Community Courses Include Art, Psychology, Book Club and Excel

Applications are now open for five different community courses available for the spring 2027 semester.

Taught by Sal Costa, professor emeritus of psychology, “The Psychology of Abnormal Behavior” is an eight-week online and in-person course taking place from 6-8 p.m. every Tuesday. This course will be a scientific study of the causes, assessments and treatments of a variety of psychological disorders and maladaptive behaviors. The class aims to raise awareness of how these issues and problems can have a profound impact on everyday life.

“Community Ceramics,” taught by William McKinney, assistant professor of art, is a full semester course with weekly class meetings from 6-8 p.m. every Monday. As an introductory course, “Community Ceramics” will teach students proper use of ceramic tools, hand building techniques, basic glazing and surface decorating methods, as well as rudimentary knowledge of kiln firings.

Rusty Nelson, professor emeritus of art, will offer “Watercolor: Beyond Basics” as a 15-week online course running Jan. 14-May 7. The course is designed to build upon the foundational skills introduced in INDV 127: Discovering Watercolor or equivalent experience, strengthening observational and brushwork skills while developing a deeper understanding of composition, color theory, value and the expressive possibilities of watercolor.

“The People You’d Never Meet: An Interactive Book Club Inspired by Theo of Golden” is an eight-week interactive book club led by Jesse Wren (’22, ’23, ’24), taking place from 6-8 p.m. every Sunday. Inspired by Allen Levi’s novel, “Theo of Golden,” this course explores the extraordinary stories of people whose paths one might never otherwise cross and challenges students to connect real-life experiences to the themes of curiosity, kindness and human connection from “Theo of Golden.”

In “Essential Skills: Excel 101” with Stacey Kaden, department chair and associate professor of accounting, students will learn the practical foundational skills for Microsoft Excel. Taking place from 3:30-4:20 p.m. every Wednesday, this in-person, hands-on course teaches students to organize information, build formulas, automate calculations, analyze data with functions and lookup tools, create professional charts, and summarize information using PivotTables.

Registration for these courses can be completed online and is open to all non-degree seeking students. Anyone who takes a class – which is offered as a pass/fail option – will receive one hour of college credit.

More information, including full course descriptions and pricing, can be found online at institute.truman.edu under “Community Courses.” For any questions about these courses or registration, contact the Institute for Academic Outreach at 660.785.5384 or institute@truman.edu.