Up to 4,000 people of all ages are expected in Ithaca this summer to indulge in the smorgasbord of classes, conferences and other programs that makes Cornell University one of the nation's hottest destinations for summer study.

The theme of Cornell Summer Sessions '97, "Language: Communication and Understanding," was chosen to coincide with a major six-week linguistics institute being hosted at Cornell for the first time. The summer's free lecture series, too, will have communication-oriented themes; see page 3 for a listing of free summer lectures and concerts.

Summer Sessions will offer some 90 courses, drawn from nearly all of Cornell's schools and addressing both theoretical and real-world problems. Such classes include Contemporary Moral Issues, Collective Bargaining, Great Books, Mathematical Explorations, American Indians in Film, Introductory Sculpture, Writing for Magazines, Latin America in the Modern Age, Human Sexuality, Water Aerobics, Successful Aging and An Introduction to the Universe.

Classes are offered in three sessions: a three-week session, June 4--27; an eight-week session, June 16--Aug. 12; and a six-week session, June 30 through Aug. 12.

On a different schedule, Cornell will host special programs and workshops on such topics as Quechua, Medieval Latin and other languages; biology teaching; viol; higher education management; and international business.

"We are always striving to offer unique and particularly valuable learning experiences," said Charles W. Jermy Jr., associate dean and director of Cornell Summer Sessions. "Students have many options available to them during the summer, and we want to ensure that if they choose to study here at Cornell they are making an excellent investment of their time."

Other special programs at Cornell this summer are highlighted on the following pages.

-- The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) Linguistic Institute is being held at Cornell for the first time. Held every other summer, this major international institute includes more than 90 courses and about 20 conferences and workshops on every aspect of the field. With the theme "Languages in Linguistics," this year's institute will explore the interplay between theorizing about language generally and the detailed study of the structure, history and use of particular languages. Scholars worldwide will converge in Ithaca to explore the implications for linguistic issues of such diverse languages as Flemish, Korean, Cherokee and Chechen. The institute's two named professors are among the six lecturers in the forum series, held Tuesdays and open to the public. For more information contact the Linguistic Institute office at (607) 255-4230 or visit .

-- The International Business Program, now in its second year, is one of Cornell's most innovative and interdisciplinary summer programs. This intensive eight-week certificate program is designed for undergraduate and graduate students or recent college graduates who wish to explore the possibility of a career in international business. Courses address the political environment of international business, economics in international perspective and management of the multinational corporation. In its first year, 16 students participated in the program; this year, that number jumped to 30.

"The program provides a unique educational experience on several counts," said International Business Program Director Jonas Pontusson, associate professor of government. Some of its greatest strengths, he said, are students' intensive interaction with faculty and the many extracurricular activities, including visits to regional businesses and guest lecturers. For more information about the program, call (607) 255-7259.

-- Cornell Summer College will bring nearly 800 high school juniors and seniors to Cornell for six weeks, when they will take two courses for up to eight credits. They also will take one of 13 noncredit academic and career exploration seminars in such fields as engineering, business and architecture. In addition, high school sophomores will enroll in Cornell's Summer Honors Program, choosing to study Freedom and Justice in the Western Tradition with Isaac Kramnick, the Richard J. Schwartz Professor of Government; or Inventing the Information Society with Professor Ronald Kline, an electrical engineer and historian. For more information call (607) 255-6203.

-- Freshman Summer-Start, now in its fifth year, brings incoming Cornell freshmen looking to jump-start their college careers. Students take two courses, one of their choosing and the other a writing seminar, "The Hero in Literature." Up to 30 students will enroll this summer.

"These students are genuine Cornell students who have chosen to begin their freshman year in the summer," said William J. Kennedy, director of Freshman Summer-Start and professor of comparative literature. "Some have planned ambitious courses of study that involve double majors, dual degree programs and study abroad . . . while others may have received unconventional high school educations in this country or are foreign students anxious to find out what American education is like. In all there's quite a diversity of aims, backgrounds and interests." For more information on Freshman Summer-Start, call (607) 255-7259.

-- Cornell's Adult University, now in its 30th year, will bring approximately 1,200 adults, mostly Cornell alumni, and youngsters to Cornell in July for one-week, noncredit seminars. Offerings include The Chemistry of Emotion, Field Ornithology, Digital Imaging, Gorgeous Gorges of the Finger Lakes, Jane Austen and Architecture from the Ground Up. CAU also includes a youth program, with activities including windsurfing, horseback riding and tennis, but also mock courtrooms, dramatic performances and archaeological digs. For more information about Cornell's Adult University, call (607) 255-6260.

For general information on Cornell Summer Sessions, contact the Summer Session office at (607) 255-4987. The public is also invited to a "Summer Celebration" sponsored by the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions on Monday, June 30, 4--6 p.m., in the Memorial Room of Willard Straight Hall.

Free summer events at Cornell

Lectures

Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m., David L. Call Alumni Auditorium of Kennedy Hall:

-- July 2: Deborah Tannen, author of You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, "She Said/He Said/They Said: Conversational Style in Everyday Talk."

-- July 9: Diane Ackerman, author of A Natural History of the Senses and A Slender Thread: Rediscovering Hope at the Heart of Crisis; "Rapture, Ecstasy and Play."

-- July 16: Alison Lurie, Cornell professor of English and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, "The Language of Clothes."

-- July 23: Thomas Eisner, Cornell professor of chemical ecology and director of the Cornell Institute for Research in Chemical Ecology, "The Language of Insects."

-- July 30: Jody Hassett, senior international news producer in CNN's Washington Bureau, "Language, Information and the Media: Sticking Up for Substance in the Land of Soundbites."

Outdoor Concerts

Fridays, 7:30 p.m.; on the Arts Quad; rain location is Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium in Goldwin Smith Hall:

-- July 4: Pandora Rox, rock 'n' roll.

-- July 11: Samite of Uganda, acclaimed singer/songwriter plays traditional African instruments; concert coincides with African linguistics conference at Cornell; ethnic foods will be sold.

-- July 18: Annie Burns, popular local vocalist, teams up with Texas swing musicians Valerie and James Denns for an evening of country-swing, boogie-woogie, blues and jazz.

-- July 25: MichŽ Fambro plays acoustic jazz and Brazilian music on guitar and sings.

-- Aug. 1: Sheryl Skye Band, folk rock.

-- Aug 8: New Nile Orchestra plays world beat and Eastern African rhythms.

Classical Concerts

Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m., Proscenium Theatre, Center for Theatre Arts:

-- July 1: Margaret Wakely Harris sings classic American jazz standards.

-- July 8: New Zealand String Quartet plays Beethoven's Quartet in D Major, opus 1, no. 3.

-- July 15: Berg, Jones & Sarvis, dance trio from Maine.

-- July 22: The Apollo Ensemble, chamber orchestra plays Haydn Symphony No. 13 in D Major.

-- July 29: Trio of flute, viola and harp plays works by Debussy, J.S. Bach and Takemitsu.

-- Aug 5: Siora, Brazilian jazz.