Penn State’s Students Teaching Students (STS) is introducing eight new student-led courses for the spring 2021 semester.

STS is a student-led program that prepares undergraduate students to teach official courses at Penn State under the supervision of a faculty member. The program began last spring with four student-led courses.

“At Penn State, students have so many options for courses,” STS Co-Director Michael Miller said. “We believe that instructors should pitch their courses to students and clearly articulate who benefits from their course and what they’ll learn.”

Spring 2021 course topics range from music psychology to diversity in Disney films. Students from all majors can take any of the classes. Best of all, there aren’t any prerequisites.

STS’s newest courses include…

BA 397: Act Now For A Sustainable Future

• Co-Instructors — Maddy Mitchell and Nora Van Horn
• 4 to 5:15 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, Mixed-Mode
• This course teaches students how to enhance their critical thinking skills to create a more healthy and sustainable community and world.

CED 497: The Impact Of Drug Cartels On Development in Rural Latin America

• Instructor — Maria Camila Cepeda
• 10:10 to 11 a.m. on Mondays, Remote
• Students will examine how drug cartels have impacted development in rural Latin America. Specific topics include crime, poverty, agriculture, education, economic growth, gender dynamics, rule of law, and family.

EDUC 197: Supporting Students’ Mental Health

• Instructor — SaraGrace Kimball
• 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, Remote
• Students will take an in-depth look at the research surrounding teachers’ roles in students’ mental health. This course will examine eight changes a teacher can make to better support students.

ENGL 197: Unpacking The Cultural, Ethnic, and Racial Diversity In Disney Films

• Instructor — Kay Adetiba
• 2:30 to 3:20 p.m. on Wednesdays, Remote
• In this discussion-based course, students will learn to recognize misrepresentation in Disney and Pixar films and unpack the implications of cultural, ethnic, and racial representations of marginalized groups.

MUSIC 297: Music And The Mind: An Introduction To Music Psychology

• Co-Instructors — Annie Liu and Sam Rothermel
• 11:15 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. on Mondays, Remote
• This intro course builds upon principles of the physics of sounds and the physiology of hearing as they relate to music fundamentals. Students will employ the scientific model during discussions about music’s meanings, benefits, and impacts.

RLST 197: The Roman Liturgy Since 1900

• Instructor — Victor Fuentes
• 7:05 to 7:55 p.m. on Wednesdays, In-Person
• Students will learn about the development of Roman Catholic liturgy from days of the early Church to the present day, focusing on the time periods from 1900 – the Second Vatican Council, the Council itself, and the era after the Council.

THEA 497: American Musical Theatre History — From 9/11 To COVID-19

• Instructor — Frederick Miller
• 3:35 to 4:25 p.m. on Wednesdays, Remote
• This course surveys 21st-century American musical theatre and investigates global events as they parallel the creation of musical theatre works.

WMNST 197: B.B.W: The Miseducation And Underrepresentation Of The Big Black Woman

• Instructor — Lyra Stubbs
• 7:05 to 7:55 p.m. on Wednesdays, In-Person
• This course will learn how fatphobia, racism, sizeism, and sexism are used to dehumanize and marginalize Black women of size. Students will also learn how these women resist and have resisted this oppression throughout history and presently.

Students can view the list of STS courses on the Students Teaching Students’s website and enroll on LionPATH.