[IMC] PRESS: Free College-Level Course in Humanities Offered in Chicago, Urbana-Champaign

Tue Jun 12 14:23:59 UTC 2012

Good morning,

My name is Carlos Velazquez, I am with the Illinois Humanities Council.

Our Odyssey Project program is now accepting applications for its next year
of classes beginning September 1, both in Chicago and Urbana-Champaign.
Attached and below is the press release.

Earl Shorris, the founder of the program (who just passed away, May 27),
stressed the importance the humanities played in elevating those with lower
means. "The study of the humanities, he said, is “in itself a
redistribution of wealth.”

The deadline to apply is August 1.

With classes in Chicago in Rogers Park, Pilsen (in Spanish), and Woodlawn,
including in Urbana-Champaign, we are asking for your support to pass on
this opportunity to your audiences. I can connect you to current and past
students of the program, who can speak eloquently on the classes' impact on
their lives.

Thank you,

-- 

*Carlos Velázquez
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Communications Manager
Illinois Humanities Council
Suite 1400
17 North State St.
Chicago, IL 60602.3296
312.422.5585 ext 233
312.422.5588 Fax
http://www.prairie.org
cav at prairie.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Follow <http://twitter.com/ilhumanities> us on Twitter - @ILhumanities
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 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

*Free College-Level Courses in the Humanities Begin This Fall

***

*Odyssey Project offers classes on literature, philosophy, history and art*

* *

*CHICAGO*, IL-* June 12, 2012*— Illinoisans in the areas of Chicago and
Urbana-Champaign are invited to apply to be part of a unique program
offering a free college liberal arts course to adults living on
low-incomes, complete with college credit.    **

The Odyssey Project, a program of the Illinois Humanities Council in
partnership with the Clemente Course in the Humanities, is a free college-level
introduction to the humanities, founded on the conviction that engagement
with the humanities can offer individuals a way out of poverty by fostering
habits of sustained reflection, critical thinking, and skilled
communication.

Classes are offered in literature, philosophy, history, art history, and
writing, taught by faculty members from top institutions including the
University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and
DePaul University. In partnership with the Bard College Clemente® Course in
the Humanities, students may receive up to six units of college credit.

Courses are taught at AKArama Community Service Center in Woodlawn on
Chicago’s South Side, the Howard Area Community Center in Rogers Park on
the North Side, and Spanish-speaking students meet at the Gads Hill Center
in Pilsen. The course in Champaign is held at the Illinois Program for
Research in the Humanities on the UIUC campus. *Since its inception, more
than 500 students have graduated from the program.   *

* *

Earl Shorris, the late founder of the Clemente Course in the Humanities, of
which the Odyssey Project course is a part, said that, “If one has been
‘trained’ in the ways of poverty … what is needed is a beginning, not a
repetition. The humanities teach us to think reflectively, to begin, to
deal with the new as it occurs to us, to dare. If the multigenerational
poor are to make the leap out of poverty, it will require a new kind of
thinking—reflection.”

The Odyssey Project is now accepting applications for its 2012-2013 school
year. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and live in a household with
income no more than 150 % of the Federal poverty level.  Classes are free
of charge and books, on-site babysitting and transit cards are also
provided. * *Classes are held mid-September through May at all locations. *The
application deadline is August 1, 2012. *Applications and information about
the Odyssey Project are available on the Odyssey Project page at
www.prairie.org or by contacting Amy Thomas Elder at 312.422.5580.

*About the Illinois Humanities Council *

* *

*The Illinois Humanities Council is an independent, nonprofit state
affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, **dedicated to
fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives
of individuals and communities. The IHC creates programs and funds
organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and
involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their
economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. The IHC is
supported by state, federal, and private funds. ***

Media Contact:

Carlos Velázquez

(312) 422-5580, x233

cav at prairie.org

*D A R E T O K N O W*
*# # #*
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