UC Merced Summer Session II begins August 4th

MERCED, CA. — UC Merced is sending out a final call to San Joaquin Valley residents interested in expanding their educational horizons and earning University of California credit through UC courses offered at UC Merced's educational and outreach centers in Atwater, Fresno and Bakersfield.

On the schedule for the second half of the 2003 UC Merced Summer Session are lower-division courses in biology, macroeconomics and nutrition taught by UC Davis faculty. The number of students enrolled by July 25 will determine final course availability, so everyone interested is strongly encouraged to apply soon.

In addition to supporting academic advancement, each of the courses has valuable practical applications as well.

Taught by Jack Goldberg, a senior lecturer in the UC Davis Division of Biological Sciences, General Biology is a non-lab course that satisfies a general education requirement for students not specializing in biology. This summer, Goldberg is making a special effort to reach out to middle school science teachers. He has developed a project option for the course to allow teachers - often not science majors themselves - to strengthen their own background in biology and bring new lessons into their own classrooms. To increase accessibility for teachers and other working students, this course is offered in the evening.

Principles of Macroeconomics is designed for students interested in analyzing such interrelated economic issues as money, banking, economic development, economic fluctuations, international trade and the role of public policy. “Basically, this is an overview of theories and principles underlying macroeconomics and their applications,” said instructor Garland Brinkley, a UC Berkeley and UC Davis lecturer in economics. “The course will enable students to answer questions such as: How much richer will you be than your parents?' How hard will it be to find a new job in five years?' Will inflation make you rich or poor?'”

Elizabeth Applegate, a lecturer in the Nutrition Department at UC Davis, teaches the popular Discoveries and Concepts in Nutrition course, which covers nutrition as a science, the historical development of nutrition concepts, and properties of nutrients and foods. “My goal is for the classroom material to be memorable and applicable to real life, so I try to give students plenty of current information that affects them personally and talk about current issues and fads rather than focus on history and concepts,” Applegate said. “One measure of success is when students can take what they have learned and make more nutritious decisions when they go to a restaurant or the grocery store.”

Presented in cooperation with UC Davis, the trio of scheduled courses will leverage technology to maximize interaction and student participation via live, two-way videoconferencing.

Current UC students, community college students, recent high school graduates, and other community members 18 and older are welcome to enroll in UC Merced Summer Session courses. Also invited to apply are incoming high school seniors, who must supply a letter from their school principal or counselor confirming their grade point average and their readiness for university-level study.

Three to five units of UC credit are available for each course. Fees range from $255 to $425 for UC students and $300 to $500 for non-UC students.

Registration information, application materials and more details about UC Merced Summer Session courses are available online at www.ucmerced.edu/professional_dev/programs_students.asp. For additional information, please contact Summer Session Coordinator Shannon Adamson at (559) 241-7407 or ucmsummersess@ucop.edu.