Meet Michael Carolan. He is working on a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and teaching film and literature this summer.

Let’s hear what he has to say about himself and summer classes.

Which course do you teach?

English 339, Film and Literature: Dionysus Hitting Bottom: The Alcoholic Narrative in Film and Literature

What do you think students like most about your course?

They seem to respond to the subject matter: alcohol, creativity, the mind, the body. And narratives of despair and redemption are such integral parts of American society, literature, and film. Students respond because it is all tied deeply into how we see ourselves, our families, our friends, our hopes and dreams. It’s also a subject that is often overlooked or not taken seriously.

What interests you about this subject?

I am interested in how human beings interact with one another and how they deal with emotion, especially psychic upheavals that may strike us at certain points in our lives, and often without warning. I am also a writer educated on 20^th century canonical writers whose books and lives were drenched in the most ubiquitous and at the same time least understood of substances: alcohol.

Do you have any advice for students taking your class?

My advice is to come with an open mind, a desire to think below the surface, to come seeking truth. Be ready to make connections between ideas, characters, plots that seem unconnected. We talk across curriculums: 20^th century literature, psychology, popular culture, sociology, addiction studies, medical sociology, social history, film studies, to name a few.

What did you do after college?

I worked as an intern on the Washington Monthly, a Washington, D.C. magazine. I got a job as reporter on a community newspaper in Fairfax, Virginia, and as managing editor for an environmental newsletter that covered Capitol Hill. I also wrote film and book reviews for a literary journal.

Why did you choose to teach?

I choose to teach because I enjoy watching students grow and being a part of a community of learners. It is such positive energy to put out in the universe. There’s nothing like having charged discussions with like-minded learners who are experimenting with their own powers, their imaginations.

Do you have any interesting college stories that you would like to share?

When the University of Kansas won the NCAA basketball championship in 1988, I got drenched in beer by my friends. I also wrote a story for the school newspaper that was late the next day.

The first story I actually wrote for the University Daily Kansan newspaper was picked up by the national college newspaper, U. It was about a biology class that gauged the effects of potential nuclear wars. This came before the NCAA victory all night party.

Have you had any interesting jobs besides teaching?

I’ve done so many different kinds of writing and other odd jobs it’s hard to choose. Let’s see, I wrote factoids for National Public Radio for the old CBS Radio Mystery Theater. That was cool to hear my written work on the radio. In college one summer, I worked for Asplundh Tree Service clearing out brush and trees along power lines on the Kansas prairie. I got in good shape that summer.

What is something interesting about you that most people wouldn’t think of?

I made an 8 mm movie in the seventh grade for art class. My little sister Melanie played the girl who gets attacked by the werewolf. It was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sort of thing where we used time-lapse photography to show the transformation of the villain. It was last screened at Christmas time in Kansas City, where I was born, and it provokes great laughter among my family and friends.

What do you like to do for fun?

I like spending time outdoors and hanging out with my wife and kids the best. I want to get down to New York to see Mike Nichols directing “The Country Girl,” a Clifford Odets play about an alcoholic actor. We will be watching Nichols’ first film, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” in class this summer.

Meet Matt Hunsinger, he is earning has PhD in Psychology
and teaching on campus summer classes to UMass Amherst students.

Let’s hear what he has to say about summer classes.

*Which course do you teach?*

Introduction to Psychology (the classroom section…there’s also an online section
but I’m not teaching that)

*What do you think students like most about your course?*

The interactive-ness of the course. I try as much as I can to incorporate
activities and videos into my lectures. I think this helps students stay
stimulated and better understand the concepts. For example, last summer
when I taught introduction to psychology I showed a clip from the TV show
“The Office” to illustrate a learning concept.

*What interests you about this subject?*

Generally, I am fascinated by the richness and complexity of human thought
and behavior. Specifically, I am interested in understanding the impact of
being in a social group (based on race, ethnicity, ideology, geography, etc)
on our feelings, thoughts, and behavior. I am also interested in the impact
of spiritual practices, such as Buddhist meditation, on consciousness,
thinking, and feelings.

*What do you think the benefits are of taking a summer course?*

On a practical level, it’s a short amount of time. You spend
three and a half we6eks fulfilling a requirement. That’s about a third of the time it takes during a semester.

In terms of the learning and classroom experience: There is a
lot more intimacy. Last year when I taught this class there were only 11
students. You get to know the students, and they get to know each other and
the instructor. The students end up getting a lot of individual attention.
It makes it easier for students to explore their curiosities and interests about human behavior. They can ask more questions, and the class can go more in the direction
of the students’ interests.

It’s also easier for me as instructor to provide information
that satisfies their curiosities. I can do something like have students write down what aspects of human behavior they find most interesting and then try to address those interests in my lectures.

It’s helpful for students to be able to connect to the subject where
their interests are more intense. Because psych covers so much there is
probably something any student can get excited about.

*What do you like about teaching summer courses?*

I like the benefits the students get and a lot of those are
benefits for me as well - the intimacy and being able to address individual students’
curiosities and interests. I like being able to teach without it competing with my school work and research. In the summer I can focus on only teaching and writing about the research I did during the semester without having to worry about collecting data, taking classes, meeting with research assistants, meeting with my advisor, department meetings etc.

Having a smaller class makes it easier to include certain
interactive components. That also benefits the students - it makes the class more
fun and increases learning. For example last summer, towards the end of the
course there was a chapter on problem solving, and I set up different
stations where the students had to solve certain problems. Then as a class
we talked about each problem and related them to concepts from the book.
That’s something that might not have been possible in a class of even
30 students.

*Do you have any advice for students taking your class?*

Get enough sleep the night before…3 hours of class in the morning and early
afternoon is a long time : )

*What did you do after college?*

Right after college I worked at two different jobs in the mental health
field. My first job was at an inpatient facility where I ran therapy groups
and monitored client safety; my second job entailed helping individuals with
chronic mental illness living independently in the community. After that, I
spent two years at Illinois State University getting my master’s degree in
cognitive science, which is the study of mental or cognitive processes such
as attention and memory. After I finished my master’s degree I came to
UMass to get my Ph.D. in experimental social psychology. I hope to finish
my Ph.D. by the end of next Spring.

*Why did you choose to teach?*

I really enjoy teaching. I like sharing information about human thought and
behavior, getting students interested in psychology, helping students
understand how psychology relates to their life, and helping students
satisfy their curiosities about human thought and behavior.

*Matt’s research at UMass:*

Matt is involved in two different lines of research.
Specifically, Matt is involved in researching how our emotional states effect stereotyping and prejudice. He is also involved in research examining factors that influence women’s desire and motivation to pursue their interests in math and science.

*What is something interesting about you that most people wouldn’t think of?

I am a drummer; I play the djembe, which is an African drum, and I recently
started playing the tabla, which is an Asian Indian drum.

*What do you like to do for fun?***

Spend time with my girlfriend, friends, and family, play the drums, read
about spirituality/religion, psychology, physics, and philosophy, hike,
bike, meditate, watch movies, and listen to music.

*Do you have any interesting college stories that you would like to share?*

I had fun in college and did lots of stuff, but everything I did was pretty
typical for a college student.

*Have you had any interesting jobs besides teaching?*
Not really…my worst job was working at a Christmas tree farm having to cut
down trees with a handsaw and then drag the tree to a machine that tied it
up.

Boris Revsin is a 21 year old entrepreneur and student. We sat down with him to see how he is able to balance his professional and academic responsibilities using summer session classes at UMass Amherst. He is a co-founder of the popular CampusLIVE college homepage, based in Amherst Massachusetts.

Q: Hi Boris, how are you this afternoon?
A: I’m great thanks, happy to share some of my experiences with you.

Q: When you first came to UMass, did you plan on graduating in four years?
A: Absolutely, I came in just like everyone else wanting to get a degree and move on to a real-life job. I never expected to have the opportunity to turn my favorite hobby into a full time job.

Q: Do you have a full-time job now?
A: Actually more like two, starting your own business is almost like having two jobs in one. Your learning how to run a business full-time, and you’re running the business itself full-time.

Q: When during your college career did you realize you didn’t have time to be a full-time student?
A: The winter break during my junior year I was working at a consulting company doing web development for the Mitt Romney Presidential campaign. We needed some extra help so I asked around for talented people in the area. That’s when I met Jared Stenquist, the brainchild behind CampusLIVE. We continued our work relationship through smaller side projects. As soon as I returned to school I realized what a great opportunity Jared, Jeff (a UMass Amherst Alumni), and I had in front of us. That’s when I understood that being a full time student was only going to put a strain on both my academic and professional life.

Q: What did you do next?
A: I wanted to finish school and be a college graduate, but I knew that being a full time student wasn’t going to work. That’s when I did some research and discovered summer session at UMass Amherst.

Q: How has taking classes during the summer been beneficial for you?
A: Well, I was able to continue working full time and still come closer towards finishing my degree. It’s killing two birds with one stone and it’s a great opportunity for anyone who doesn’t think they have the time.
Q: What class did you take during the summer?
A: I took macro-economics, and a couple of computer science courses.

Q: Was it easy to contact the professor outside of class if you ever needed extra help
A: Sure, communication was no problem. They were all quick to respond to questions by email and WebCT [Now known as SPARK]. As a rule I found that professors at UMass Amherst are extremely helpful and responsive, and take their summer session classes just as seriously as they do their fall/spring semester classes.

Q: Would you recommend taking classes over the summer?
A: I hope to take at least two more classes this summer. I would definitely recommend those who are on the fence to at least take a look at what summer session can offer you. Summers are a slower time of the year for my company so I am happily able to continue my education.

Thanks Boris, for speaking with us!

Are you teaching or taking a summer class? If so, we’d like to feature you on our blog. Write to summer@contined.umass.edu to tell us more about your summer plans.

Jeremy Cohen teaches an interesting class: African Drumming: Technique, Pedagogy and Program Implementation in the School Setting

The class meets 7/10-7/12, Thursday/Friday/Saturday, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Cost: 2 credits, $320/credit
60826, sec 1

This workshop will focus on the techniques and pedagogy of African drumming and will provide practical guidelines for recruiting students to perform in drumming ensembles and how to equip and schedule groups in the school setting. Part of the Master of Music Education Program, registration is open to all students.

Photos below: (1) At the workshop of David Amoo, master drum maker and Artistic Director of the Ghana Nation Dance Ensemble (photo: Catherine Lovell) (2) Kopeyia Bloomfield Cultural Troupe, led by Emmanuel Agbeli, Ghanaian master drummer and Director of the Dagbe Cultural Center (photo: Jeremy Cohen) (3) Instructor Jeremy Cohen in his classroom at the Umana Middle School Academy in East Boston, MA. (photo: Joshi Radin),

Photo: Jeremy Cohen

Interview with Babette Faehmel, Instructor of History of Sexuality

Which course do you teach?

I teach History 297-f which is an introduction to the “history of sexuality” in America from the colonial period to the recent past. Basically, we look in this class at how people have thought about their sexuality and that of others. We investigate, for instance, how and why sex has been controlled and regulated, or how attitudes about sexuality and politics have influenced each other. This summer, it will be the first time that I teach this class as an online course. I am pretty excited about that!

What do you think students like most about your course?

What students seem to like about this course is that they learn about an aspect of history that most of their classes leave out – people’s intimate lives and thoughts. I also think that they like getting a somewhat broader perspective on sexuality. They discover that talk about sex is often not “just” about what people do in or outside of bed, but that “sex talk” at times also reveals what they thought about, say, the nation state, or about race. I think students find that intriguing. Aside from this, students seem to enjoy the topic because they can bring in so much of their own experience. Pretty much everybody has at some point been conflicted or confused about issues of sexuality, morality, etc. We all have at some point been shocked. Well, in this class we can look at what’s underneath it all and how we ourselves fit into history.

What interests you about this subject?

I find it fascinating to look at what seems like natural behavior, or common sense, from a historical perspective. I like to find out why something is a certain way, why people think in a particular fashion about every-day issues, and how this has evolved over time. I find that it gives you a whole new perspective on life. Once you see that stuff has developed over time and has not always been this way or that way, you can more easily think about ways to change things you don’t like, or imagine acting differently than you have in the past. I find that empowering.

Do you have any advice for students taking your class?

Students should get in touch with me before the class starts so they get all the information about the text-book and the course requirements. I assigned John D’Emilio and Estelle B. Freedman’s Intimate Matters for this class, and the book will be available at the UMASS college bookstore. So that’s basic, practical, advice.

In addition, I would like to urge students to approach the course with an open mind. My students in the past have been amazingly respectful of each other in discussions and this was absolutely essential for the course to work. I want all class members to feel safe to ask questions and to articulate their thoughts. This means that we will probably all hear the one or other point of view that we find strange or that we disagree with. The challenge will then be to take this not as an insult or challenge to all we ever believed, but to see it as an opportunity for a potentially illuminating discussion. It’s a pretty big challenge, and I can’t claim that I always live up to my own lofty goals. But I am trying!

What did you do after college?

What did I do after college? Ha, ha. As if I ever left… I am currently doing final revisions on my dissertation. I would have said the same thing the same time last year, though. I guess the “final” revisions took longer than I thought they would. I am getting close to the end now, but there is still a lot I have to do.

Why did you choose to teach?

I actually did not want to be a teacher, initially. When I started graduate school, I thought I wanted to be a writer, researcher, and scholar. The teaching, I thought, would just be one of those things that came with these other, more appealing, aspects of the profession. But then, the more I interacted with students in the classroom, the more I liked it. By now, I am hooked, and I want to do this for the rest of my life. I have a lot to learn, still, about how to be a more efficient teacher, but I am pretty certain that this is the right occupation for me.

What is something interesting about you that most people wouldn’t think of?

I am originally from Germany. In a class that is not online, students usually notice that as soon as I open my mouth, but for distance learners this might not be instantly obvious. I am also the first in my family to go to college, and I took some detours before getting there. I worked in a number of administrative and office jobs after high school, but I found those deadly boring. I then worked as a bike messenger which was not boring, but also not something for the long-term. I had by that time started to study history at Hamburg University in Germany, but I can’t say that it was love-at-first-sight. I really only decided on a field after meeting a very intriguing professor who happened to specialize in American history. He later encouraged me to apply to graduate school in the U.S. And here I still am.

What do you like to do for fun?

I love to get together with my friends, and I try to do that as often as my busy schedule allows. We all like to get together for endless dinners and talks. I also like to hike, to swim, to ride my bike, or to go on trail rides on horseback.

Which course do you teach?

I teach “Drugs and Society” On-Line through UMass Amherst Continuing Education. Actually, I taught this course for many years at UMass Amherst ‘live,’ when I was a graduate student pursuing my Ph. D. at the University.

What do you think students like most about your course?

Over the years, students have often expressed surprise at how much they learn in the class. While the course is about drugs, it is still a Sociology class: so I use the topic of ‘Drugs and Society’ as a platform to incorporate all kinds of sociological material in surprising ways. The class is an opportunity for me to take students on an intellectual journey that they might not have been expecting!

What interests you about this subject?

I’m often surprised at the pre-conceptions that students have concerning the role of drugs in our contemporary society. Many people don’t stop to think about their Dunkin’ Donuts coffee as a substance, for instance, probably because caffeine is so commonplace. But no matter what the drug in question may be, the issue of the alteration (and sometimes expansion) of consciousness is what binds the class together. Certainly, people don’t need to take a drug to alter their consciousness: we do so by daydreaming, or by practicing yoga, and so on. I think that it is important to offer students an interesting new paradigm by which to view the material.

Do you have any advice for students taking your class?

The most important things are to keep an open mind; to participate in class; and to read all of the material, especially the lectures I’ve created just for this on-line environment!

Can you describe the advantages of taking an online class?

My on-line classes are very much student-driven. Participation is absolutely key, and students have often remarked at how swiftly the discussion boards come alive. I like the students to engage each other, so it is important for me to provide an environment in which people can express themselves freely and respectfully. Really, without the students, the class wouldn’t have its special atmosphere!

Is there anything you would like to share about living in New York compared to Amherst?

I miss living in western Massachusetts dreadfully! The smell of the spring and summer mornings out in the countryside is really wonderful. And I lived in Northampton for nearly a decade; Northampton had a real feeling of community, which I don’t experience in the suburbs of New York.

Why did you become a professor?

Nothing strikes me as more important than the pursuit of knowledge. I know that students are often preoccupied with how college will help them get a high-paying job in the future – and that’s certainly a concern – but at what other time in your life do you get the opportunity to be exposed to new perspectives and ways of thinking? I love being part of that experience with my students. Teaching during my graduate studies at UMass Amherst served to solidify my commitment to academia.

What is something interesting about you that most people wouldn’t think of?

I wish that I was a musician. On occasion, I’ll sing karaoke and pretend that I’m someone else. I might very well be a frustrated artist, or a goth at heart!

What do you like to do for fun?

I really like traveling – I’ve spent summers in Italy and Romania, recently, where I met my beautiful and amazing wife.

Do you have any interesting college stories that you would like to share?

When I was an undergraduate student, I used to write some plays with my friends that were meant to be performed as regular conversation in public places. The social interaction would have looked natural, but in fact, it was scripted – and no one around us knew that there was a little bit of art going on. That’s always struck me as a bit of subversive expression!

E. J. Barnes, Instructor, Basic Cartooning (Summer 2008)

Which course do you teach?

I’m teaching LLART-7, the non-credit Basic Cartooning workshop, in the first term of the UMass Summer School, under the Continuing Education program.

What do you think students [will] like most about your course?

Six evenings aren’t enough for me to teach you how to draw cartoons. I won’t teach you how to draw like Bill Watterson or Jack Kirby or Roz Chast. Instead, I teach the basic tools, terminology, and techniques. I teach cartooning from a problem-solving aspect. Coming up with a drawing style or a storytelling style or a gag-brainstorming style is up to you. But if you’re just starting out, you need to get past the things that will hold up your progress because you don’t even know how to ask how to do them. Cartooning looks easy, but it’s not easy until you know the basics.

What interests you about this subject?

I’ve been drawing since before I could read, and drew my first comic book when I was 13. But over the years, there was only so much I was able to do on my own, educating myself in an art that looks so easy when you only see the final product on the printed page or on the Web. Even a little formal training should help the student get started on his or her own explorations, just as it did for me.

What art classes have you taken?

I went to art school for one semester in California, and I later took evening classes at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Taking classes is a good way to strengthen your weaknesses. Working with watercolors was a weakness for me, so I took a class in watercolors a few years ago and became much more comfortable with them. I used watercolor in my comic book, Birds of the Baltic.

Can you tell me more about your comic book Birds of the Baltic?

It is based on a trip that I made to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. I wasn’t planning on making a comic book about it until I participated in a 24-Hour Comic Book Day in 2005. It’s where you get together with other comic book artists and each artist makes an entire 24-page comic book in 24 hours.

How did you manage to do that?

I wrote the entire comic book script in the first hour. I penciled it in 12 hours, and lettered it in 6 hours. I had 5 hours left to get through inking over the pencils, but I didn’t quite finish. I later finished it, including painting the whole thing in watercolor, which took a week’s time.

How did you stay awake to work on your comic book for 24 hours straight?

I had to walk around to stop myself from falling asleep. A lot of people didn’t make it through the 24 hours. Some people fell asleep right on the table.

Do you have any advice for students taking your class?

I’ll give the class a materials list on the first day, but only a few of the items on the list are required for the workshop. I get like a kid in a toy shop when I go to the art supply store, and some of my students do, too. Don’t go to the art supply store and buy everything that looks exciting on that first trip. Just get the required materials, and save for later the stuff on the list that you’d like to try out after you’ve taken a few of the classes, once you’ve been doing some drawing and you really feel you’re up for some experimentation.

What did you do after college?

Cartooning is actually my third career, if you count the fact that my college major (Chemistry) had almost nothing to do with the field I worked in for sixteen years (software engineering). I’m a better artist for having been an engineer. Working as a computer professional gave me vital experience in project planning, teamwork, and communication - things that we don’t think of as part of the life of a free-lance artist, but which definitely are.

What is something interesting about you that most people wouldn’t think of?

Well, most people wouldn’t think that someone they just met was a cartoonist. Unless, of course, they were at some event like a comic-book convention, where you would expect to meet lots of cartoonists. I do offer my self-published comic books at comics conventions. I also offer them at outdoor art festivals, like ArtShow Amherst a few years ago. I don’t offer them at those snobby art festivals that only want the exhibitors to sell original art that people can hang on their wall, and won’t let me sell comic books.

What do you like to do for fun?

Read comics and graphic novels, absorb large quantities of information, get mad at politicians and bureaucrats, travel to places nobody’s ever heard of, and hang out with other artists.

Do you have any interesting college stories that you would like to share?

I once had a professor who would write all over the board, turn to the class to talk, then turn back toward the board and write right through what he’d written earlier, without erasing anything.

Or would you rather hear about the experiments with barium halides in molecular beams?

Have you had any interesting jobs besides teaching?

You mean besides teaching, and cartooning, and engineering?

The summer after my sophomore year, I had a swing-shift job in a hospital lab. I had to process urine samples by dipping a disposable plastic loop in the test tube containing the sample, and streaking the liquid film that stuck to the loop across agar medium in a Petri dish. I never got to see any of the plates (as we called them) after they were “cultured,” though, so I never got to see how many of them grew anything.

Feel free to add anything you think might be of interest.

My website is at www.ejbarnes.com

pictures from Birds of the Baltic comic book by E.J. Barnes