Kermit and Kathleen Schwanke Honors Institute for High School Students

June 13-25, 2010

We are pleased to announce that the Schwanke Institute will be held from June 13-25, 2010. 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.

ENCR 195:  Introduction to Creative Writing

Instructor:  Professor Prageeta Sharma, English

This course will focus on the craft of creative writing and the essential components that make up a poem, a short story, and a personal essay. We, as a group, will try to determine what makes creative writing enjoyable to read and to write.  We will discuss published works and student works--sharing writing weekly. To learn more about how one becomes a poet or writer, we will create a publication journey from inception to publication: We will explore the sense, sound, and structure of many kinds of writing; and we will produce an anthology of poems and give a public reading.

Prageeta Sharma is the author of Bliss to Fill (Subpress Collective, 2000), The Opening Question (Fence Books, 2004, winner of the 2004 Fence Modern Poets Prize) and Infamous Landscapes (Fence Books, 2007). Sharma's poems and writing have appeared in Art Asia Pacific, Bomb, Boston Review, Fence, Indiana Review, The Literary Review, Vanitas, Women's Review of Books and other journals. She is an Associate Professor of English and the Director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Montana.

M 195: Discrete Mathematics

Instructor:  Professor Jenny McNulty, Mathematics

Students who enjoy solving puzzles, figuring out things, and learning mathematics are invited to broaden their knowledge in the area of discrete mathematics. Inquiry-based exploration and group problem solving will be emphasized.  We will answer such questions as: Why does a full house beat a flush in poker?, What is the best way to visit all the cities in Montana? and  How many ways can the cubes of Instant Insanity(tm) be stacked?
Topics include:

• Enumeration:  combinations, permutations, pigeonhole principle, inclusion/exclusion;
• Famous Families of Numbers: Fibonacci, Catalan, Binomial Coefficients, Stirling, Partition; and
• Graph Theory: Algorithms, Traveling Salesman Problem, Ramsey Theory

Students should have a solid mathematical foundation and have finished 9th grade or higher.

Jenny McNulty is a professor at UM whose research and teaching interests are in discrete mathematics. Professor McNulty has many years experience teaching mathematics at UM as well as in summer math camps at Rutgers University and Duke University. 

MAR 195: Story and Film Production

Instructors:  Professor Michael Murphey, Media Arts, and Professor Sean O'Brien, Philosophy

This two-week intensive introduction to the basics of video production focuses on the fundamental principles involved in writing, directing, shooting and editing a dramatic short film.  Students produce and complete a short video drama over the course of two weeks, as well as learn central theories and principles behind filmmaking.

This course is co-taught by Professors Michael Murphy and Sean O'Brien.  Murphy came to The University of Montana after twenty years in professional theatre and film in New York and Los Angeles.  In 1997 he helped create the Media Arts Program, which he headed from 1997 to 2006, and he continues to teach in that program.   O'Brien is currently co-director of the Film Studies option offered under the English Department.  She teaches philosophy, film theory and video production, and her classes often involve a synthesis of all three.

Estimated Costs

Tuition

Tuition was $425.50 for Montana residents and $1,365.10 for nonresident students in 2009.  A modest increase is expected (TBA).

Lodging 

The estimated cost for lodging (double occupancy) in a UM residence hall will be $204.00.

Meals

Students choosing the breakfast plan only will pay approximately $58.20, while those choosing the dinner plan only will pay around $80.00. Those opting for breakfast and dinner will be charged approximately $138.20. Most students select the breakfast and dinner plan.

Scholarships

The Davidson Honors College grants scholarships that are awarded on the basis of financial need.

Application

Need Analysis Form

For more information, please call Andi Armstrong at (406) 243-2541.