Students who are on the lookout for an interesting summer class have many options recommended by the professors of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

UA Little Rock classes offer students the chance to learn how to craft effective nonfiction stories through digital media as well as how teachers can meet the social and emotional needs of gifted and talented children.

Check out the following guide for choices that explore unique topics in African politics, gangs, crimes against humanity, sports marketing, and the portrayal of the Holocaust in film.

For more information about summer registration and to look up course offerings, visit ualr.edu/summer.

ANTH 4313: Race and Human Variation

Online class taught by Kathryn King July 9 to Aug. 10.

The course will examine how cultural ideas about race still have a significant impact on the lives of minorities.

CRJU 3311: Gangs

Online class taught by Timothy Brown July 9 to Aug. 10

This course examines the historical, cross-cultural, and current state of gang involvement.

CRJU 3305: Crimes Against Humanity

Online class taught by Tusty ten Bensel July 9 to Aug. 10

The purpose of this course is to highlight mass murders, torture, sexual violence, ethnic cleansing, and genocidal activities that have occurred since the 20th century. The course will examine specific cases, such as the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Darfur. Students will be exposed to various aspects of wartime atrocities, weaving toward history, politics, crimes, international law, and human right discussions. In addition, students will be exposed to the psychology of the perpetrators, bystanders, and victims of genocidal events. Lastly, the international community’s response to this crime in the form of international judicial bodies will be detailed, exposing students to contemporary international criminal justice processes.

FREN 2301: Reading French for Research

Online class taught by Zac Hagins May 29 to July 31

This course is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students wanting to read scholarly texts in French for research purposes. Students will gain knowledge of the French language to engage with a variety of texts, with the help of a dictionary. Students will also learn to maintain the original text’s essence and integrity, an aspect of translation essential for research but that escapes the capabilities of electronic translators. Each students will work on a course project translating parts of a scholarly article or book chapter of his or her choosing, while building a lexicon related to his or her area of research. No prior knowledge of French is necessary.

GATE 7363: Affective Needs of the Gifted and Talented

Online class taught by Bronwyn MacFarlane May 29 to July 2

This graduate course is a study in the social and emotional needs of gifted children and is a perfect course for current and future educators. Emphasis is placed on responding to affective needs of gifted students and development of social skills through lesson planning, teaching training, and parent awareness.

HHPS 2330: Intro to Sport Management

Online course taught by Katie Helms July 9 to Aug. 10

This course provides students with a general overview of the various segments of the sport industry. This course will focus on the principles and theories of administration and management as they apply to sports, fitness, leisure, and recreation services.

HHPS 3334: Sport Marketing

Online course taught by Katie Helms July 9 to Aug. 10

This course presents an overview of the various techniques and strategies used in meeting the wants and needs of consumers in the sport industry as well as understanding how sports can be used to assist in the marketing of other companies and products. Areas to be addressed are the uniqueness of sport marketing in comparison with traditional marketing, an overview of the segments of the sport industry, the importance of market research and segmentation in identifying the right sport consumer, the use of data-based marketing in reaching the sport consumer, an overview of the marketing mix as individual units and the relationship between those units, and the development of sponsorship and endorsement packages.

POLS 3301: Seminar: The Holocaust in Film

Online class from July 9 to Aug. 10 by Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm

This course uses film as a medium through which to better understand Nazi Germany’s attempt to exterminate Europe’s Jewish, Roma, and other minority populations. Students will read historical analyses of the politics of the Holocaust, within Germany, across Europe, and globally. In addition, the class explores how filmmakers use the tools at their disposal to depict the brutal events of the Holocaust, and how actors, screenwriters, and directors portray the complex motivations of those caught up in it.

POLS 4370: Readings in Political Science: African Politics

Online class taught by Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm from May 29 to July 2

In the wake of the popularity of the film “Black Panther,” there is renewed interest in understanding the political and economic development of contemporary sub-Saharan Africa. In general, post-independence Africa has failed to modernize the economy and lift sizeable portions of the population out of abject poverty. Most countries suffer from corruption and high levels of foreign debt. Dictatorships have been frequent. Ethnic and racial conflicts are comparatively common occurrences. Nonetheless, Africa also presents many exceptions to these characterizations. In this course, students will examine several explanations for these patterns, including the legacies of colonialism, characteristics of African states, the role of ethnicity and culture, and the actions of international actors. The class considers the historical evolution of African politics as well as contemporary issues such as democratization, civil war, economic development, and infectious disease.

RHET 4347/5347: Topics in Nonfiction Writing: Digital Nonfiction

Online class taught by Londie Martin from July 9 to Aug. 10

More than ever, daily life requires, invites, enchants, or otherwise calls people to express themselves and advocate for others through digital multimodal communications, the combination of sound, image, word, and movement. The class will consider how alphabetic text has been privileged as the primary method of creating and circulating knowledge, and students will attempt to shake up this privilege by crafting digital narratives that explore multimodality, challenge assumptions of linear storytelling, and advocate for community concerns. Join us this summer as we craft true stories, play with new media, think about how stories and communities shape each other, and make cool stuff for real audiences.