From Compassion to Photojournalism to Basket Weaving: Learn Online with SBS Community Classes
This fall, as part of its Community Classroom Program, the University of Arizona College of Social and Behavioral Sciences is offering nine non-credit courses on topics ranging from compassion to crime and the city to making videos on your cell phone for effective DIY marketing.
In addition to courses by SBS faculty and community scholars, this fall’s line-up includes two classes offered in partnership with the College of Fine Arts, one related to the extensive archive of award-winning photojournalism at the Center for Creative Photography and one about the Feldenkrais Method, an approach that connects the mind and body.
The college is offering both online and in-person classes and workshops. For more information and to register, visit https://communityclassroom.arizona.edu/upcoming-courses.
"I’m pleased we can offer a variety of interesting class options for the lifelong students in our community,” said Maribel Alvarez, associate dean of community engagement for the College of SBS. “The classes in the SBS Community Classroom portfolio stand out for their timely and thought-provoking topics as well as for the authenticity of relationships across the culture and heritage of the Southwest region.”
Huata Ma:cig (Basket Weaving Knowledge)
Regina and Megan Siquieros, a mother and daughter duo of Tohono O’odham basket master weavers, will share historical information about basketry and teach hands-on preparation of basket materials, including the careful regulations and stewardship of desert resources. Participants will also try basic basket weaving techniques.
Courageous Compassion – Tools for Cultivating Care and Compassion
Taught by Leslie Langbert, executive director of the Center for Compassion Studies, this class offers an introduction to Sustainable Compassion Training. The instructor will provide tools to deepen participants’ experience of receiving care, extending care, and expanding self-care in order to avoid burn out and empathy fatigue. (Class second session.)
Connecting Mind and Body Through the Feldenkrais Method®
Taught by certified Feldenkrais practitioner Andrew Belser, director of the School of Theatre, Film & Television, these classes involve slow body movements that will focus on mindfulness through movement while exploring topics such as mental health, chronic pain, relieving tension, and moving with more ease.
Whiteness and Racial Violence in America
Anthropologist Jennifer Roth-Gordon will offer insights on how racial violence works with other forms of structural racism and how race and whiteness structure our world. She will explore how racial inequality is created and maintained.
Crime and the City
Geographer Stefano Bloch will discuss neighborhood-based criminalization and how processes of urban development such as redlining, suburbanization, and gentrification affect our perception of criminal activity. Bloch will also explore historical crime trends, crime statistics, and how the city is a co-creator of what constitutes crime and how it is policed.
From the Front Page to the Archive: How Photojournalism Helps Shape Civic Life
Led by Meg Jackson Fox, associate curator of academic and public programs at the Center for Creative Photography, this course takes its inspiration from CCP’s rich collection of photojournalism to engage participants in conversation on the documentation of civic life in America. The course also features two guest appearances from renowned photojournalists.
The Yaqui People: From Historical Struggles to Contemporary Resiliency
In this course, Elizabeth Astorga Gaxiola, a faculty member with Pima Community College and a graduate student at the University of Arizona, will examine the historical and contemporary contexts that shape Yaqui life, identity, and culture.
DIY Video and Online Marketing Strategies
Nate McKowen, an award-winning filmmaker and owner of Updraft Productions, will review strategies for developing an effective online profile for businesses. Participants will learn how to develop an effective online marketing strategy and create professional videos with their cell phones and free software.
Sonoran Desert Fibers, Furs, and Fun
Taught by Jesús García, research associate with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, this cultural immersion course explores local fiber resources and individual plant species traditionally used by Native Peoples of the Sonoran Desert region.