Penn State’s Students Teaching Students (STS) program has introduced three new student-led courses that will launch next fall.

Through STS, undergraduate students teach official courses at Penn State under the supervision of a faculty member.

In the fall, students could take STS courses on topics including abolition, the reality television show “Survivor,” and female representation in films from the 1980s until now. Students from all majors can take any of the classes, and there aren’t any prerequisites to enroll through LionPATH.

This spring, STS taught courses about the impact of the drug cartels on development in rural Latin America, music psychology, and diversity in Disney films, among others. Most notably, in spring 2020, STS taught Criticism of Kanye, a course that used Kanye West as the primary case study for an in-depth literary and cultural look into hip-hop music.

Here’s a brief overview of STS’ new courses launching next fall:

ENGL 197: Abolition: For Liberation

• Instructors — Ayse Keskin & Otis Williams
• 1:25 to 2:15 p.m. on Mondays
• One credit
• This course will explore abolition using foundational texts, readings, and reflections.⁣ It aims to push boundaries by focusing on abolition rather than reform.

WMNST 197: Girls On Film

• Instructor — Sarabeth Bowmaster
• 12:20 to 1:10 p.m. on Wednesdays
• One credit
• This course focuses on the intersection of film, gender, and culture. It will explore stereotypes about women that form through film and how to recognize them.

ANTH 197: Social Strategy Of ‘Survivor’

• Instructor — Alex Wind
• 3:35 to 4:25 p.m. on Fridays
• One credit
• This course will analyze the reality show “Survivor” using game theory and social principles.

Students can check out STS’s website for more information on the courses and the program itself.