Weekend Course Descriptions

FES 310: Emotional Intelligence (1 unit)

• Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the single most important factor influencing teaching/learning/leadership effectiveness. This course will explore the nature of emotional intelligence (EQ), contrast it with IQ, and provide ways of increasing EQ and thus achieving greater self-awareness and interpersonal and professional effectiveness.

FES 437: Conflict Management (1 unit)

• Conflicts in the workplace, in school and at home are everyday occurrences. Although surrounded by conflict, people are often unsure of what causes conflict. This course will introduce the student to examples and practices of conflict management, engaging a variety of interdisciplinary models for understanding conflict dynamics. Emphasis will be placed on the development of theoretical and practical responses to conflicts faced by those in business and the classroom.

FES 440: Power of Optimism (1 unit)

• This course is based on the premise that optimism is a skill that can be learned. Students will acquire background knowledge in the psychology of optimism, will understand their own optimist/pessimist tendencies in light of those definitions and will leave with specific, practical skills for engaging the strategies of successful optimists. Final study will be highly application-oriented and will focus on harnessing the power of optimism, with particular emphasis on how to do so in the workplace and on the role of faith in maintaining hope.

FES 450: Memory Tools: Mind Maps (1 unit)

• Helping the memory to recall and retrieve information is the goal of this course, using pictorial arrangements know as Mind Maps (a form of graphic organizer). Mind maps form a powerful visual picture of information and allow the mind to see undiscovered patterns and relationships. Students will learn how to use Mind Maps as a learning tool for any subject area, as well as a tool for brainstorming, organizing thoughts, and generating ideas.

GES 100: University Success (1 unit)

• University Success will provide students with skills and techniques for enhancing their learning outcomes within Fresno Pacific University programs. Topics that will be addressed: university jargon and culture, sensitivity and identity as it relates to productive group and instructor relationships, prioritizing and balancing of multiple obligations/roles and study enhancing/refreshing techniques. The population focus of the course will be the degree completion adult learner.

GES 430: Personal Finance: Budget, Credit, Career (1 unit)

• This class will deal with budgeting, credit and work life. The course is an introduction to the area of personal finance. Topics including goal setting, budgeting, major purchases, insurance, career decisions will be covered and investments and retirement will be touched on. Use of legal resources, wills, probate and other factors surrounding these issues will be covered in a way that puts them in a context. A portion of class will be used to clarify and deal with whatever issues and questions are of interest to a particular group.

GES 431: Personal Finance: Investment and Retirement (1 unit)

• Students will work through the primary investment possibilities to gain an understanding of what is appropriate given a particular stage of life, income and the objectives that are desired. Preparation for retirement (how to maintain a lifestyle) and beyond (distribution of assets through ones will).

GES 432: Personal Finance: Cash Flow Management (1 unit) 

• Focus will be on determining personal assets by preparing balance sheets and income statements. There will be some work with budgeting, along with major purchases and insurance. Internet stock investing and other topics of interest will be discussed.

GES 433: Collaboration and Creativity (1 unit)

• Organizations must recognize and reward collaboration as clearly and unambiguously as they have traditionally celebrated individual achievements. This course is about learning how to do just that. Students will go beyond simple teamwork strategies to build more creative collaboration skills and better manage relationships within organizations that encourage groups of all sorts towards more effective interaction. The instructional style will be very hands-on, providing opportunities to put into practice the techniques presented.

GES 434: Increasing Personal Effectiveness (1 unit)

• "Habits are powerful factors in our lives. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character and produce our effectiveness...or ineffectiveness." This course is about increasing effectiveness through personal reflection, values identification, reprioritization and goal setting. Content will draw heavily upon Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and will involve immediate application through group discussion, private journaling and in-clas role plays.

GES 440: Bibilcal Literature: I Corinthians (1 unit) 

• This course is an introduction to the biblical book of 1 Corinthians. The aim is to introduce the student to 1) the letter genre, 2) the social/historical/cultural context of first century Corinth , and 3) content and themes in the letter. The course format alternates between brief lectures, group discovery, and synthesis centers on their analysis of the biblical text. 

GES 446: Biblical Literature: James (1 unit)

• This course is an introduction to the New Testament letter of James. A variety of issues are addressed including those related to its appearance in the New Testament canon, including authorship, dating, occasion, setting and relationship to other canonical and non-canonical writings. Literacy concerns, such as genre, structure and thematic development will be examined. The letter will also be considered for its place in the ongoing life of the church.

GES 450: Communication Skills for Professionals (1 unit) 

• Communication for Professionals will provide students the skills for enhancing their personal and workplace conversations. Formal and informal communication, along with nonverbal cues, will be analyzed and practiced.

GES 452: Editing for Communication (1 unit)

• Whether  writing memos, research papers, letters, sales pitches or resumes, you've got to be bold, clear and brief to get your point across. In this course, students will not only have opportunity to investigate successful writing strategies, they will get to craft and revise their own writing until it has the kind of impact they desire.

GES 460: Psychology: Living with Stress (1 unit)

• This course introduces students to the psychological factor of stress. Students will learn the definition, sources, reactions, factors that influence and coping strategies.

GES 461: Communication/Psychology: Persuasion (1 unit)

• In this course, students will learn about six psychological principles that drive our powerful impulse to comply to the pressures of others.  By the end of the course, they will be able to defend themselves against manipulation and put the principles to work to more effectively persuade others.

GES 470: Lincoln and Leadership (1 unit) 

• This course will examine the life and times of Abraham Lincoln as a means of gleaning further insight into this critical period of American history. The impact of Lincoln 's leadership on the presidency and the nation, as well as the characteristics that made him great, will be analyzed. There will also be an attempt to distinguish the real Lincoln from the mythology, including an analysis of what the Lincoln mythology tells about American values and civilization.

GES 471: Puritan Influence in America (1 unit)

• This course will examine the history of Puritanism in the founding and shaping of early America. The ideas, institutions and values, positive and negative, of colonial American Puritans have played a very significant role in defining American civilization. While their influence is yet felt in American life today, Puritan ancestors are largely misunderstood and maligned. This course will help set the historical record straight and will show how Puritan ideas continue to impact our culture. Students will be asked to write a summary essay dealing with Puritan strengths, weaknesses and influence on American civilization.

GES 472: Causes of the American Revolution (1 unit) 

• The American Revolution was a new, shocking and unlikely event in the world of the late 1700s. This course will examine the background causes of the American Revolution to determine how the colonies moved from loyal subjects of the world's greatest military power to an independent nation against huge odds. The emphasis will be on the ideas and personalities that brought about the revolution and the foundation that was laid for the development of the American nation. Students will be asked to write a summary essay reflecting on their changed perceptions of the American Revolution as a result of this course.

GES 473: The 1920s in America (1 unit)

• The history of the 1920s will be explored through the political, social, economic, intellectual and religious events of this exciting and influential decade. When it was over, the decade brought the nation into the modern era. Lecture, film, discussion and small group interaction will be used to bring the decade to life, resulting in a summary paper required of each student.

GES 474: Postwar America: 1945-1960 (1 unit)

• This course will cover the political, social and intellectual history of the United States from the end of World War II to the election of John Kennedy as President. Topics covered will include the Cold War and U.S. foreign policy, the impact of the "atomic age" on the American public, the Truman presidency and the Korean War, the McCarthy Era, the Eisenhower presidency, the prosperity of the 1950s, the growth of postwar urban America, the plight of minorities, the impact of television and the motion picture industry, rock-and-roll and an increasingly important youth culture, and national demographics including the dramatic rise in college enrollments. Learning strategies will include periods of lecture and discussion, examination of primary source literature and newsreel footage, interpretive videos, an interview assignment and a summary paper.

GES 475: The American Presidency (1 unit) 

• This course will explore the history and development of the American presidency from George Washington to the present. The focus will be on major historical developments (including the political processes by which candidates are selected and elected) and key presidential personalities (including some first ladies) that have shaped the presidency into the most powerful and influential political office in the world. Strengths and weaknesses of those who have held this office will be analyzed, and historians' views of the "best" and "worst" presidents will be examined. Format for the course will include lecture, discussion, video and examination of key presidential speeches. Handouts will be provided.