by Anna Bratulic

This is the second of a two-part series on new and interesting courses at Concordia.

Digital relationships online
To save time and improve efficiency, many corporations conduct group meetings over the Internet. As organizations in the arts and education become multi-national, they, too, are using virtual communication. This course trains students in the online communications skills they need for this brave new world.

The course Interpersonal Communications and Relationships has been taught for several years by part-time professor Mia Lobel, in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, but this year, for the first time, she will also teach it online. Considering the content of the course, this is likely to enrich the learning experience.

Strike up the band
If you’ve got a flute or violin or cello, you can challenge yourself by joining the Orchestra, which is both a course for registered students and an ensemble that anyone with proven ability can join.

In the first class, students will do a cold sight-reading of a selected piece, after which Monique Martin, the conductor, will evaluate the group’s skill level.

“From there, we improve a little each time — the speed, the tempo, the nuances,” Martin said. Martin, who also conducts the Chamber Choir, is hoping to combine both courses for one of the concerts that the Orchestra must perform each school year.

The Orchestra is available for credit for music and non-music students as well as members of the public. However, they must be able to play an instrument fairly well in order to participate. Those interested can contact the Department of Music or attend a class on Mondays at 7:30 in the Concert Hall.

Course on Jewry is open to all
Scholars, Identities and Community, offered by the Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies, examines facets of Jewish presence and identity in Canada as seen by a selection of scholars.
Each class focuses on one author and his or her work. Here are some sample topics: the debate surrounding Esther Delisle’s study on anti-Semitism and nationalist ideology in 1930s Quebec; the report on Jewish culture presented to the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism; and the controversial book None Is Too Many, which looks at official Canadian attitudes to European Jewry in the 1930s and 40s.

Taught by Dr. Richard Menkis, a visiting professor from the University of British Columbia, this course is open to graduate students as well as members of the public.