Penn State’s Students Teaching Students (STS) program introduced five student-led courses that will launch this spring.

Through the program, undergraduate students teach official courses at Penn State under the supervision of a faculty member. This spring’s one-credit courses will take a deep dive into Jewish life in rural America, bioethics in media, Formula One racing, and more.

The five classes being offered are one or two credits.

Here’s a brief overview of STS’ new spring 2023 courses:

COMM 197: Bioethics In Media

• Instructors: Sara Yi & Hannah Klatte
• 1:35 to 2:50 p.m. on Tuesdays
• One credit

This course will look at how media plays a role in how bioethical issues are presented through various mediums, including dramas, advertisements, and films.

COMM 197-002: Introduction To Formula One

• Instructor: Chase Alder
• 4:40 to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays
• One credit

Once again, students can take a course that looks at the history, politics, and strategy of Formula One racing. It is geared toward engineering, business, and international relations students.

HDFS 197: Navigating Your 20s

• Instructors: Scott Rochman & Adam Turk Karan
• 12:20 to 1:10 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays
• Two credits

This class will feature guest speakers and hands-on activities that will guide you through financial decisions, interpersonal relationships, and the importance of work-life balance as students transition into adulthood.

ENGL 197: Rhetoric And Rap

• Instructors: Brad Scanlon, Sean Farahani, & Frank Schoepfer
• 12:20 to 1:10 p.m. on Wednesdays
• One credit

In this class, students will use rap as the primary case study for literary, rhetorical, and cultural ideas. Weekly topics may include rhetorical situations, the history of hip hop, genre vs. culture, intertextuality, sound as an argument, race in rap, and cultural impact.

JST 197: Jewish Life In Rural America

• Instructor: Casey Sennett
• 4:40 to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays
• One credit

In this course, students will look at Jewish immigration to the United States and the movement to rural areas. According to the class description, 80% of the American Jewish population live in the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the country, so this class will look at the other 20% not in those areas.

---

In the fall, students were able to take classes about the language of the Internet, the role of music in video games, and more. 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.

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