Yesterday, priority registration for the spring quarter began and many DU students will be logging into WebCentral at assigned times based on credits earned. Early registration for varsity athletes and students with special accommodations took place last Friday.

As most students can attest, classes can fill up quickly, leaving students scrambling to find a suitable alternative. Each department has unique classes that may be intriguing choices for some students. Here is a preview of six classes offered this spring quarter.

ANTH 1910
“Ancient Worlds”

Ancient Worlds is a course intended to help students understand how humans have come to have a place in the world in terms of “time, space and cultural context,” according to the course catalogue.

“It deals specifically with a topic that excites a lot of people: ancient cosmology, religion, and ideology. In a sense it’s a course about ‘the archaeology of mind,’” said Professor Dean Saitta, the chair of the Department of Anthropology who will be teaching the course.

The course is centered on exploring what it means to be human. Students will look at different cultures from all over the world and throughout history.

Topics include Stone Age artists of Europe and the Middle East, as well as the pyramids and how they were built in Egypt and Mexico. This class will be taught Monday and Wednesday from 12-1:50 p.m. It will satisfy the Analytical Inquiry: Society and Culture requirement in the Common Curriculum. If students are interested in this course, the CRN to register is 4263.

PSYC 2540
“The Psychology of Couples Relationships”

The Psychology of Couples Relationships: From Dating to Mating and Beyond is a new  course taught by and centered on the research of Howard Markman, the co-director of the Center for Marital and Family Studies. It will cover the different issues found in many relationships such as, “We can’t communicate,” “we fight too much,” and “we have grown apart and have no sex,” according to a description of the class provided by Markman. It will also discuss how couples can have a healthy and long-lasting relationship.

Students will learn about different influences such as “diversity in relationships, cross-cultural influences and social policy issues,” according to the course description.

“One of the major benefits of going to DU is be[ing] able to learn about cutting-edge research from the researchers themselves, and basing a course on my research is one of the great joys I have in teaching at DU,” said Markman. Markman recommends this class to all students, mainly sophomores and older; however, the Introductory Psychology course is a prerequisite.

It will be offered Tuesday and Thursday from 2-3:30 p.m. For students interested in taking the course, the CRN to register is 4997.

THEA 1810
“The Process of Theatre: Page to Stage”

The Process of Theatre: Page to Stage: Survey of the Art and Craft is a course aimed to teach students about the “artistry, craft, construction, community, practice and importance of theatre, both in text and performance,” according to the course syllabus. It will cover how theatre has been an important aspect of our history and its ability in establishing culture.

According to the course syllabus, “the class will examine specific dramatic texts, productions, styles, genres and manifestations of theatre, as well as the dynamic components that ‘make’ theatre.”

“It is also exciting to see the students participate in the process of theatre and create theatre writings [and] works of their own, individually and in groups,” said Pamyla Stiehl, a post-doctorate lecturer who will teach the course. Stiehl warns that this course does have a fair amount of reading and writing along with exams.

The course will satisfy the Arts and Humanities Foundation and Analytical Inquiry: Society requirement of the common curriculum. It will be offered in two sections, CRN 2646 for Monday and Wednesday from 10-11:50 a.m.

MUEN 3035  
“Fusion Combo”

Fusion Combo is part of a two-year rotation focused on the different genres of jazz music. Students will learn about the different elements of jazz, such as improvisational and instrumental and how energy and rock can be incorporated into jazz to make a unique piece of music. As a part of this class, students will be asked to have jam sessions, perform at Flo’s Underground and record a CD.

“The spirit of fearlessness was a big part of the original fusion music, and that is certainly something I try to keep on board as the students compose, rehearse, perform and record their music,” said Mike Marlier, the Director of Drum Set Studies and who will teach the course.

This class will be held on Tuesday and Thursday from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Newman Center for the Performing Arts room 214. It is exclusively for music majors and minors.

Students were able to qualify for this course and all Jazz combo courses during a placement audition that occurred at the beginning of the academic school year. The CRN to register for this ensemble is 1550.

FIN 2800
“Financial Decision Making”

Financial Decision Making is a course that will supply students with the basic knowledge needed to advance to other finance courses and to succeed in different career paths. This course is part of the business core requirements for the Daniels College of Business. The prerequisites are DCB checkpoint 1 and ACTG 2200.

“The focus of the course is on the three major decision areas a firm undertakes in achieving its goal of maximizing shareholder wealth—investing, financing and dividends,” said a description of the course supplied by Gary Farmar, a Lecturer in the Reiman School of Finance and one of the professors teaching the course.

This class is recommended for students who are majoring in marketing, management and/or finance.

According to the course description, “regardless of the student’s chosen career, these tools and techniques will provide the basic knowledge to make personal financial decisions.” This course has nine different sections and is taught at many different times, including Monday and Wednesday from 8-9:50 a.m. and Friday at 10-10:50 a.m. To find out other class times, look on WebCentral.

ASEM 2526
“Communication in Close Relationships”

This course will analyze relationships that occur on a personal level. Students will research a wide range of areas including communication, psychology, sociology, family studies and history, according to a course description on WebCentral. This will allow for the better understanding of diverse relationships.

“The three main perspectives we investigate show how relationships affect and are affected by their content, the individuals involved and the relational system,” said the WebCentral course description.

This is a writing intensive course and will satisfy the ASEM requirement of the common curriculum. As such, only students that have junior or senior level status may enroll in this course. Professor Serewicz, an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, will be offering this course online. The CRN to register is 4299.