Former Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Deshaies visits with a group of students at Lone Star College-Montgomery after his presentation in their baseball-themed English course. “Writing about the Culture of Baseball” is just one of the many themed English 1302 classes that will be offered during the spring 2013 semester at LSC-Montgomery.

Take me out to ball game. Take me out to the crowd. Take me to English class?

The crack of the bat. The roar of the crowd. The smell of peanuts and hot dogs wafting past your nose. Where are you? You are sitting in English 1302 at Lone Star College-Montgomery.

The college offers numerous twists on the English 1302 class (Composition and Rhetoric II) this upcoming Spring 2013 semester. Specialized thematic English 1302 classes include "Writing About the Culture of Baseball," as well as "Old Testament," "Fantasy," "Fear & Horror," "Love & Shakespeare," "Movies," "Multi-Media," "Frontiers & Louis L'Amour," "Argument & Cultural Criticism," and "Science Fiction."

English 1302 is a class that is part of the core curriculum for all associate and bachelor degree plans.

"This is a win-win situation for everyone," said Ron Heckelman, professor of English, who has taught the baseball-themed writing class for more than a decade. "Teachers do a better job when they are more excited about what they teach, and students do a better job at writing when they are in a class they want to be in."

"My class is a multimedia course," said Heckelman. "We will read about baseball and the nature and history of the game. We will also get testimony by people who play and people who have been attached to the game in different capacities. This is not just a class for credit, but for anyone who is interested in baseball or American studies."

Students will hear from guest speakers such as former Houston Astros announcer Jim Deshaies and current Pittsburgh Pirate up-and-coming minor leaguer Jameson Taillon, and take a trip to Minute Maid Park for a tour of the ballpark and an in-depth look into the Astros organization.

'Writing about the Culture of Baseball' meets Tuesday and Thursday from 1-2:20 p.m. during the spring semester. Other thematic classes are offered at various times and days throughout the week.

Registration for the spring 2013 semester has already begun, and classes begin Monday, January 14. For more information about registration, visit www.LoneStar.edu/registration.

LSC-Montgomery is located at 3200 College Park Drive, one-half mile west of Interstate 45, between Conroe and The Woodlands. For more information about the college, call 936.273.7000, or visit www.LoneStar.edu/montgomery.

With 78,000 students in credit classes, and a total enrollment of more than 90,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and the fastest-growing community college system in the nation. Dr. Richard Carpenter is the chancellor of LSCS, which consists of six colleges including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, LSC-Tomball and LSC-University Park, five centers, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu.