Think ahead to fall semester with these 10 interesting courses to add to your schedule

With less than a month until the last day of classes for spring semester, thoughts of summer are likely on the mind for many Case Western Reserve University students. But for students continuing their studies next year, it’s time to map out their fall semester schedule.

Fall course registration opens for undergraduate students Monday, April 6, for fall 2026 graduates. Registration slots will progressively open throughout the week—check your appointment time.

Looking to add something unique to your courseload? Consider one of these 10 classes.

CLSC/WLIT 203—“Gods and Heroes in Greek Literature”

Instructor: Timothy Wutrich

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Students will read major works of Greek literature in English translation to explore the nature and significance of Greek gods, hero-making and heroic codes. Themes of war, wandering, tyranny, freedom, community, family, and the role of men and women within the household and the ancient Greek city-state will be explored. 

The original social and historical performative context of these works will be closely examined, and the power that mythic narratives have continued to hold over the western imagination will be addressed. 

This course will leverage lecture and discussion.

BETH 210—“Perspectives on Health: Introduction to Medical Humanities and Social Medicine”

Instructor: Erin Lamb

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 2:15 p.m.

This survey course is designed to give students a broad overview of medical humanities and medical social sciences. Students will engage materials from a wide range of disciplines and learn how to analyze which perspectives afford and obscure which types of knowledge relevant to health, illness and clinical practice. 

Students will learn how to identify epistemology, methodology, theory and data from various disciplinary perspectives. This course is relevant for students engaged in pre-clinical education as well as those interested in medical humanities and medical social sciences.

COSI 101—“Introduction to Health Communication”

Instructor: Kathryn Rothenberg

Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:35 to 1:50 p.m.

This course is an introductory examination of the influences associated with the functions of human life, communication processes, and research related to health and the healthcare industry from interpersonal, cultural, and organizational communication perspectives. 

The course will include a review of the history and development of health communication and the understanding and application of communication theories.

COSI 220—“Introduction to American Sign Language I”

Instructor: Keri November

Two sections offered: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 2:15 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

This course offers basic vocabulary training and conversational interaction skills in American Sign Language. Syntactic and semantic aspects of American Sign Language will be addressed.

CSDS 101—“The Digital Revolution: Computer and Data Science For All”

Instructor: Andrew Watkins

Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:35 to 1:50 p.m.

For students who want to explore the history, the current state, and future challenges of computer and data sciences. This course will cover how computers work, computational thinking, how software development differs from traditional manufacturing, the Internet and World Wide Web, social networks, data collection, search engines and data mining, machine learning, trends in computer crime, security, and privacy, and how technology is changing our laws and culture. 

The class includes a lab component where students will be introduced to the Python programming language and other technologies and applications in order to further explore these topics. 

The recommended prerequisite is comfort with high school algebra. Students enrolling in this course should not have previously enrolled in a 300-level CSDS course.

DESN/ENTP 302—“Creativity in Design & Business: Sources of Perception, Imagination and Creative Thinking”

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:45 to 4 p.m.

The goal of this course is to develop skills and techniques for creative problem solving. The course is for anyone interested in design, the development of new products and services, and strategies for change in organizations and society. It is useful wherever we face challenging situations that require imagination, new ideas and innovative approaches in a rapidly changing world. 

At its core, creativity is an issue of perception. Learning to change one's perception from what is known, comfortable, and familiar to what is unknown and potentially valuable and rewarding is the challenge of this course. Students will explore a wide variety of methods, techniques and tools for encouraging new perceptions. There will be useful readings, but also exercises and projects for individuals and teams to develop new strategies of creative thinking. 

SPAN 370—“Special Topics in Spanish—Latinas, Food and Flash Fiction”

Instructor: Jacqueline Nanfito

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Nanfito is collaborating with the director of the Julia de Burgos Cultural Center on Cleveland’s west side to collect microcuentos (short short stories, blasters or flash fiction) about food by Latina female authors in the Greater Cleveland area.

Students in SPAN 370 will translate them into English to create a bilingual anthology with a brief biosketch of the author, who students will interview.

The bilingual anthology will be illustrated by female Latina artists in the Northeast Ohio community, and exhibited in Kelvin Smith Library gallery space either in spring or fall 2027.

Prerequisite: SPAN 320 or equivalent.

SASS 369—“Social Networking and Community Organizing in the 21st Century”

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 2:05 to 2:55 p.m.

This course will examine the changing nature of place, given increased mobility and diversity in communities within the United States and the emergence of a truly global economy and communication network due to the revolution in information technology. 

Community itself is being redefined as many members of society consider their most important relationships are primarily virtual in nature. The forms of engaging citizens are also changing as old models of community organizing give way to new approaches that focus on connectivity through social networks. 

This course will examine various new approaches to engagement, from political or campaign organizing to social networking around mutual interest to mobilizing people for a cause. Students will examine the Obama presidential campaign as an example of a new mobilization strategy that emphasizes choice, flexibility, value and the ability to influence through organic informal networks. The course will also explore case studies, such as network centric organizing as developed by Bill Traynor and Lawrence (MA) Community Works. Special attention will be given to controversial efforts criticized by the right or the left, such as the ACORN voter registration initiative. Students will also explore the changing nature of community in Northeast Ohio and how this new approach might lead to social change and economic development for Greater Cleveland.

MUHI 218—“Jazz Perspectives on STEM and the Humanities”

Instructor: Paul Ferguson

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m.

Jazz improvisation is often dependent upon a unique confluence of perspectives and expertise. We tend to associate STEM with technical expertise and view jazz as a highly subjective enterprise. While there is much truth in both assertions, the lines are blurrier than may be supposed. 

To that end, this course will bring in a variety of speakers from STEM and the humanities to discuss how improvisation is present in their work and how their improvisatory practices and our understandings of jazz might mutually inform one another.

RUSN 305/MUGN 201—“Folk Music of Eastern Europe”

Instructor: Terry Boyarsky

Tuesdays from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.

This course is dedicated to the exploration and performance of vocal and instrumental music from Russia and the countries of Eastern Europe. These countries comprise many ethnic groups and have a vast repertoire of folk music, folk instruments and singing styles. Each musical piece will be placed in context, with an eye toward culture, symbolism, history, poetry/lyrics, and customs. 

This class will combine listening/watching, compare/contrast discussion, and singing/playing. Students will look at how classical composers use folk music in their long compositions. 

Percussion and other instruments will enhance the final performance consisting of folk dance, song, playing musical instruments, and explanation. The final performance is open to the public. See excerpts of past final performances.

In the past, participants in this course have gone on field trips to St. Sergius Russian Orthodox Church in Parma, a concert at St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Parma, Yeleseyevsky Deli in Lyndhurst, and an “Okean Elzy” concert in Cleveland.

No prior knowledge of any specific language or music is required.