San Juan College's Encore program offers a variety of humanities courses to suit your interests.
Try your hand at writing in our Writers’ Workshop, travel virtually with Armchair Traveler, or explore different cultures with classes like Islam Just the Basics and Native American Representation in Literature and Cinema. If history's your thing, we've got archaeology courses like Exploring Bear's Ears Monument. For creatives, we offer Songwriting: the Art of Simple Complexities. There's something for everyone at Encore.
Humanities Classes
In a supportive atmosphere with inspiring prompts, meaningful feedback on your work and discussions on technique, style and publication, we’ll write and learn about writing. Fiction writers, creative non-fiction writers, as well as poets are welcome. Class will be offered online through Zoom; students should plan for some additional time during each week for self-paced class projects. Please provide your email and ask for your SJC login at registration.
TRAVIS WADE is an Assistant Professor of English and is the Director of the Creative Writing Program at San Juan College. He is also a former San Juan College graduate who grew up in Farmington and now resides in Aztec. He completed his Master of Fine Arts degree in Poetry and Creative Nonfiction at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA.
2 credit hours
Cost: $10 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$122 residents under 65, $179.50 non-residents
2024FA ENGL 104 E05
7/26-9/27, FRI, 11 am-12:30 pm, Live Online
2024FA ENGL 104 E10
10/4-12/13, FRI, 11 am-12:30 pm, Live Online
(no class 11/27)
Travel with us from the classroom as we explore Spain, Italy, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Greece, Scandinavian countries and more. Discover the rich culture, history and geography of these countries. No previous classes required. $15 supply fee for food sampling in class.
AGNES WALISER was born in the French speaking part of Switzerland. This class expands upon her popular French for the Armchair Traveler classes.
Cost (including supply fee):
$21.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$77.50 residents under 65, $211.50 non-residents
2024FA HUMA 104 E14
8/22-10/10, THU, 10 am-noon, 30th Street Education Center Room 208
Experience one of the newest and most controversial national monuments in the nation up close and personal. This semester’s class will focus on both front-country and back country areas within the original or “restored” Bear’s Ears National Monument and provide the student with information needed to explore further on their own. Three days and two nights in this spectacular area will put you in touch with monumental vistas and provide information about a variety of natural and cultural landscapes. Learn the low-impact, responsible way to recognize, visit, and monitor fragile archaeological sites. Mini workshops on artifact identification, site recognition and site preservation will be included. Class size is limited to 9 due to backcountry sensitivity. Since this class has been held before, the field trip will be geared to introduce some new areas to class participants and provide a variety of opportunities to engage with the landscape. The final management plan for the “restored” monument should be out by September so there will likely be new guidelines to be aware of when we visit. Register no later than 8/1 so that adequate room reservations can be made at the Recapture Lodge in Bluff. The instructor will reserve a block of rooms. Four-wheel-drive or high-clearance vehicles are needed. Please ask for the class handout with additional information at registration. $39 course fee payable at registration.
KRISTIE ARRINGTON is a retired archaeologist from the Bureau of Land Management with over 33 years of experience in the Four Corners area. She is currently the owner of Two Dog Cultural Resource Management Services, an archaeological and historic preservation consulting firm located in Aztec.
Cost (including course fee): $45.50 residents 65 and (first 10 credit hours)
$101.50 residents under 65, $235.50 non-residents
2024FA ANTH 104 E06
9/9, MON, 6-8:30 pm, 30th Street Education Center Room 206
9/11-9/13, WED/THU/FRI, two-night field trip
Music enriches our community, and under the leadership of Music Director Thomas Heuser, the San Juan Symphony’s concert season is sure to delight. Discover the beauty of music where once you only heard sound and appreciate your symphony experience as never before, with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. Rediscover old musical favorites and deepen your understanding with cultural information and pre-concert symphony talks. For information on the San Juan Symphony’s 2024-2025 schedule and tickets, visit sanjuansymphony.org. Students should purchase symphony tickets on their own.
LEVI BROWN has a Bachelor’s degree from Fort Lewis College in Music Performance, Piano, and has performed numerous times in the San Juan Symphony on violin.
Cost: $6.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$62.50 residents under 65, $196.50 non-residents
2024FA MUSI 104 E02
9/26, 10/3, 10/24, 11/7, & 11/21, THU, 6-8 pm, 30th Street Education Center Room 206
San Juan Symphony Pre-Concert Talks & Concerts: 10/13 & 11/17, SUN
You probably love many songs that were written by everyday people like you. Discover the magic of songwriting and self-expression through the transformative process of crafting experiences, journal entries, and hopeful dreams. Non-musicians and musicians are welcome. Bring your excitement, courage, and perseverance. Once you learn a basic writing process, knowing song forms and functions, you’ll have skills to write memorable songs.
JAMES COLLINS spent 22 years in Nashville, studying with top songwriters. He played in many almost famous bands, studied music at Florida State University, and has written several classical pieces. He holds a B.A. in Arts & Letters from the University of South Florida.
Cost: $6.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$62.50 residents under 65, $196.50 non-residents
2024FA MUSI 104 E10
9/17-11/5, TUE, 6-8 pm, 30th Street Education Center Room 208
While many people focus blame on Hitler for the atrocities of the Holocaust, the historical roots of antisemitism in Europe and tensions between Christian and Jewish communities actually reach back centuries. Although Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism developed side-by-side in the first century and shared common narratives, Jews in Europe during the Middle Ages encountered increasingly frequent demonization in public disputations, art, and literature. Examine the theological differences and social tensions between Christians and Jews that eventually led to marginalization and expulsion of Jews in parts of Europe in the Middle Ages.
CYNTHIA RAPP SANDHU holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from Boston University School of Theology, and this class, which she has taught before, was developed from a National Endowment for the Humanities summer institute she attended at the University of Oxford.
Cost: $6.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$62.50 residents under 65, $196.50 non-residents
2024FA HIST 104 E10
9/18-11/20, WED, 10 am-noon, 30th Street Education Center Room 208
(no class 10/9 & 11/13)
Early films reflected our nation’s tragic and misguided belief in “Manifest Destiny” of settler colonialism. Discover how this idea has radically changed in cinematic representation and literature from Zane Gray's 1925 The Vanishing American through the recently released Killers of the Flower Moon. Choose from various texts to add to the class discussion on how Native Americans have been represented in both cinema and literature.
RICK WATERS holds a Ph.D. focused on Native American literature and is returning to teach for Encore after a few years’ absence.
Cost: $6.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$62.50 residents under 65, $196.50 non-residents
2024FA ENGL 104 E12
9/18-10/16, WED, 1-4:15 pm, 30th Street Education Center Room 208
Gather to write, talk about writing, and share writing with each other.
Have you always wanted to write but didn’t know where to start? This class is for you.
Do you have a half-finished novel for which you need inspiration to finish? This class is for you.
Do you write but wonder if your writing is any good, or want suggestions on how to make it better or publishable? This is your class.
TRACI HALES is a retired San Juan College professor of writing.
Cost: $6.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$62.50 residents under 65, $196.50 non-residents
2024FA ENGL 104 E24
9/23-11/11, MON, 1-3 pm, 30th Street Education Center Room 206
Humans have the capacity to discover the nature of things by their qualities and characteristics; we recognize signs. Signs apply to most everything: signs of a storm, signs of trouble, signs of a true friend, signs of the sacred. We use graphic symbols, traffic signs, and written language almost without thought. We also use signs, symbols, metaphors and parables to speak of spiritual things beyond description—the language of poets and religion. In this class we will explore this wonderful capacity to discern signs.
MARK REDDY holds a Master’s degree in the Psychology of Handwriting and has taught Encore classes both on handwriting and religion.
Cost: $6.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$62.50 residents under 65, $196.50 non-residents
2024FA HUMA 104 E10
9/24-11/12, TUE, 10 am-noon, 30th Street Education Center Room 208
Canyon de Chelly (da-shā’) preserves a dynamic human history of spectacular cliff dwellings and the homelands of roughly 40 Navajo (Diné) families who farm the canyon floors today. Explore the canyon rim overlooks along with interpretive talks of the “Ancient Ones” and sites of conflicts between the Spaniards, Americans, and the Diné. Navajo guides narrate a three-hour Jeep journey into the Canyon, highlighting both Diné reverence for this sacred landscape and the people’s resilience during the Kit Carson campaign of 1863-64 and military incarceration at Fort Sumner following the Long Walk. The Treaty of 1868 authorized the creation of a Navajo reservation and the return of the Navajos to their ancestral homelands. Students are responsible for all education-discounted interpretive fees (Jeep tour), overnight accommodations at the historic Thunderbird Lodge, and meals for this immersive introduction to Canyon de Chelly and Diné culture. Please contact the instructor for additional details at swjourneys@icloud.com. Register no later than 8/29. Course fee of $59 payable at registration.
MICHAEL J. LAWSON has a Ph.D. in U.S. History from Arizona State University. He has been leading unique trips with local experts for over two decades.
Cost (including course fee): $65.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$121.50 residents under 65, $255.50 non-residents
2024FA HIST 104 E12
9/20-9/22, FRI/SAT/SUN, two-night field trip
Islam is the world’s second-largest religion, with an estimated 1.8 billion adherents. Explore the life and times of Muhammad, the Qur’an and its teachings, major Muslim practices, and Islam’s relation to Judaism and Christianity. Gain a basic understanding of this major world religion, its background, teachings and influence in history, as well as how it compares and contrasts with the more familiar Judeo-Christian heritage in the west.
MARK REDDY has presented many workshops, classes, and study sessions on world religions.
Cost: $6.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$62.50 residents under 65, $196.50 non-residents
2024FA HIST 104 E02
9/24-11/12, TUE, 1-3 pm, 30th Street Education Center Room 208
Immerse yourself in the popular songs of the French culture. Explore the lives and music of famous French singers such as Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour, Jacques Brel, Yves Montand, Joe Dassin, Michel Sardou and more. Through songs and interviews from the featured artists (all with subtitles), deepen your appreciation for French culture—and leave humming new songs in your head.
AGNES WALISER was born in the French speaking part of Switzerland. This class takes a different cultural approach to her popular Armchair Traveler classes.
Cost: $6.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$62.50 residents under 65, $196.50 non-residents
2024FA HUMA 104 E18
10/3-11/21, THU, 1-3 pm, 30th Street Education Center Room 208
Travel with us from the classroom as we visit Belgium and Luxembourg, the French Alps and French Pyrénées, Châteaux de la Loire, Burgundy, Provence, Dordogne region, French Polynesia, as well as the old French Colonies. We will learn basic French conversation skills and sample foods from the various regions. $15 supply fee for food sampling in class.
AGNES WALISER was born in the French speaking part of Switzerland and has rich experiences to share from her travel and work in French speaking countries. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Cost (including supply fee): $21.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$77.50 residents under 65, $211.50 non-residents
2024FA HUMA 104 E22
10/17-12/12, THU, 10 am-noon, 30th Street Education Center Room 208
(no class 11/28)
Travel with us from the classroom as we visit Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. Discover the histories and rich cultures of Central Europe and sample their foods. $15 supply fee for food sampling in class.
AGNES WALISER was born in the French speaking part of Switzerland.
Cost (including supply fee): $21.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$77.50 residents under 65, $211.50 non-residents
2024FA HUMA 104 E01
10/21-12/16, MON, 5:30-7:30 pm, 30th Street Education Center Room 208
(no class 11/25)
We all know about Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, right? But what about the other Gospels, the ones that didn’t make the cut? Survey the less controversial of these texts and take an in-depth look at some of the more controversial non-canonical Gospels. The class will include video presentations, and the opportunity to actually read the texts of documents such as The Gospel of Thomas. The class will meet in two parts; part one is not necessary for part two.
URSULA MESSANO is both a Certified Teacher and an Ordained Minister, with a Master’s of Divinity degree from
Phillips Theological Seminary.
Cost: $6.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$57.50 residents under 65, $169.50 non-residents
2024SU HIST 104 E16 (registration begins 2/21)
6/10-7/29, MON, 10 am-noon, 30th Street Education Center Room 208
From the years following the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki through the recent release of Oppenheimer, cinema and literature have depicted the consequences of the development and usage of nuclear weapons. Engage with rarely seen movies and choose from various texts to enhance class discussion on this thoughtful and provocative topic.
RICK WATERS taught English in Hiroshima, Japan from 1984 through 1986.
Cost: $6.50 residents 65 and older (first 10 credit hours)
$62.50 residents under 65, $196.50 non-residents
2024FA ENGL 104 E08
10/23-11/20, WED, 1-4:15 pm, 30th Street Education Center Room 208
