This fall, Western Washington University’s extended education program offers a memoir-writing class, and well as three courses in Web design and development for community members.
The three-academic-quarter memoir writing program starts Oct. 2.
Each quarter’s class will include prompts to spark writing and insight, exercises to develop narrative voice and readings from selected modern memoirs as participants experiment with various ways to tell personal stories. Participants will produce several fully developed and edited essays or chapters suitable for publication, including a piece to present at Village Books upon completion of the program.
Course themes progress from “Ignition: Memory Sparking Imagination” to “Development: Giving Narrative Voice to the Past” to “Expand and Edit: Structuring the Past for the Page and Presentation.” All three courses are taught by award-winning Laura Kalpakian, an acclaimed author of 10 novels and three collections of short fiction.
Classes will meet from 6-9 p.m. once weekly for each eight-week term. Participants can register online or with mail-in registration forms that can be found online.
An information session will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 18, at Village Books in Fairhaven.
The Web design and development courses will give students the opportunity to: acquire a solid understanding of HTML and CSS scripting language using a proven, plain-English approach, transform personal designs into professional websites, explore database-driven Web capabilities, learn how to develop large, secure, dynamic community-driven web sites, and earn optional WWU credits.
Program courses will progress to build upon basic concepts so all participants, regardless of previous web design exposure, will learn to create user friendly website in this hands-on, project-based program. After program completion, participants will have necessary skills to earn a career in Web design, boost their resumes and design, develop and maintain their own websites.
The evening courses will begin Thursday, Oct. 11, and be taught in computer labs on WWU’s campus.
Course components include:
-Fall: Building Web Pages
-Winter: Professional Web Techniques
-Spring: Content Management Systems
Classes are taught by Web developer and online communications guru Josh Parrish, a freelance Web designer since 1996 and founder of Bellingham’s Web Designers Unite! web group.
Information sessions will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6, and Monday, Oct. 1, in WWU Communications Facility, Room 314.
For more information, e-mail ExtendedEd@wwu.edu, or call 360-650-3308.
