We are pleased to announce that the Schwanke Institute will be held from June 17-28, 2013. Students will take one of three courses, each of which will be taught by outstanding faculty members associated with the Davidson Honors College. Courses will incorporate a "hands-on" approach designed to enhance learning and invite classroom interaction. Students who successfully complete one of these courses will receive two semester college credits. The courses offered are listed below.
Have you ever wondered where the notions of wizards and witches arose? They grew out of early scientific explorations of captivating chemical and physical phenomena. Potions 101 will use an extensive selection of dramatic demonstrations to delve into chemical fundamentals. Course content will focus on an understanding of both the thermodynamic and kinetic underpinnings of chemical reactions. Students will prepare and perform feats of chemical magic, including an enigmatic ink-making spell, a mesmerizing freezing spell, a scintillating cauldron of colored fire, a mysterious oscillating arabesque reaction, and some eye-popping pyrotechnics! We’ll explore the fascinating world of nuclear chemistry and how it makes possible advanced medical imaging. Finally, we’ll probe the theoretical limits on how big atoms can get and how small particles can be.
The instructor for this course is Dr. Garon Smith of the UM Department of Chemistry. He won UM’s 2004 Most Inspirational Teacher of the Year Award and an international award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching, and was named Montana Professor of the year in 2008. Last fall, he was Pittsburgh’s Faraday Lecturer and performed wizardry for an audience of 7500. Dr. Smith conducts research on air pollution, training honeybees to find explosives, green chemistry, theoretical thermodynamics and snowflakes.
“If we had to say what writing is, we would define it essentially as an act of courage.” Cynthia Ozick
“I try to leave out the parts people skip.” Elmore Leonard
This course will focus on the craft of creative writing and include three genres: poetry, short fiction, and creative non-fiction. We will address through reading, discussion, and writing the features of each form. Portfolios will incorporate exercises and examples from each of the three genres, but students will create a more substantial body of work employing their chosen genre. Students will give a public reading featuring a work or excerpt selected from their portfolio. Writing is an exercise in faith and doubt—we will work to develop and sustain faith and overcome and banish doubt.
Course instructor Robert Stubblefield grew up in Eastern Oregon and has published fiction and personal essays in Dreamers and Desperadoes: Contemporary Short Fiction of the American West, Best Stories of the American West, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Left Bank, The Clackamas Literary Review, Cascadia Times, Oregon Humanities, Oregon Salmon: Essays on the State of the Fish at the Turn of the Millennium, Open Spaces, and High Desert Journal, among others. Awards include a Georges and Anne Borchardt scholarship from the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, Fishtrap Fellowship, and Imhaha Writers’ Retreat Fellowship; most recently he was chosen as a finalist for The Doug Fir Fiction Prize.
Everyone has a story to tell, and the possibilities expand dramatically when that story is created within the environment of twenty-first-century digital technology. The Digital Art in Motion class helps lead the way, providing the opportunity for students to write, design, record, and edit their own time-based digital artwork projects. It is a two-week, hands-on experience that integrates two industry-standard software programs, Photoshop and After Effects, and lays the foundation for integrated digital media arts at the college level.
The instructor for this course is Professor Greg Twigg, who is head of the Integrated Digital Media track at the School of Media Arts. His most recent project was creating all of the post-production design for The Bus, which is currently traveling in film festivals across the world.
Estimated Costs(Note: All costs subject to change.)
The estimated cost for tuition is $496.60 for Montana residents and $1,754.30 for out-of-state residents.
The estimated cost for lodging (double occupancy for 12 nights) in a UM residence hall will be $234.00.
The Davidson Honors College grants scholarships that are awarded on the basis of financial need.
For more information, please call Andi Armstrong at (406) 243-2541.
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The Davidson Honors College
The University of Montana
Missoula, MT 59812
Phone: 406-243-2541
Fax: 406-243-6446
E-mail: dhc@umontana.edu