Finally, a thorough study of the coastal geomorphic/oceanic processes that shape the coastlines of the world via wave dynamics, coastal erosion and erosion control techniques is explored.
  
  
• HIST 9003        Urban America (online)
  This course examines the growth and development of cities in the United States from the late 19th century to the present, focusing on four broad, overlapping subjects: growth and differentiation within urban systems and city-regional relations, the built environment, urban society and group relations, and civic life.
  
  
• MATH 7400      Mathematical Modeling (online/hybrid)
  The designs of mathematical models for solving problems in the physical, social and life sciences are examined. Emphasis is on the use of mathematics in such problems as traffic flow, group decision making and queuing.
  
  
• MUSC 8005     Musical Arranging (online)
  Students gain knowledge of ranges, transportation, unique characteristics of instruments and voices and their use in traditional ensembles. Students apply this knowledge to arrange selections with their own creative dimensions.

This is just a selection of our fall courses, so if you haven't found the course you're looking for, be sure and check out our complete fall course listing. 

When you find the course that fits your needs, be sure to register by August 20 to save yourself the $50 registration fee!

You've read the blog and looked at the course listing. Still don't see what you're looking for?

Let us know in the comments section below.