Graduate School of Liberal Studies classes attract the kind of people who want to think deeply about their world. People like you who love to encounter new ideas and explore diverse perspectives. Whether you have graduated from the GLS or Hamline, sampled a class with us before or have been out of the classroom for twenty years, sampler courses offer a way explore a rigorous, intellectual, creatively challenging environment with accomplished, supportive faculty.

Our course sampling opportunities are varied and easily accessible for those looking to get a feel for one our degree programs, to work with a specific professor or, as for many, just to dip a toe back into the classroom setting. Should you decide to apply to the program down the road, credits earned can be applied to your degree.

Select a term and browse course offerings:

JANUARY TERM 2010

     Pilgrimage Stories
     Real to Reel: The Making of a Nonfiction Film

SPRING TERM 2010

     Perceptions of the Middle East
     12 Spiritual Texts
     Terry Tempest Williams and the Mosaic of Community
     The Burden of Self

Pilgrimage Stories
Tuesday & Thursday evenings, 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Giddens Learning Center, Room 103E. 2 credits. 

There are few human rituals as timeless or cross-cultural as pilgrimage. The world is fairly dotted with sacred destinations, the paths to Jerusalem, Mecca, Delphi. Benares, Iona, Lourdes---deep grooves carved by the steps of faith and hope. The physical act of walking is compelling because it literally grounds the spiritual quest. Whether a person can even name the reasons for going, the very fact of moving quickens our attention, and jettisons our habits in a way that leaves us wide awake.

In this course we reflect on the impulse to retrieve a sense of purpose, by putting one's feet in the footsteps of the past. We learn from two who walk-ed the Camino De Santiago, from France to Spain, and experience a labyrinth walk ourselves.

Reading will include: Traveling Souls, ed., B. Bouldrey; Contemporary The Art of Pilgrimage, P. Coustineau; Walking In A Relaxed Manner, J. Rupp; and Walking A Sacred Path: The Labyrinth, L. Artress, and excerpts from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

Professor: Julie Neraas

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Real to Reel: The Making of a Nonfiction Film
Monday & Thursday evenings, 6:00-9:00 pm
Robbins Science Center, Room 05. 2 credits.

This course will provide students a hands-on exploration of the documentary genre. Students will participate in the filmmaking process from script to screen, from pre-production through post production. Employing current digital technology, the class will produce a short small scale film with an emphasis on editing.

Instructor: Mick Caouette

SPRING TERM 2010

Perceptions of the Middle East
Mondays, 6-9 pm. February 8-May 10, 2010.
Bush Memorial Library, room 302. 4 credits.

What is Middle Eastern culture and how do people in this part of the world define themselves? This class provides a glimpse into the lives of people in the Middle East through film, music, poetry and literature. Each week will provide opportunities for research, written analysis and discussion of course content. Materials will cover a range of genres and topics which illustrate the complexity of modern Middle Eastern society. Course content will provide a foundation to explore the diverse lives and perspectives of people in countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Morocco, Yemen, Turkey and Iran. Assignments will encourage a cross-cultural comparison between countries and with American society. Students will participate in weekly discussions both in class and online through Blackboard, write reviews, one paper and form research groups to give a presentation on some aspect of Middle Eastern culture.

Instructor: Nima Salehi

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12 Spiritual Texts
Mondays, 6-9 pm. February 8-May 10, 2010
Giddens Learning Center, room 102E. 4 credits.

To say that we live in interesting times with regard to religion and spiritual life is an understatement. Changes are happening faster than we can make sense of. The U.S. has
become the most religiously diverse country in the world. Fundamentalists among all three monotheisms are rising in numbers and visibility. Revolutionary advances in science have shattered the prevailing view of reality in the west. We now know that our universe is dynamically alive and evolving. Religion and science are conversing in new ways. Feminists, people of color, and minority voices are challenging traditional views.

The early years of a new millennium are a unique time to reflect on pivotal texts from the last century, along with contemporary texts from the new one. Students are invited to select the twelfth text. Readings will include: Standing Alone, Asra Nomani; Breakfast With Buddha, Roland Merullo; Proverbs of Ashes, Brock and Palmer; The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle; Freedom in Exile, The Dalai Lama; The Silent Cry, Dorothe Soelle; Faith, Sharon Salzberg; Addiction and Grace, Gerald May; Rediscovering The Sacred, Winona Laduke; God, Faith and Health, Jeff Levin; The Big Questions in Science and Religion, Keith Ward.

Professor: Julie Neraas

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Collisions of Violence and Beauty: Terry Tempest Williams and the Mosaic of Community
Wednesdays, 6-9 pm. February 3-May 12, 2010.
Drew Science Center, room 118. 4 credits.

”Wildness reminds us,” Terry Tempest Williams writes, ”what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.” In this class we look at the literary works of author Terry Tempest Williams, in conjunction with her Spring 2010 visit to Hamline as the Mahle Scholar in Residence for Progressive Thought. We focus on the author's diverse conversations, influences, and alliances with other writers, environmentalists, activists, visual artists, feminist thinkers, and those who share her spiritual traditions, and we explore her literary attempts to recover beauty from brokenness and reconfigure family, community, and the intersections of a broader world.

We read writings by the author, including her newest, FINDING BEAUTY IN A BROKEN WORLD as well as LEAP, REFUGE, THE OPEN SPACE OF DEMOCRACY and others. In addition we look at the works of such friends, colleagues and influences as Edward Abbey, Barry Lopez, Susan Griffin, Helene Cixous, Arundhati Roy, Clarice Lispector, Maxine Hong Kingston, Rachel Carson, Wallace Stegner, women from across time writing about wilderness and the environment, visual artists she's collaborated with, and Mormon writers of her home community. Students write critically and creatively in response to course readings, as well as participate in a class mosaic project.

Professor: Barrie Jean Borich

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The Burden of Self
Thursdays, 6-9 pm. February 4-May 13, 2010
Bush Memorial Library, room 301. 4 credits.

We like to think of selves as something we have, something deep inside us that we work to discover. It may be more revealing, though, to look at selves as something we achieve, a performance that we stage for and with others as we make claims about who we are in the places we find ourselves.

A number of writers have profitably taken this perspective: Erving Goffman made it famous with his ”Presentation of Self,” R. D. Laing employed it in psychotherapy, Toni Packer talks about the need to stop making ourselves so hard so that we can respond more authentically to circumstances. This course will examine how we create and maintain selves, how we vary our self-presentation strategically, and the cost of believing too strongly in our own performances. We will read from these authors, do little social studies of our own, write illustrative dialogue, and talk a lot about our existential limitations and the nature of self-consciousness. We will read Goffman, Laing, and Packer, as well as Ram Dass, J. D. Salinger, Ken Wilbur, and others. http://burdenofself.ning.com/

Instructor: Kelly Coyle

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HOW TO REGISTER:

Simply print the Sampler Registration Form and return it to the Graduate School of Liberal Studies via mail, fax or in person. (Return information is on the form.)

POLICIES & PROCEDURES:

Sampler students must have a bachelor’s degree. Complete registration forms may be sent via fax, mail or brought to the Student Administrative Services Office in person. Sorry, online registration is not available for non-degree seeking students. Courses are open on a space-available basis.

Fees/Payment: 
Fall 2009: $416 per semester credit for MALS courses; $428 per credit for MFA courses.

All credits in graduate semester credits. Courses range from 2-4 credits. Texts and course packets at additional cost may also be required. Those considering a payment plan should call Student Administrative Services 651-523-3000 for details.

Withdrawal: In accordance with the Official Academic Calendar, restrictions on refunds apply. Please call Student Administrative Services at 651-523-3000 for details.

Cancellation: If a course does not reach minimum enrollment, it will be canceled at least seven days prior to the first session. Tuition paid will be refunded or held for another course.

Evaluation: Letter grade or Pass/No Pass option must be specified at the first class. Outside assignments will be required of all registrants, regardless of grading system.

Application to degree program: Only sampler courses taken for a letter grade may be considered for future transfer into a Hamline University degree program. Grades earned must be a B- or better. Application and admission to a degree program are required.

Parking Information: Free in St. Paul campus lots after 4:30 p.m. and on weekends. Free parking at the HU Minneapolis Center.

Special Assistance: Please notify Student Administrative Services when you register.

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