Copper Mountain College’s New 2024 Fall Semester Community Education Program Provides Exciting, Eclectic Courses - by and for - the Community

The Community Education program at Copper Mountain College is beginning it’s Fall Semester of classes in mid-September.  This semester’s courses provide something for everyone, from yoga to AI, CADD to dance, acting, film production, and much more.

“Fall Semester’s Community Education program is the most diverse and exciting collection of courses offered since pre-pandemic days,” said CMC spokesperson Steve Brown.  “It’s the product of a lot of hard work by Mariana Wright in Academic Services, and other CMC staff and administrators who put this together, along with a streamlined online course registration system to make it easy for the public to sign up for classes.”

Community Education at CMC features instructors from our community sharing their expertise with residents of the hi-desert.  Courses range from single sessions to packages of 10 sessions, and cover a broad range of topics.  Instructors are highly qualified and passionate about sharing their knowledge with the community.

Aspiring filmmakers and performers have much to look forward to in this fall’s courses at CMC.  Courses include Dance and Movement, Vocal Technique, and Acting, taught by musician, actress, dancer, madame harlequin, who has performed from New York City to the Joshua Tree Music Festival, and conjures up a fantastic Janis Joplin. 

Filmmaker Mercedes Garcia is hosting classes in Beginning Film Acting, Beginning Film Directing, Intro to Screenwriting, and Beginning Film Producing for aspiring filmmakers.  Garcia is an award-winning writer, director, and producer who studied at CSU Northridge and the Stephens College M.F.A. TV + Screenwriting program.  Meanwhile, Simon Herbert, an instructor on the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting, and Advanced Screenwriting at Hollins University’s MFA program, who has served as a senior story analyst for Amazon Studios and an editorial consultant at Netflix, will be teaching Screenwriting Basics Online, followed by Screenwriting Basics II Online.

But courses involving storytelling don’t end there.  MotherSpeak: Tell Me Your Story, is a course by Jane Jarlsberg that focuses on intergenerational interviewing and storytelling.  Jarlsberg is a grandmother, videographer, documentarian, and gerontologist who has “been inspired by people she has interviewed over the years, when they opened up to her telling their life stories.”

Storytelling continues with I-Write, an inclusive and dynamic space designed for writers of all levels and genres to come together and share their work.

AI takes its place in CMC’s Community Education courses for this fall too, with Richard Lee teaching Intro to Generative AI, and how AI can be used as a teacher, researcher, assistant, and more.  Phil Bosua, a visionary in AI integration brings his four years of intensive AI experience to bear with his course, Infinite Dreams: AI Art Course.  Bosua, a tech entrepreneur and AI leader, says, “you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of AI’s applications across diverse art styles, equipping you to harness your unique creative power.”

Self-Care has a strong presence this fall as well, with Building Resiliency: Self Care for Cycle Breakers by Priscilla María Gutiérrez, J.D., a Certified Trauma Recovery Coach.  Yuna Lee is hosting a Trauma-releasing breathwork workshop, while Irma Bajit is hosting from head to toe: What does my body say about my health? The course is offered in both English and Spanish.

Course offerings don’t end there, however.  Marci Stonehenge is hosting Rise and Shine Yoga, a gentle Hatha Yoga course, as well as Exploration of Computer Aided Drafting & Design.  Nicole Virtue is hosting a course on Tarot Card Reading, and Terence Latimer is teaching Information & Communication Technology for Small Business.

History has a presence in the course lineup as well, with Murder, Mayhem and the Mojave: A Night on the Old Spanish Trail, and Hump Day History: The History of Hi Jolly and the Great Camel Experiment in the Southwest, both by desert journalist/historian Steve Brown.  These presentations are Paul and Jane Smith Desert History Lectures, part of Copper Mountain College’s Mojave Month 2024.

Costs, locations, dates and times for courses vary.  Browse and enroll in courses online at www.cmccd.edu/fall-2024 where there is a full listing of courses and links to enroll that will be live on Tuesday, September 3, 2024.  For additional questions on Community Education at CMC or how to teach a course, please contact Mariana Wright at mwright@cmccd.edu.