Community Classes
CONTACT US
Community Education and Workforce Development
Phone: 541-888-7328
Email
Monday – Friday, 8am to 5pm
(Closed on Fridays during summer)
Take Classes For Fun and Personal Growth!
Southwestern offers a wide range of life-long learning and personal exploration opportunities to enrich your life.
We offer a variety of classes at our beautiful Coos and Curry campuses, and online as well. All of our Community Classes are noncredit, and taught by highly qualified individuals from our local communities.
Summer term classes start Monday, June 19, 2023.
To register for a class:
- You must have an active SWOCC Student ID number. You will have an active SWOCC Student ID number if you have taken classes at Southwestern within the last year.
- If you have NOT taken a class at Southwestern within the last year, complete the Community Education & Personal Enrichment application form. This will get you an active SWOCC Student ID number. Skip this step only if you have taken classes at Southwestern within the past year.
- When you have an active SWOCC Student ID number, call or email:
- Coos: 541-888-7352, Email
- Curry: 541-813-1667, Email
CONTACT US
Community Education and Workforce Development
Phone: 541-888-7328
Email
Monday – Friday, 8am to 5pm
(Closed on Fridays during summer)
Coos Campus In-Person
The Arts
ART 0620 65 KNITTING FOR BEGINNERS
Make simple knitting projects with yarn and needles while learning the basics. Students will be taught stitches like knit and purl, stockinette, garter, and ribbing; read patterns, correct simple mistakes and perform finishing work.
Instructor: Oksana Holt
Location: Newmark 207 Cost: $69
Day: Tue Time: 2:00pm-3:30pm
Cooking
Fitness & Recreation
PE 0509 01 ZUMBA®
Zumba® Fitness is a global brand that fuses fitness, entertainment and culture into an addictive dance-fitness class. Zumba® utilizes the principles of fitness, interval training, and resistance training to maximize caloric output, fat burning, and total body toning. It’s a way of mixing body sculpting movements with easy-to-follow dance steps. Inspired by Latin dance and music, Zumba® uses a variety of Latin styles in its routines, including cumbia, merengue, salsa, reggaeton, as well as American styles like swing and hip hop. Music selections include both fast and slow rhythms to help tone and sculpt the body.
Instructor: Tina Woodworth
Location: Rec Center 131 Cost: $69
Days: Tue, Thur Time: 12:00pm-12:50pm
PE 0503 02 PILATES® EXERCISE
Pilates® is a body-conditioning routine that helps build flexibility, muscle strength, and endurance in the legs, abdominals, arms, hips, and back. It puts emphasis on spinal and pelvic alignment, breathing, and developing a strong core, as well as improving coordination and balance.
Instructor: Melissa Loudenbeck
Location: Rec Center 121 Cost: $77
Days: Tue, Thur Time: 12:00pm-12:50pm
PE 0535 01 DANCE FITNESS
Dance Fitness fuses fitness, entertainment and culture into an addictive dance-fitness class. The course utilizes the principles of fitness interval training and resistance training to maximize caloric output, fat burning, and total body toning. It is a way of mixing body sculpting movements with easy-to-follow dance steps. Inspired by fun and upbeat dance music, using a variety of dance styles in the routines. Music selections include both fast and slow rhythms to help tone and sculpt the body.
Instructor: Melissa Loudenbeck
Location: Rec Center 121 Cost: $77
Days: Mon, Wed Time: 12:00pm-1:20pm
PE 0505 01 TURBO KICK
Turbo Kick is a combination of intense kickboxing moves, as well as a unique blend of intense interval strength and endurance training all perfectly choreographed to high-energy and motivating music. It’s the ultimate cardiovascular challenge that is perfect for the high-level athlete and the exercise novice. Turbo Kick requires no previous kickboxing experience or equipment. It’s high intensity, fast-paced, and totally addicting!
Instructor: Melissa Loudenbeck
Location: Rec Center 121 Cost: $77
Days: Mon, Wed Time: 5:30pm-6:50pm
PE 0513 01 INSANITY® WORKOUT
This program uses MAX Interval Training®, which alternates periods of moderate intense exercise with maximum-intensity, and shorter intervals of intensity with smaller periods of rest. This workout is not a dance-based program. Insanity® employs resistance training to achieve faster body composition changes and sculpt your muscles. Instructor: Melissa Loudenbeck
Location: Rec Center 121 Cost: $77
Days: Tue, Thur Time: 5:30pm-6:20pm
Languages
ITAL 0210 01 ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS
Italian for beginners is designed to introduce students to fundamental tools for how to approach learning Romance languages in addition to learning Italian. This course will build the foundation for Italian speaking, writing, and comprehension. The course is modeled to use Italian as early and frequently as possible, allowing students to quickly develop their Italian language skills. If you are ready to learn about Italian culture and its language, then register for this course. A presto!
Instructor: Yazmin Gamble
Location: Stensland 202 Cost: $225
Day: Mon, Wed 3/27-6/7 Time: 6:00pm-7:30pm
Special Interest
DRIV 0620 01 AARP SMART DRIVER COURSE
This course offers you the opportunity to learn how to drive more efficiently and safely. The course contains up-to-date information about changes over time in ourselves, our vehicles, and our roads. The content of this course can help boost safety awareness, refresh and improve driving skills, minimize crash risk, increase confidence, prolong mobility, and maintain independence. Completion of this one-day six-hour driving refresher course can yield discounted auto insurance premiums for individuals. To pre-register call 541-305-6454.
Location: Newmark 201 Instructor: Ginny Carpenter
Day: Thur, 8/24 Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Cost: AARP members $20, non-members $25, Check or cash is payable to AARP at the class.
HD 0964 INTERPERSONAL PROBLEM SOLVING
This is a 16-week program supported by The SAFE Project for Coos County. This program provides men and women with information on how to build healthy relationships with significant others, children, friends, co-workers and others. Registration is by appointment only. A fee of $50.00 is due at the appointment time. The fee covers registration, a workbook and class materials. A fee of $15.00 per class is due at each class. To schedule an appointment contact Chuck Stepping at 541-808-7436. Prices are subject to change and are paid directly to ATV Program Reps.
Location: Newmark 207
Day: Mon Time: 12:00pm-1:30pm & 3:00pm-4:30pm
Curry Campus In-Person
Fitness
PE 0570 01 LOW-IMPACT AEROBICS
This class uses easy-to-follow dance steps and rhythmic movements that are choreographed to upbeat music. This is a fun way to get you moving while improving your cardiovascular system, muscle strength, flexibility, and balance, while boosting your overall fitness level. This is a great class for active seniors no matter your level of fitness. Bring a mat for the floor exercises.
Instructor: Mary Whitaker
Location: Curry Campus 138A/B Cost: $63
Day: Tue, Thur Time: 8:30am-9:20am
PE 0504 01 TAI CHI
This course in Tai Chi is a gentle, relaxed, non-sweat, personal exercise (translated as the “Grand Ultimate”) for any age. The ‘Yang Form’ will be taught along with ‘Chi Gwa’ (circulating breath) and ‘Silk Cocoon Chen’ (fine intertwining energy). This course is noncompetitive and will start with the basics, and then individuals will progress at their own rate.
Instructor: Deane McConnell
Location: Curry Campus 137A/B Cost: $63
Day: Tue Time: 10:00am-11:30am
Special Interest
BLOG 0105 31 BLOGGING
This course introduces the platforms and writing techniques of blogging to the beginning student. The term is a hands-on experience. While learning the theory of effective storytelling within the frame of a student’s choice of subject, students will be applying these techniques directly in homework-assignment blog entries added to a student-run blog created specifically for the class. Students will be walked through the technological processes of creating and maintaining a blog. Web-based promotional techniques will also be discussed.
Instructor: Laec Christensen
Location: Curry Campus 118 Cost: $109
Day: Thur Time: 10:00am-11:20am
WR 0105 01 CREATIVE WRITING AND STORY WORLDS
This course introduces the theory, techniques, and practice of fiction writing to the beginning student, emphasizing the short story. Part of the term is spent reading and analyzing published work in terms of such writing techniques as characterization, scenes, dialogue, thematic content, and structure. Writing exercises complement these discussions, and are critiqued.
Instructor: Laec Christensen
Location: Curry Campus 118
Cost: $109
Day: Thur Time: 1:00pm-3:00pm
Online Community Classes
After registering, log into myLakerLink and click on eLearning Courses under Quick Links for access to your class.
Special Interest
ENG 0115 01 PRIDE AND PREJUDICE /JANE EYRE
Throughout this course you will learn the history of both Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte. You will explore and examine major themes and genres (such as comedy, romance, tragedy and history) as well as writing techniques throughout the reading and viewing of Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. Through literary analysis, writing exercises and close-reading, you will learn the importance of plot structure, gender roles, characterization, etc. In this course you will take part in discussions to increase your understanding and awareness of the major elements/themes in both Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. Instructor: Tyana Brown
Location: Online-On Demand Cost: $99
WR 0110 01 SHORT STORY AND POETRY WRITING
Throughout this course you will learn the basics of poetry and short story writing. You will explore and examine major themes and genres (such as comedy, romance, tragedy and history) as well as writing techniques and format. Through discussion posts and writing exercises, you will learn about plot structure as well as character/narrator development. In this course you will take part in discussions to increase your understanding and awareness of the major elements in short story and poetry writing.
Instructor: Tyana Brown
Location: Online-On Demand Cost: $99
ENG 0105 01 SHAKESPEARE/PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Within this course, you will have the opportunity to review and study The Phantom of the Opera as well as various Shakespeare plays. You will learn the importance of stage performance techniques and will receive the opportunity to explore genre and gothic themes, the language used within the play/musical and the overall representation. This course will provide you with a deeper understanding and knowledge regarding the significance of The Phantom of the Opera in connection with various Shakespearean plays. Students will explore and examine major themes and genres through close-reading exercises. This course is designed to engage students in riveting and educational discussion to increase their understanding and awareness of the major elements present within Shakespeare and Leroux’s work.
Instructor: Tyana Brown
Location: Online-On Demand Cost: $99
Take classes “on the go!” with ed2go.
Classes
Online classes start every month and are typically six-weeks long. With 24-hour access to your class, you choose the right time to be engaged. Check out the variety of courses to choose from and complete registration here.
Teach A Class
Our vision at Southwestern is to lead and inspire lifelong learning. Do you have a skill, hobby or interest that you would like to share with others? Do you want to offer a course that is going to harness inspiration and give others an opportunity to learn? Does it support personal enrichment, enhance a life skill, or meet a need in our local workforce? Community Classes are taught by people in our community, for our community.
We are always looking for enthusiastic people who want to combine an interest in serving the community with the benefit of supplementing their income. Depending on the class, certification and/or formal education may not be required. The first step is filling out the Community Education/Workforce Development Instructor application which you can find here.
