From July 8-21, 2012 UMass Amherst is offering "Summer College" for highly motivated high school students in or about to enter their junior or senior year and who are ready to learn at a college level. 

The Department of Political Science is joining in this effort by offering the political science course "The Politics of Artistic Expression," taught by gradute student and artist Alix Olson.

Summer College provides rising high school juniors and seniors with a full, yet condensed, college experience -- from campus living to academic rigor. It helps high school students to explore areas of interest and develop the skills and abilities that will help them succeed at any college of university. Students may choose to receive college credit for their courses.

"The Politics of Artistic Expression" will explore the role of artists in politics and vice versa. It seeks to answer a number of questions including: how do the world of politics and the world of art intersect and/or collide? What is political art anyway and who defines it? What is its relationship to past and current social movements?

Students enrolled in "The Politics of Artistic Expression," will seek answers to these and other meaningful questions as they examine forms of artistic expression from spoken word poetry, hip-hop and folk music to photography and film. They will engage in spirited conversation with guest artists, take group trips to spoken word shows, music events and art galleries. They will explore how the lenses of gender, race, sexuality and ethnicity contribute to our understanding of various art forms. And they will consider how thinking of art as politics shifts one's sense of what it means to act politically. Students will have the opportunity to develop their own creative projects.

For more information and to register visit UMass Amherst Summer College.