Bridgeport Banner

Irish II to be offered at HCC

Irish II, a continuation of the new Irish I course offered in the Fall, 2009 semester, will be offered next semester at Housatonic Community College.

The Irish II course, which is the only one of its kind being offered for credit at a Connecticut community college, will focus on both language and culture. Irish 101 is a prerequisite.

“The course will cover the elemental aspects of the language ‑ grammar, vocabulary, syntax – so students will be able to read, write and speak the language,” said instructor John Feeney. “It will also cover the history and culture of Ireland, especially as it relates to the language.”

“The best way to learn about the heart and soul of a people is to learn their language.” he added. “There is no better way to learn the customs and culture of a people than to learn their language and experience how they express their ideas and views of the world and life.”

Irish is spoken extensive parts of counties Donegal, Mayo, Galway and Kerry - all on the Western seaboard - and also parts of counties Cork, Meath and Waterford. Although all of the population of these areas speak English, these are the only parts of Ireland where Irish is still spoken as a community language.

“For the past 150 years, many people have said the language would be dead in a short time, yet it survives,” he said.

The course is especially appropriate for Irish Americans who want to reconnect with their Irish roots.

The course will be offered Wednesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. in Room 135 in Beacon Hall. For more information, contact Feeney at 203-417-1700 or Admissions at 203-332-5100.

New dates for HCC art exhibit

The dates of the PostSecret art exhibit at the Housatonic Museum of Art have changed.  The exhibit will now open on Aug. 3 and run through Sept. 13. The opening reception will be held Thursday, August 27, from 5-7 p.m. in the Burt Chernow Galleries at Lafayette Hall on the campus of Housatonic Community College. Summer gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Thursday to 7 p.m. through Aug. 28.  After that, on days when the college is open, normal gallery hours are scheduled to resume. Those are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Thursday to 7 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to3 p.m. and Sunday, Noon to 4 p.m. The college is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in downtown Bridgeport, less than 150 yards off I-95 and Rte. 8 in downtown Bridgeport.

HCC to offer ESL courses

By ANSON SMITH

 

Housatonic Community next semester will offer 10 English as a Second Language courses.

The courses, which are offered Mondays through Thursdays as well as Saturdays, are designed with elementary, intermediate and advanced level students in mind. There are both 3 and 6 credit courses offered.

The courses, which are offered in Lafayette Hall at the college, include:

§         Grammar 1, 3 credits.  An intensive language course for high-beginner and low-intermediate, non-native students who want to develop competency in the use of basic grammatical structures in everyday situations. The course provides students the opportunity to learn these structures through daily reading and language analysis exercises, speaking and writing practice. Offered Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.-12: 20 p.m. in Room B212.

§         Combined Skills II, 6 credits.  A high beginner-level language course for non-native students who need to develop confidence and fluency in speaking and writing practical English for everyday use. It includes listening comprehension and speaking skills, general vocabulary, basic grammar, and simple reading and writing practice. Offered Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:30-9:20 p.m. in Room B214.

§         Combined Skills III, 6 credits. An academically-oriented language course for non-native students who have a simple knowledge of spoken and written English. Emphasizes intensive general academic vocabulary development, extensive reading and listening comprehension, major aspects of sentence structure and grammar, and speaking and writing improvement using linguistically controlled materials. Two hours of laboratory/tutorial practice required per week. Offered Mondays & Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-1: 50 p.m. in Room B214 in and Mondays & Wednesdays, 6:30-9:20 p.m. in B214.

§         Grammar III, 3 credits. An intensive language course for non-native students who want to develop competency in the use of intermediate grammatical structures in practical and academic contexts. The course provides students the opportunity to learn these structures through daily reading and language analysis exercises, speaking and writing practice. Offered Mondays & Wednesdays, 5-6:20 p.m. in Room B214.

§         Combined Skills IV, 6 credits. Helps intermediate level ESL students improve their reading and writing skills and provides practice in listening and speaking. Reading assignments stress comprehension and vocabulary building. Writing skills focus on developing basic sentence structure and simple paragraphs. Students listen to taped lectures, practice dictation and note-taking, and participate in structured group discussions. All activities focus on expanding knowledge of English and developing fluency in all skills. Two hours of laboratory/tutorial practice required per week. Offered Mondays & Wednesdays, 6:30-9:20 p.m. in Room B123; Mondays & Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-1:50 p.m. in Room B123, and Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:30 to 9:20 p.m. in B123

§         Oral Communications IV, 3 credits. A speech improvement course to help intermediate-level, non-native speakers of English to communicate more effectively in everyday situations and in academic settings. Focus is on developing greater clarity and fluency in spoken English through daily listening discrimination and pronunciation exercises; peer observation and interaction; guided group discussions and individual oral presentations. One hour of laboratory or tutorial practice required per week. Offered Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5-6: 20 p.m. in Room B214.

§         Combined Skills V, 6 credits.  An advanced language course for non-native students who have developed basic fluency in written and spoken English and who wish to further improve their language skills for academic or career purposes. Emphasizes intensive academic vocabulary development, extensive reading practice using short and long selections of general interest from academic subjects and literary works, individual pronunciation and oral presentations. Elements of effective writing, including problems in advanced syntax and sentence structure, are applied in short essays and longer writings such as autobiographies and book reports. Two hours of laboratory/tutorial practice required per week. Mondays & Wednesdays, 6:30-9:20 p.m. in Room B204.

§         Grammar V, 3 credits. An intensive language course for non-native students who want to develop competency in the use of advanced grammatical structures in academic contexts. The course provides students the opportunity to master these structures through daily reading and language analysis exercises, group discussion and essay writing. Mondays & Wednesdays, 5-6:20 p.m. in Room B213.

§         Combined Skills VI, 6 credits.  Helps advanced ESL students expand and refine their reading, listening, speaking and writing skills for more effective communications in college and career settings. Students read non-fiction and fiction relating to North American culture and other subjects, discuss readings in small groups, then respond to readings by writing essays, summaries and reports. Students listen to taped lectures, dialogues and narratives from radio and television, and present oral reports and debates on selected topics. Activities focus on developing fluency, clarity and correctness of expression. Two hours of laboratory/tutorial practice required per week. Offered Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11a.m.-1:50 p.m. in Room B214 and Mondays & Wednesdays, 6:30-9: 20 p.m. in Room B213.

§         Oral Communications VIl: 3 credits,   A speech improvement course to help advanced-level, non-native speakers of English communicate more effectively in academic and professional settings. Focus is on accent reduction and developing communication strategies through listening discrimination and pronunciation exercises; self-analysis practice, peer observation and interaction, and oral presentations. One hour laboratory/tutorial practice required per week. Offered Mondays & Wednesdays, 5-6: 20 p.m. in Room B204.

For more information, contact Prof. Maria Roche at 293-332-5149.

Registration for the Spring semester is going on now. Students can register online through Jan. 30, or by mail, fax or dropping off completed paperwork in the lobby drop box near the Information Desk in Lafayette Hall through Jan. 9. Formal registration sessions will be held Wednesday, Jan. 7, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; and Thursday. Jan. 15, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Late registration sessions will be held Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Jan. 21,, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Thursday, Jan. 22, , 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.; and Friday, Jan. 23, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A special registration session for senior citizens and high school partnership students will be held Friday, Jan. 23, 1:30 to 3 p.m. Classes start Monday, Jan. 26. For more information, contact Admissions at 203-332-5100 or the Registrar’s Office at 203-332-5088.

New York artist to speak at HCC

 

New York artist Arle Sklar-Weinstein will discuss her year-long “wall of artists” project in an Artist Talk at the Housatonic Museum of Art Thursday, Jan. 8.

An “exhibit within an exhibit,” the wall project, which features a wall with a grid of artist portraits Sklar-Weinstein created, will be on display at the museum Dec. 18-30 as part of the Art Place 25^th anniversary exhibit. Inspired by studio visits to 24 Art Place members, the individual portraits are mixed media compositions that capture the spirit of the artist as well as his or her image in photo montages.

Manufacturing open houses at HCC

By ANSON SMITH

Housatonic Community College , in conjunction with the College of Technology ’s Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing, will conduct four open houses on Manufacturing for the 21^st Century.

The open houses, which will be held at the college from 4:30 to 6:00 pm on  December 11, January 8, and January 15, will focus on emerging trends and current practice in lean manufacturing and HCC’s industrial technology program.   

HCC WINS AWARD FOR RESEARCH TOOL

By Anson Smith

Housatonic Community College has won a statewide award for making a Fortune-500 type research tool available to the state’s business community free-of-charge.

      The Connecticut Quality Improvement Award Partnership has given the college a silver entry level innovation prize for offering the business community free use of OneSource, the worldwide leader in the high-end business research field. OneSource delivers business information on 700,000-plus large companies worldwide and 13,000,000-plus small to medium U.S. firms.

HCC on the move

The University of New Haven and Housatonic Community College of Bridgeport have signed an articulation agreement that provides HCC graduates with a seamless transfer into UNH.

The agreement, signed by HCC President Anita T. Gliniecki and University of New Haven (UNH) President Dr. Steven H. Kaplan at a ceremony August 14 at UNH, assures that HCC graduates in any field will be accepted into UNH provided they maintain a 2.5 grade point average. It also provides grants up to $12,000 for academically accomplished students.

“We’re delighted to establish an expanded relationship with a college of the caliber of UNH,” said HCC President Anita T. Gliniecki. “Agreements like the one we just signed ensure that our graduates have a wide variety of educational options from which to choose.”

HCC to sponsor manufacturing workshops

Manufacturing in the 21^st Century will be the focus of workshops Aug 14 and 21 at Housatonic Community College .

            The workshops, which are identical in content, will focus on emerging trends in lean manufacturing and on HCC’s associate degree program in industrial technology, which was developed in consultation with area businesses. In addition, each will review HCC’s AutoCad Course, which is being offered this Fall.

“At each workshop, the discussion of Lean Manufacturing will focus on cutting-edge practices to reduce waste, reduce defects, and create a continuous improvement culture,” said HCC Academic Coordinator Bill Griffin. “It will also cover increased flexibility in the manufacturing process, and empower employees to learn from their mistakes and improve their skills.”

The Industrial Technology program presentation will focus on providing the knowledge and skills needed by today’s manufacturers to compete in a competitive global marketplace, he said. Courses such as Writing and Research in Business and Industry (Technical Writing), CAD Mechanical AutoCAD, Statistical Process Control (SPC), Manufacturing Processes, Engineering Processes (Materials), Metrology, Environmental Safety and Health, and Computer Numeric Control (CNC) are designed to provide these skills.