TLU - Texas Lutheran University

The Lone Star Scholars Academy is a two-week, residential summer academy for high school students who have completed their freshman year. Students enroll in two one-credit-hour courses, chosen from a list of courses submitted by faculty members and approved by TLU departments and colleges. Each course has 2 ½ contact hours per day. There will be a break in the morning, a break for lunch, and a break in the afternoon. The purpose of the academy is to showcase the TLU experience through coursework, contact with outstanding faculty, and exposure to the campus. 

LSSA Summer 2012 will run July 8-20. Scholars will arrive on campus on Sunday, July 8, move into their residence halls, and attend an opening convocation and reception, at which time they will meet the academy faculty and staff. Classes will begin Monday, July 9 and end on Friday, July 20. Closing activities will be held on Friday, following the last class period.

Tuition, room, board, books, and all associated activity fees and materials costs are included in the price of $1825. A $100 deposit, must accompany your application. The remaining balance is due by July 5. Need-based financial aid up to $900 is available. To apply for financial aid please submit the Financial Aid Request Form.

When you go to college, you enter a whole new world: new room, new roommate, new classes, and new expectations. It can be a tough transition. The college search is about finding more than just the right major, but the right fit and the right experience. LSSA gives you a taste of the future, and lets you "try on" the college experience, so that when the future arrives, you’ll be ready for it.

What is a Genogram and how can it possibly help me plan my college and professional career?  This course will help you see how your current lifestyle, family patterns, and generational expectations might influence your future study and career choices.  Building a Genogram will fascinate you and guide you to a new understanding of "who, what, when, where, and how" your future unfolds.  Come and explore who you are and who you might want to be.  This course will prepare you for FREX 134: Exploring the Arts and Sciences, a mandatory course for all TLU students. 

OMG, do you spend more time on Facebook than having face-to-face convos with your besties?  Communication is Key will discuss basic communication skills that can help you improve all of your most important relationships.  We will learn communication theory as well as practical applications you can use immediately in your real life!  This class will prepare you for TLU's COMP 131-132 courses which are a requirement for all TLU students.  This two-course sequence (COMP 131-132) helps to fulfill the TLU Goal for Graduates of being able to "write clearly and coherently, speak effectively, and listen with care and openness."

Maybe you feel comfortable as a leader in your high school, maybe you don't...Either way, this class teaches leadership skills that can be learned by anyone.  It takes you beyond student government elections and parliamentary procedure into an exploration of your leadership identity, introducing you to leadership skills, such as collaboration and conflict management, that will serve you well on the university campus, in your community, and in whatever career you choose to pursue.  

Angry birds.  Dungeons and Dragons.  Call of Duty.  Settlers of Catan.  Farmville.  Chess.  Fantasy Football.  Geocaching.  Rock Paper Scissors.  Games are everywhere.  Why?  What do they mean?  This class will study videogame and board game design and psychology, the social effects of gaming, the question of violence, and game theory: what we can learn from games to "play" life better.  In this class you will experience many types of games and simulations, analyze them, and finally design your own. 

Explores how psychological knowledge can assist in understanding, evaluating, and shaping one's personal experience and relationships with others.  Students will participate in hands-on activities that are meant to help them use psychology to make positive changes in their future.  There will be a special focus on improving creativity, motivational, and cognitive skills. 

Have you ever encountered a situation that was not easily resolved with a phone call or text message?  Have you ever wanted to apply for a job but didn't because the employer requested a resume and cover letter?  Would you like to gain a marketable job skill that also helps you in your day-to-day life?  Professional Writing for Practical Situations gives you a solid foundation in the basics of business communications, from memos and e-mail to formal letters to job application materials.  

Speaking and writing are the two key skills employers want from college graduates. Yet, because 90% of people have speaking anxiety, we often let the public speech become the Achilles' Heel in our academic preparation.  This course, which is specifically designed to empower less confident speakers, will give you the tools to be successful in many facets of oral communication, including a variety of speech occasions, public debate, and the job/college interview.  

As a child, was your favorite class recess or PE?  Well, then you might make a great P.E. teacher!  Teaching P.E. will include games, skills & activities for all P.E. teachers.  This includes classroom management, organization, teaching strategies, and safe fun!  We will be playing many indoor & outdoor games while role playing various helpful & detrimental behaviors you will encounter as a teacher. 

Novels, plays, movies, video games -- these might all seem very different at first, but each depends on good storytelling.  For those students who are interested in joining community of storytellers, this course will teach the basics of written narrative and will encourage students to create their own stories.  Students will also learn how to share their stories by designing an online literary magazine to showcase their creative work.  

You see if every day - on TV, in your Facebook sidebar, even in text messages you didn't ask to receive.  It's advertising, and it's everywhere.  You probably think you pay no attention to it whatsoever, but recent research suggests that advertising may have a role in creating or reinforcing stereotypes in our culture, whether we buy the products they're selling or not.  The question we should be asking is: What are they really selling us?