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Summer Session Course Information

2020 Summer Session Information

**Note:  Additional details will be added throughout the semester and will be finalized by the end of the semester.

Quick Facts

  • Six week session runs June 1 - July 10, 2020.
  • Course options to be posted in mid-January.
  • Courses taught, with office hours, by Holy Cross faculty.
  • Courses have same standards/expectations as seen during academic year.
  • Tuition: $2,395 per 1.0-unit course (plus additional fees, where appropriate).
  • Non-refundable deposit of $250 is required to enroll. 
  • No federal financial aid available; very limited Holy Cross financial aid is available to Holy Cross students by application.
  • Limited on-campus housing is available to Holy Cross students (for an additional charge).
  • Permission to take two courses requires the approval of a class dean.
  • Course can be taken P/NP at same cost (but do not count toward 32 course requirement unless uncovered before graduation).
  • Course grade factors into Holy Cross GPA if taken for letter grade.
  • Each course must have a minimum number of students enrolled to run.
  • After tuition due date, it will be determined if each course will run. If enrollment does not reach the necessary minimum by mid-May, the course will be canceled.
  • Library will be available during posted summer hours but Academic Services and Learning Resources and other support offices (including Health Services, Disability Services and Counseling Center) will not be accessible to students over the summer.

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Enrollment

Enrollment begins February 21st for Holy Cross students and extends to the first day of classes. Enrollment begins February 28th for students from other Colleges/Universities and these students will need to submit a completed authorization form from their home institution; this form will need to be approved by Holy Cross before enrollment is permitted.  No students will be able to enroll until the non-refundable deposit has been paid. Within one business day of the deposit being credited to your account, the Registrar’s Office will activate you for summer session and you will be able to enroll in a course through STAR. You will be notified by the Registrar’s Office as soon as you have been activated to enroll for summer. Non Holy Cross students will be enrolled by the Registrar's Office and will receive an email confirmation once enrollment has been completed.

Deposit

Students are required to pay a $250 non-refundable deposit to be able to enroll in a class. Only under the following circumstances will a refund of the deposit be allowed:

  1. The class is canceled by the College and there is not another class the student wishes to enroll in.
  2. The student attempts to enroll in a class within one week of making the deposit and the class is full.

The deposit will not be refunded if the student decides not to enroll in a summer class or if the student attempts to enroll in class more than one week after making the deposit and the class is full.

Paying the Deposit

There are three options for paying the deposit:

  1. Electronically - a link will be available beginning February 21st. Online payments are available via holycross.afford.com. Go to the middle of the page where it states “Make a Payment Here”.  Open up the grey box and select Summer Session.
  2. In person – visit the Bursar’s Office, O’Kane 159, Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Be sure to specify that it is a deposit for summer.
  3. By mail – send check or money order to the Bursar’s Office – be sure to specify that it is a deposit for summer: Bursar’s Office, One College Street, Worcester, MA 01610

Please note: the deposit cannot be made via wire transfer.

Financial Aid

There is no federal financial aid available for summer courses. There will be very limited Holy Cross summer aid for Holy Cross students.  Aid will ordinarily be considered for only one course.  Applications for financial aid for tuition only may be submitted through the following link, between February 21st and March 18th: Summer Session Financial Aid Application.

If you require financial aid to be able to take a summer course, we advise that you not pay a deposit until after you know your financial aid status.  Remember, the deposit is non-refundable.

Housing

There will be limited on-campus housing available for Holy Cross students during the summer (for an additional charge). Housing is not guaranteed but Summer Session students get high priority.  Summer Session housing will be charged at a flat-rate cost (TBA). The Summer Session housing cost will not be pro-rated for students who arrive after the housing start date or depart prior to the housing end date.  The application for housing will be available in mid-March. Information will be available online here. Students will be notified as to the availability of housing for Summer Session in late-April.  Specific assignments will be relayed at a later date. For questions, please contact the Residence Life office at 508-793-2411.

Dining Services

A Summer meal plan may be available at an additional cost (TBA).

Important Dates and Deadlines

  • Deposits accepted beginning – February 21
  • Open enrollment for Holy Cross students beginning –  February 21
  • Open enrollment for students from other colleges/universities (authorization form required) beginning - February 28
  • Financial Aid application for Holy Cross students available – February 21
  • Housing application for Holy Cross students opens – mid-March
  • Financial Aid application due –  March 18
  • Financial Aid decisions announced - April 3
  • Housing application for Holy Cross students due –  mid-April
  • Housing availability decisions announced – late-April
  • Full tuition payment due – May 15
  • You may add a course up to the beginning of the second day of class.
  • You may drop a course (removed from record) before the third day of class.
  • Pass/No Pass declaration –  TBA
  • Last day to withdraw, with W posted to transcript–  TBA

Tuition

Tuition is due by May 15. You will be dropped from the course for nonpayment and will not receive your deposit back. 

To enroll after May 15, full payment of tuition (which included the $250 non-refundable deposit) within one day of enrollment is required. You will be dropped from the course for nonpayment. You need to contact Kelly O’Brien at kobrien@holycross.edu so that you can be activated to enroll. 

 

Tuition Refunds

If the College cancels a class, the tuition will be refunded 100% (including deposit)
If you decide to drop the course before the second class meeting, you will receive 100% of the tuition (minus the $250 deposit) 
If you decide to drop the course before the third class meeting you will receive 50% of the tuition (minus the $250 deposit) 
If you decide to drop the course on/after the third day of class, you will not receive a refund.

 

Costs/Fees

Tuition - $2,395 per 1.0-unit course
Housing - TBA for Summer Session period
 

Contact Information

For additional information or questions, email us at: summersession@holycross.edu


Courses

The following courses are planned for Summer 2020:


The Classics and Conflict in the United States

Class Meeting Times:  MTR 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Instructor:  Timothy Joseph
Prerequisites:  None
Requirements Fulfilled:  Historical Studies Common Area

What have the works of the ancient Greeks and Romans meant to Americans? How have Classical texts and ideas been used, misused, and abused in the United States? This course provides a broad introduction to the Classical world and then surveys American engagement with Classical ideas and models in the revolutionary and constitutional periods, in debates about slavery and the abolitionist movements of the nineteenth century, and in discussions about race, gender, and class identity in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Students pursuing all majors are encouraged to bring their perspectives to the course.


Survey of Computer Science - suitable for non-math and non-science majors only

Class Meeting Times:  MWF 12:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Instructor:  Saba Kadady
Prerequisites:  Mathematics and Sciences majors are not eligible to take this course.
Requirements Fulfilled:  Mathematical Science Common Area

This course is intended for students who are not planning to take further courses in Computer Science, but who would like a basic introduction to computers and programming. Students who are thinking of majoring or minoring in Computer Science or majoring in Mathematics or one of the sciences are strongly advised to take CSCI 131 instead of CSCI 110. This course provides an overview of some fundamental concepts in Computer Science. Topics include basic programming in the computer language Python, the digital building blocks of computers, computer networks. Half of the course is an introduction to computer programming. Emphasis is placed upon language independent topics such as structured programming, good programming style, the use of subprograms, and algorithm construction in general. The other half of the course explores how computers are built, how they operate, and what their fundamental limitations are. This is not a computer literacy course. We will not be covering how to use specific computer applications, such as web-browsers, spreadsheets or word processors.


Statistical Analysis

Class Meeting Times:  MTR 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Instructor:  Robert Baumann
Prerequisites:  None
Requirements Fulfilled:  Mathematical Science Common Area; Statistics requirements of all Majors/Minors/Health Professions (except Biology)

This course introduces probability and statistics. After covering the basic summary statistics, the course transitions into the construction and the rules of probability, such as the permutations and combinations, addition law, multiplication law, conditional probabilities, and Bayes's Theorem. This knowledge is necessary for the study of random variables, which is the focus of the remainder of the course. Within random variables, topics include discrete random variables, continuous random variables, probability distribution functions, cumulative probability distribution functions, expected values, variances, sampling, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and the Central Limit Theorem. The course concludes with an introduction of least squares estimation that focuses on interpretation of the estimates and goodness-of-fit. 


Food, Power, & Environment

Class Meeting Times:  TWR 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Instructor:  Christopher Staysniak
Prerequisites:  None
Requirements Fulfilled:  Historical Studies Common Area

This class covers the history of American food from farm to fork with breaks from the past to explore a present snapshot of greater Worcester's food system. This will be a mix of lectures, food samples, guest speakers, and field trips. Mealtime will never be the same!


Introduction to Meteorology - suitable for non-science majors only

Class Meeting Times:  MTWR 9 - 11 a.m.
Instructor:  Robert Garvey
Prerequisites:  Sciences Majors are not eligible to take this course.
Requirements Fulfilled:  Natural Science Common Area

The goal of this course is to help students who are not science majors arrive at an understanding of the causes of a wide variety of weather phenomena that occur around the globe.  Providing students with such an understanding entails devoting about one-third of the course to introducing students to the physics they’ll need to become familiar with in order to grasp the connection between science and the weather.  
I assume the students have no previous knowledge of physics and very little memory of whatever math they were taught in high school. 


Presidential Selection

Class Meeting Times:  MTWR 9 - 11 a.m.
Instructor:  Donald Brand
Prerequisites:  None
Requirements Fulfilled:  Social Science Common Area (1 of 2 courses required)

This course will examine the way the United States chooses its president. While we will focus considerable attention on the current campaign for the presidency, we will also seek to understand this campaign within its institutional and historical context beginning with an analysis of the selection process designed by the American Framers. The selection process is divided into two major components, the nomination stage and the general election stage. We will examine issues associated with each and a variety of reform proposals: frontloading of primaries, contrasting levels of participation in primaries and caucuses, the role of the Electoral College in federalizing presidential elections, a national primary day, direct popular election of the president, voter ID laws and voter suppression. Each student will be assigned a historical presidential election to analyze.


Introduction to Psychology

Class Meeting Times:  TWR 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Instructor:  Stephenie Chaudoir
Prerequisites:  None
Requirements Fulfilled:  Social Science Common Area (1 of 2 courses required); Psychology Major; Health Professions requirement in psychology

This course is designed to provide you with a foundation for understanding human behavior. From conformity and consciousness to morality and mental illness, you will learn how psychologists deploy diverse theoretical perspectives and scientific methods to understand why we do what we do. In this special summer offering of the course, we will also consider how biopsychosocial phenomena such as stigma-related stress contribute to physical health and illness.


The Sociological Perspective

Class Meeting Times:  TWR 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Instructor:  Renee Beard
Prerequisites:  None
Requirements Fulfilled:  Social Science Common Area (1 of 2 courses required); Sociology Major; Health Professions requirements in sociology

Drawing on what C. Wright Mills called the Sociological Imagination, this course will introduce students to the research methods, core concepts, and theories in the discipline of sociology. In addition to outlining the key methodological tools and theoretical frameworks employed by the field, the course readings and assignments will have a substantive focus on health, including macro dynamics like the social determinants of health as well as micro-level variables like the illness narratives of autism, depression, and cancer.


Introduction to Psychology & Sociology (Summer Session exclusive)
 
Class Meeting Times:  TR 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and TR 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Instructors:  Renee Beard and Stephenie Chaudoir
Prerequisites:  None
Requirements Fulfilled:  Social Science Common Area (1 of 2 courses required); Psychology Major; Sociology Major; Health Professions requirements in both psychology and sociology

This course will introduce students to the research methods, core concepts, theories and disciplinary approaches of psychology and sociology. In addition to the seminal materials from each field, the overlap component will make comparisons across sociology and psychology and highlight important differences. Through the lens of social psychology and a focus on topics related to health and illness, the class will examine factors such as stress, stigma, deviance and social control.


Elements of Spanish – suitable for students with 0-2 years of high school Spanish; (SPAN 101/105 equivalent; prepares students to take SPAN 102, next course in sequence)
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Class Meeting Times:  TWR 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.  and  TWR 1 - 2 p.m.
Instructor:  Elizabeth O'Connell-Inman
Prerequisites:  None. Students may not enroll in this course if they have taken a higher level of Spanish. Students must complete the Spanish Background Questionnaire and, if appropriate, Spanish Placement Test in Moodle to determine if they are the appropriate level for this course.
Requirements Fulfilled:  Language Common Area (1 of 2 courses required)

This course is designed for students with 0-2 years of previous Spanish study. It provides a review of basic grammar and foundational vocabulary preparing students for study at the Elementary 2 level. Students will work on developing their listening, reading, speaking and writing skills and use cultural readings and videos that are designed to enhance critical thinking skills and encourage cross-cultural connections.