Elon Homecoming welcomes alums back to the classroom with Classes Without Quizzes

Imagine having the opportunity to return to the college classroom, absorb knowledge from the professor 

and discussions with fellow students, and not have the stress of the final exam. 

That’s the idea behind Classes Without Quizzes, a new offering for Elon alumni during Homecoming this year. Eight Elon faculty members will be leading 45-minute mini-classes on a broad range of topics on Friday, Oct. 21 from 2:15 to 3 p.m.

Almuni have these offerings to choose from: 

What matters most in college? – Cannon Pavilion 103
Professor of History and Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching & Learning and Center for Engaged Learning Peter Felten
College students face a lot of choices. What course should I take? Should I major in this or that? Which clubs should I join? How should I find (and keep!) friends? What should I do about an internship, study abroad and undergraduate research? And, perhaps the biggest of all—What will I do after I graduate? Drawing on research from a recent book (co-authored by President Leo M. Lambert and others), we will explore what matters most in college, and what you can do to help the college students in your life to get the most out of the undergraduate experience.

There’s a TV in My Pocket! – McEwen 108
Assistant Professor of Communications Gerald Gibson
With 4K, ultra-high definition and a 70-inch TV in your living room, why are you watching shows on your phone? The truth is, you’re not the only one: it’s the fastest-growing segment on the TV landscape.

Making sense of the 2016 presidential election – Gray Pavilion 201
Assistant Professor of Political Science and Policy Studies Jason Husser
The 2016 presidential election has shaped into a historically unusual and important contest. This session will consist of interactive discussion about the 2016 general election from the lens of political science scholarship on campaigns and elections. We will cover how cutting-edge social science research answers age-old questions about American political behavior, especially in regards to the Trump and Clinton candidacies. 

It’s always the little things that seem to count the most: The importance of the microbiome – Carlton 224
Associate Professor of Biology Antonio Izzo
You’re taking a solo walk through the forest, but even then you’re hardly alone, you are carrying an impressive collection of bacteria, fungi and other microbial life forms. How did they get there? What are they doing? How do they affect you? How do you affect them?

Leadership, Leaders and Followers: Improving our leadership by understanding why followers seek leaders – Koury Business Center 145
Frank S. Holt, Jr. Professor of Business Leadership Rob Moorman
Leadership is a process that includes the contributions of both leaders and followers, yet we often focus only on the leader and assume followers will just, well, follow. However, effective leaders succeed because they adjust their leadership efforts to fit follower expectations and needs. In this Class without a Quiz, we will use a discussion of the purposes of leadership and the characteristics followers seek to develop our understanding of how we can become leaders followers choose to follow.

Oh, baby! The anthropology of tiny humans – Lindner 210
Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Aunchalee Palmquist
Can babies teach us what it means to be human? In this session we will examine how human infants differ from other mammals and other non-human primates. We will also explore what evolutionary perspectives on human pregnancy, birth, and infant feeding tell us about the history of human cooperation and mutual understanding. 

Why is reading so easy for my friends but so difficult for me? – Mooney 312
Associate Professor of Education and Director of the Center for Access & Success Jean Rattigan-Rohr
Dive into the research about reading, participate in reading activities, and delve into how struggling readers might feel about themselves and about the subject of reading. This class will also examine some of the reasons why reading might be difficult for some but not for others.

Can We Talk? Religion, Politics and the Role of Empathy – Lindner 106
Senior Lecturer of Religious Studies L.D. Russell
Do you ever wonder why the world, our nation and our local communities are so divided along political, religious, racial and gender lines?  Do you ever wish we could find our way beyond such divisions, even as you fear we might be doomed to live always in estrangement?  How do we build the conversation, perhaps even the very vocabulary, needed to move forward together?