By Juan Carvajal, Contributing Writer
Saint Leo University’s fall semester is coming up, and new learning opportunities are on the horizon for students to take advantage of them.
Among the University Exploration courses, one that stands out due to its content and methodology is The Emergence of Christianity, REL110RS. This course, taught by Dr. Robert Imperato, explores the Bible and the mission of Jesus Christ. Imperato teaches three sections of this course, from 9:10a.m.-10:00a.m., 10:20a.m.-11:10a.m., and 1:50p.m.-2:40p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
“This course aims at providing students with an in-depth understanding of Jesus Christ’s mission and ways in which the New Testament can be better understood,” said Imperato.
With a M.A. of Arts in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Theology from Fordham University, Imperato is the ideal professor for this class.
“Though some students do not feel that the class resonates with them,” said Imperato. “Other students find the class to be not only exciting but also intellectually liberating, given that I help them improve their perspective of Christianity and its meaning.”
Having studied the Bible for more than 30 years, Imperato seeks to help students understand what Christianity actually is and how it can help them grow, both academically and personally.
When it comes to reading the Bible, he considers that the interpretation of each section of the Bible must be done carefully.
“The Bible is the most important text in history and many issues, both political and social, have arisen due to the misunderstanding of its teachings,” said Imperato. “Therefore, I consider it necessary to teach students how to interpret it, so that they can appreciate what the Bible has to offer.”
Besides Imperato’s class, another class that must be acknowledged, due to its contribution to the criminal justice major, is CRM322 Law of Criminal Procedure.
Taught by Professor Andrew Coviello, Jr.—a misdemeanor and felony attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and an MBA from Nova Southeastern University—this class helps criminal justice majors gain experience with both criminal procedure in the state of Florida and public defense.
Coviello teaches two sections of this course, from 9:40a.m.-11:00a.m. and from 11:20a.m.-12:40p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“In class, my main focus is to provide students not only with an in-depth lecture but also with real-life scenarios through which they can immediately apply what they’ve just learned,” said Coviello. “The more engaged, students are in class, the better they will understand what I’m teaching, and the better prepared they will be when they go out into the real world.”
Criminal Justice majors can benefit from professor Coviello’s vast experience, who was a former public defender for both Tampa and NPR and now serves the Tampa Bay community with his own criminal law practice.
“I have had the privilege to be an adjunct here at Saint Leo for the past seven plus years and have taught 11 different criminal justice subjects at the New Port Richey, Brooksville, Land O Lakes Centers,” said Coviello.
Coviello is enthusiastic of welcoming incoming criminal justice majors into his class, to help them advance towards their career goals.
Finally, another challenging class that is coming up is PSY428 Counseling Principles Practice. With Dr. Kevin Kieffer as professor, this psychology class is centered on helping students learn about the theories that psychologists use when working clinically and therapeutically with their clients.
Kieffer teaches only one section of this class from 1:00p.m.-2:20p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“The class begins with an exploration of ethical and multicultural issues involved in clinical work and then delves into general relationship building strategies necessary to connect with the clients who seek out psychological treatment,” said Kieffer.
Throughout the class, the focus is on understanding how assessments and diagnoses are carried out during psychotherapy.
“The use of assessment and diagnosis in therapy is covered as well, before students begin learning about the main theoretical approaches to conducting psychotherapy,” said Kieffer.
Similar to Coviello’s class, Kieffer’s class offers a hands-on approach in order for students to better understand what they are learning.
“Students are able to explore various ethical issues that arise in the course of psychotherapy and then finish the class by choosing a theoretical approach explored in the class and using it in a recorded mock therapy session with a hypothetical client,” said Kieffer.
Without a doubt, the fall semester will be filled with innumerable possibilities and unknowns. While the academic demand will certainly increase, this should not scare students, but rather encourage them to give their best as well as enjoy the journey.
Each of these courses will be available for all students, regardless of their major. Due to this, students must take advantage of time and register now. This is an opportunity that no student should miss, since each of these courses will provide a great intellectual value that will be helpful later on.
