A new math class and new English classes will be added, and the astronomy class will return for the Fall 2012 semester.

The new math class, Math 313: Topics in Math for the Humanities, is an upper-level math elective. Other departments asked that the math department add an upper level elective for non-math majors. Anyone can take the class if they have six hours of non-developmental math and have passed them with a C or better. The class will be offered at 2T in the fall and is three credit hours.

The course instructor Heather Gamel, said, “This class is focused toward non-math and non-science majors.”

The course will cover probability, math theory, readings from Lewis Carroll, elementary number theory and looking at math in the liberal arts this semester.

“The class content will change from semester to semester depending on the instructor,” Gamel said.

Astronomy 101: Introduction to Astronomy I, will cover historical astronomy, motion of the stars, planets of the solar system and the moons, the birth, lives, and deaths of stars, star formations, Supernova and the Milky Way Galaxy. There will be a class offered in the fall and spring semesters. In the fall the class will be offered at 3M and is three credit hours. There are no prerequisites for the class. The instructor for the course is Kaisa Young.

“The astronomy class has not made an appearance in 10 years or more,” Chad Young, associate professor of physical science said.

“We have always wanted to offer the class, but we have not had an instructor to do so until now,” Young said.

The English department has added 11 new courses to the catalog and is also working on adding new concentrations and minors.

English 240: Introduction to Film will cover film as a discipline, major filmmakers, major themes, cinematic style and influences and the history of film and genres. The only prerequisite for the class is a C or better in English 102.

“The course is currently taught by Todd Kennedy, but will be open to other professors in the future,” Ellen Barker, English department chair, said.

English 265: Poetry and Drama, is required for students majoring or minoring in creative writing, but is open to all students. Some of the information covered in this course include techniques involved in creative writing and writer-orientated considerations when producing work. There are four sections offered in the fall two of which are online courses. The prerequisite for the course is a C or better in English 102.

“This course provides an introduction to the three major genres in creative writing: poetry, fiction and drama,” Barker said.

English 325: Major Authors, will be devoted to Edgar Allen Poe and taught by Michele Theriot. The course will cover different authors each semester depending on the instructor. This class will be accepted as a general education course. It will be offered at 2M. The prerequisite is a C or better in English 102.

English 440: Topics in Film will be based on a central film topic. The topic will change each semester. Some of the topics that may be offered are horror films, musicals, westerns and silent pictures. Barker said, for instance, in the spring the course may be dedicated to Bollywood. The class can be repeated for a maximum of six hours when the topic is different. Todd Kennedy will be the instructor in the fall.

Other new English courses that will be offered are English 320: Topics in World Literature, English 324: Women in Literature, English 341: Major Filmmakers, English 420: Multicultural Voices, English 432: Publishing Practicum, English 485: Modernist Literature and English 486: Post-Modernist Literature. These classes are available on the catalog, but no sections have been established yet.

“We have added these new courses to modernize our curriculum and stay competitive, and in some cases ahead of, English departments nationwide,” Barker said.

To expand the English department they have added three areas of concentration, two minors and have another minor on the way. The three areas of concentration include creative writing, rhetoric and writing and literature.

“Rhetoric and writing provide excellent workforce training that prepares students for work in technical writing, gaming, new media and publishing,” Barker said.

The two minors are creative writing and English. The minor that is up for approval this year is the film minor. Barker said the film minor prepares students for the workforce area in New Orleans, since New Orleans is the new “Hollywood South.”

“We are all quite excited about these new courses and are anxious to begin teaching this wide range. Hopefully this range of course offerings will help to provide a bit of something for everyone, for those majoring in English or for those who are just interested in our variety of courses,” Barker said.