March 19, 2020
Lauren Fath
Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University is offering a new and free online Southwest Literature and Film course beginning March 30 as a way to stay engaged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The six-week course will be available to dual credit high school students, current Highlands University students and the public. The online course continues through May 8. Students will earn three college credits, which can be applied to core literature class requirements at Highlands.
“This course is a great opportunity for students and the Las Vegas community to take advantage of social distancing to learn something new,” said Lauren Fath, one of the Highlands Department of English faculty who will teach the course. “We will read works of Southwest literature, view the film adaptations of the books, and compare and contrast the films and books.”
Fath said the class will be offered online, asynchronously, so students will read the novels and watch the films on their own time. They will also complete assignments on their own time.
To register for the free class go online to https://apply.nmhu.edu/register/nmhu6weekcourse and complete the questionnaire. The class is limited to the first 25 people to enroll.
A team of Highlands Department of English professors will teach the class including Fath, Brandon Kempner and Juan Gallegos.
“I’m really excited to team teach this course with my two colleagues. Not only will the students learn from their expertise, but I will too,” Fath said.
Fath said that bringing the course online so quickly required collaboration among the Highlands Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Roxanne Gonzales, Kempner and the Highlands Admissions Office and Registrar’s Office.
To learn more about the course, contact Fath at lfath@nmhu.edu