Early Start is a three-day, 1 credit seminar sponsored by University College. It’s a great value, and you get to interact with other incoming students and some of our best professors while learning about an interesting subject of your choice. Discover what a college course and campus life are like before the fall semester begins.
Program dates will be selected in spring 2010. Registration will be open beginning May 1, 2010. To participate in this program, complete the online registration form and mail your payment to the Office of Student Life. Once you register and we receive your payment, you will be notified of your session and provided additional information. Direct questions to Ball State's University College at 765-285-8094.
Program Fee: $100 (includes 1 hour of course credit, meals, lodging, materials, and evening activities)
Program Dates: To be decided for 2010
Below is a sample of the seminars offered during the summer of 2009. Students provided a ranked list of three preferences but participated in only one seminar.
American Indians in Crime Film
Participants viewed crime films dealing with American Indians, including Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story; Skins; and two films based on Tony Hillerman novels, Coyote Waits and A Thief of Time. These films gave students some insight into Indian criminal justice and the trials and tribulations faced by native peoples in two distinct areas of Indian Country.
A Multimedia-Packed Personal Web Site Design Workshop
In this fun, hands-on workshop, students had the opportunity to use the latest computer technology that Ball State University has to offer to design a multimedia-packed personal Web site to publish and share with the world. Students got to work with related technologies such as digital cameras, digital video, digital music files, and scanners. This workshop was great for students majoring in art, journalism, telecommunications, business, technology, and education.
How to Get What You Want
Students learned communication skills, promotional skills, and goal-setting to help them succeed in business and in other facets of their lives. Students interested in majoring in business found this workshop especially useful, but any student can benefit from the session.
My World, My Self
Who are you, anyway? Are you your mother’s daughter? Your grandfather’s spit and image? In this workshop, students thought and wrote about the specific qualities that define their individuality. They questioned the impact of media, of family, and of community in on shaping their sense of self.
Interpreting Myself: Self Portraits in Words & Images
Participants considered their personal experiences as subject matter for poems, collages, and drawings to create a hand-made book.
Sex & Gender in the Media
Does playing video games cause violence in boys? Does reading fashion magazines lead to unhealthy eating habits among young girls? Students examined how the media influences our interpretations of gender in America.
Stand Out from the Crowd: Designing a Digital Portfolio
Creating a digital portfolio can help you compete more successfully for the volunteer and work opportunities you will pursue as a college student. During the workshop, students laid the foundation for a Web-based digital portfolio.
Television Production
Students learned to produce video packages for television through hands-on experience. In teams, students shot video footage at the Indiana State Fair and edited that footage into stories.
How to Be a Good Sport
This workshop explored some ethical issues in sport and its role in culture, seeing how sport connects with the outside world. Also, some special attention was given to “America’s pastime,” the game of baseball.
Using Children’s Books for Teaching Kindergarten/Primary Lessons
This workshop used a variety of children’s books to model the thinking that educators must employ to teach well-planned lessons for young children. The workshop included readings, projects, and hands-on activities.