Whittier College Undergraduate Summer Courses

Whether you need to stay on track or get ahead for graduation, lighten the load of your regular semesters, or you just want to take a really interesting class during the summer, Whittier College offers online courses during the summer.

This is a great opportunity for you to continue your Whittier education during the summer, at a fraction of the cost, from anywhere in the world. In addition, these courses may be used to satisfy Lib. Ed. and/or major/minor requirements.

Members of Whittier College faculty teach Summer Program courses. All courses satisfy requirements for Whittier College academic credit and may be applied toward degree requirements. The maximum number of credits for which a student may register during the summer is 13. All courses are transcripted using semester credit hours.

Enrollment Information

Whittier College students

  1. Summer registration opens on April 20, 2021. 
  2. Register using My.Whittier.edu, Registration tab, Add and Drop Classes link, unless otherwise noted.
  3. Use the Registration Fee Assessment link at the bottom of the Add or Drop Classes page to see your balance due.
  4. Use the Credit Card Payment link at the bottom of the Registration Fee Assessment page to pay your fees. Alternatively you may submit payment to the Business Office located in Mendenhall.

Students Visiting from other Institutions

  1. Complete an Application for Non-Degree Admission which is available at the Registrar’s Office front desk in Mendenhall.
  2. You will be notified of admission via email and provided additional registration instructions.

Add/Drop and Withdrawal Schedule for Summer Undergraduate Enrollment

Instructors may drop students for non-attendance through 25% of class duration. It is the student's responsibility to drop classes before published deadlines. Classes not dropped by the deadline are subject to grading and full fee liability.

Add/Drop Schedule

1st day of class: Last Day to Add/Drop without “W"
6th day of class: Last Day to Drop with a “W"

No withdrawal or leave of absence is granted during the last week of any course

Fee Payment and Refund Schedule for Summer Undergraduate Enrollment

Fees

Online courses: $683 per credit

On-campus courses: $1,004 per credit

Fees must be paid in full before the class Start Date unless otherwise noted above. Some classes have early registration and payment deadlines. Enrollments are canceled for non-payment of fees by the deadline. Late payment and registration reinstatement incurs a $100 penalty.

Refund schedule

  • 100% of fees are refunded for classes dropped on the 1st day of class
  • 90% of fees are refunded for classes dropped on the 2nd day of class
  • 80% of fees are refunded for classes dropped on the 3rd day of class
  • 70% of fees are refunded for classes dropped on the 4th day of class
  • 60% of fees are refunded for classes dropped on the 5th day of class
  • 50% of fees are refunded for classes dropped on the 6th day of class
  • After day six (6) 0% of fees are refunded

Transcripts for Summer Classes

Please refer to the Registrar's Office Transcript page for information on how to order an official transcript of your Whittier College coursework.

Summer 2021 Course Descriptions

BSAD 190: The Superhero Business

Instructor: Kristen Smirnov

3 Credits
Satisfies CUL 4 Lib Ed requirement

Superheroes are sometimes called "modern mythology," and they're always called "big business." In this class, we look at the progression of the U.S. comics industry, along with its expansion into other media such as film, television, and video games. This includes historical perspectives specific to the industry. It also introduces various business topics to students who might be interested in the field, such as leadership styles and marketing segments.  

BSAD 309/INTD 309: Finance and the Brain

Instructor: Fatos Radoniqi

4 Credits
Satisfies CON 2 Lib Ed requirement 

This course explores how individuals make financial decisions. We study how to minimize financial decision-making errors by examining various psychological biases that we are susceptible to. Biases and simplifying "rules of thumb" are ever present in our real‐life decisions, whether we're choosing which car to buy or deciding whether to gamble. We also learn about financial decision-making through the lens of neuroscience, examining the role of emotion, the reward system, and reinforcement learning. The course focuses on personal finance and is intended to guide students towards better spending, saving, and investing decisions. We aim to answer two questions: What are the deep “irrational” forces driving financial behavior, and what can be done to better manage them.

CHIN 150: Chinese Cinema

Instructor: Kenneth Berthel

3 Credits
Satisfies CUL 2 Lib Ed requirement 

 

This course will introduce all three main traditions of sinophonic cinema (Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan) from the silent film era to the present. Films will be used as a point of entry into larger discussions and analyses of relevant cultural, aesthetic, and socio-political topics. Major goals of the course include developing visual literacy and cultivating an ability to think about and understand meaning through cinematic expression. Students will also be responsible for viewing films analytically and providing critical responses to them both orally (class discussions) and in writing (papers). No background in China or Chinese is required.

ECON 290: The Bitter Side of Chocolate

Instructor: Alma Bezares Calderon

3 Credits
Satisfies CUL 2 Lib Ed requirement 

Cocoa and chocolate have a long history. Considered by some as a healthy food and by others as a sinful but exquisite experience, chocolate is one of the most beloved treats. Still, chocolate production has a bitter side that few people recognize: exploitative practices and child labor abuse, wars originated by the control of cocoa plantations, asymmetrical trade practices and dubious marketing campaigns. In this course, we will use a multi-disciplinary approach to explore the role of chocolate in human history, its economic and cultural importance across time, and the complex structure of the global cocoa-chocolate value chain, with particular emphasis on its governance, its environmental impact and the local effects for the producers, located mostly in the African continent. The students will be able to develop their writing, analytical and research skills by exploring the broader issues related to the production of chocolate and will be able to translate their knowledge to a wider setting, identifying general issues in economics and in the political-economy of other value-chain structures that exist across the world. 

FILM/THEA 290: Acting for the Camera

Instructor: Gil Gonzalez

3 credits
Satisfies the COM 3 Lib Ed requirement

Acting for the Camera introduces performers through concepts used to prepare self-recorded audition pieces to be used in film, television, commercial, and theatre auditions. Focus will be on the development of an audition portfolio and pieces to be used for auditions, be they in-person or virtual submissions. Additionally, the development of a performance resume, headshot, and discussions of the craft of acting for the camera will be explored in the course.

GEN/PSYC 262: American Media and Sexuality

Instructor: Christina Scott

3 credits
Satisfies the CUL2 Lib Ed requirement

This course will focus on the influence that media has on our sexual identity and culture. Students will explore how sexuality has been portrayed in North American media, including films, television shows, and print media over the past three decades, with a primary focus on contemporary media. Students will come to understand how cultural expectations of sexuality are generated, shaped, and reinforced by the media and the psychological effects associated with these social comparisons.

INTD 279: Disasters

Instructor: Ralph Isovitsch

3 credits
Satisfies the CON 1 Lib Ed requirement

This course will explore the scientific and human dimensions of disasters. Topics will include modern disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the San Francisco Earthquake, historical disasters like the explosion of the Krakatoa volcano in 1883, and potential disasters like global warming.

INTD 390: The Beatles: Transatlantic Culture, Society, and Politics. 

Instructor: José Ortega

3 credits
Satisfies CUL 6 Lib Ed requirement 

This course will evaluate, analyze, and historicize The Beatles as artists, cultural symbols, and musical icons.  Their career spanned the turbulent 1960s, providing us with a unique opportunity to gauge the articulation between music, society, and politics during a critical decade in recent history. By examining the diverse origins of their music we will consider how transatlantic communities and cultures influenced the development of “Beatlemania” in an increasingly globalized world.  

KNS 201: Fundamentals of Nutrition

Instructor: Trish Van Oosbree

3 credits
Satisfies the COM 2 Lib Ed requirement

An introduction to general nutrition as it relates to the classification of nutrients, digestion, biochemical processes, food and label laws, crop sustainability and other current topics. 

KNS 382: Social Issues in Sport

Instructor: Kathy Barlow

3 credits
Satisfies the CUL4 Lib Ed requirement

An overview of the sociological perspectives of sport. Topics include the relationship between sport and: culture, racism, sexism, education, religion, and politics. 

PHIL 390: Africana Philosophy

Instructor: Michelle Switzer

3 credits
Satisfies CUL 1 Lib Ed requirement

Africana Philosophy covers the philosophies of African peoples and persons of African descent who are indigenous to continental Africa and the many African Diasporas worldwide. This course considers forms of reasons marked by colonialism and racism, and diasporic consciousness from the Global South concerning liberation, the meaning of being human, and human relationships beyond colonial paradigms. After a comprehensive introduction to Africana Philosophy, we study the philosophical literature which analyzes an important historical figure and philosopher, Franz Fanon. 

BSAD 290: Turning Innovation into Freedom

Instructor: Riki Ichiho

3 Credits

This course explores the genesis of innovation.  Where, how, when is the seed of innovation created.  What is the root of innovative thought.  Once stumbled upon, how does one legally protect innovation from others?  Finally, how does one turn innovation into financial freedom.

BSAD 390: How to Start Your Own Business

Instructor: Daniel Duran

4 Credits
Satisfies CUL 4 Lib Ed requirement

This course has two key goals. The first is designed to expose you to the challenges and opportunities related to starting and managing your own business. You will be exposed to the realities of transforming an idea into an operational reality. This course has three focus areas: 1) Understanding and applying the ideation process to generate, develop, and communicate new ideas from innovation, to development, to actualization. 2) Understanding and applying the forces of change and innovation to your business idea with a focus on how to effectively manage your own efforts 3) Developing an executive business plan summary that can be shared with potential partners and investors. By the conclusion of this class you should be better prepared to vet ideas, develop a value proposition, add turn that idea into a potential and viable business. 

ENGL/INTD 290: Transmedia Storytelling

Instructor: Geoffrey Long

3 Credits
Satisfies COM3 Lib Ed requirement

How do you tell stories across multiple media, including those that don't exist yet? As students design their own transmedia storyworlds, they will learn the art, history and business of designing vast storyworlds like Star Wars or the Marvel Universe; the literary history of vast storyworlds including ancient mythology, Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, and literary “shared worlds” including H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulu mythos or George R. R. Martin’s Wild Cards; the fundamentals of writing for multiple media including comics, film, television, video games, augmented reality and virtual reality; and the art of designing experiences that connect these stories together and inspire audiences to tell stories of their own.

FILM/THEA 270: Film Genre

Instructor: Patti McCarthy

3 Credits

This course surveys the major films, filmmakers, themes, and issues of a major film genre. The genres will vary from semester to semester and during any given term, the genre might be the musical, gangster, western, film noir, or horror films. Lectures and discussions are supplemented by class screenings. 

INTD 190: Eminent Domain: Chavez Ravine and The Making of Modern Los Angeles

Instructor: Charles Eastman

3 credits
Satisfies the CUL 4 Lib Ed requirement

This interdisciplinary course focusses on the destruction—and the whitewashing of that destruction--of the communities that grew up in the area of Los Angeles that came to be known as “Chavez Ravine,” and is now the site of Dodger Stadium, perhaps the emblematic location of the entire city. Students will engage with traditional texts, oral histories, music, and film, to explore the lasting influence of Spanish and Mexican rule on contemporary Los Angeles; the role of migration, and imported cultural values and practices, in developing Los Angeles’ distinct character; who counts as “a native of Los Angeles”; and the cultural tensions that attend on our diversity. While the business and cultural power of baseball form part of the context for our exploration, the game itself does not.

INTD 265: Nanotechnology and Society

Instructor: Serkan Zorba

4 credits
Satisfies the CON 2 Lib Ed requirement

Nanotechnology is by its nature an interdisciplinary subject. It is where different fields of science and technology converge: physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. This course will lay down the technical background of nanotechnology, and discuss its potential implications for society. This exciting field is projected to bring about profound changes in our lives: ultra-fast computers, disease-fighting nano-robots (nanites), self-cleaning and color changing car/window surfaces, to name a few. The course will also emphasize how ethics and societal considerations have enormous transforming power over science and technology, and how this is a very healthy interaction for both. Throughout the course, we will draw on the ideas and writings of an eclectic group of scientists, philosophers, and futurists. 

PLSC 203: Race & Ethnicity in American Politics

Instructor: Sara Angevine

3 credits
Satisfies the CUL 4 Lib Ed requirement

This course looks at the struggle for civil rights and civil liberties among racial minorities since the nation's founding. Special attention will be paid to different theories of race and racism in this course. 

SPAN 120: Elementary Spanish I

Instructor: Doreen O’Connor-Gómez

4 credits
Satisfies the CUL 7 Lib Ed requirement

This class is an introduction to the essentials of the Spanish language:  reading, listening, speaking and writing skills.  Various facets of Spanish-speaking cultures will be analyzed via cross-cultural comparisons. The overall goals of SPAN 120 are seen in terms of students performing linguistic tasks successfully, gaining self-confidence, relying on themselves and classmates, expanding their risk-taking in real-life communicative situations, and gaining an awareness of Latino cultures. The language students practice is realistic - what they would speak in a Spanish-speaking environment. Our online platform will present vocabulary and grammar in action through culture.  This class is designed for students who do not have Spanish language background who wish to learn to begin to speak Spanish on a proficient level.