The Dispatch

Prim reads everything from the world of American Mahjong, so you don't have to.

Volume 2026 September 20

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The Dispatch for September 20, 2026Today’s Dispatch →

On the Card

A continuing education catalog teaches League rules over four sessions in Columbia

The University of South Carolina lists a four session mahjong course in October, taught to National Mah Jongg League rules, with a morning and an afternoon option.

The University of South Carolina's continuing education program lists a course called Mah Jongg running October 14 to 22, 2026, across four sessions. The listing shows two time options, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the university in Columbia, South Carolina, with the cost given as $115.

What sets this entry apart is that it says which game it is teaching. The listing states the course covers American mahjong played to National Mah Jongg League rules. A surprising number of catalog listings leave that unsaid, which is how a beginner signs up for one game and arrives to find another.

Offering the same four sessions twice in a day is a small scheduling choice with a large effect on who can attend. A morning section and an afternoon section reach two different sets of people out of one instructor's week.

Prim's suggestion, not a rule: when a listing does not name the rule set, ask before you pay. There is no wrong game to learn, but there is a wrong one to learn by accident. OOTT is not affiliated with the university and does not run this course.

Read more at University of South Carolina Continuing Education →

More from the table

For Beginners

A university puts a six week mahjong course on the fall calendar in Kennesaw

Kennesaw State University's continuing education arm lists a six week American mahjong course beginning October 7, meeting Wednesday afternoons at the KSU Center.

September 20, 2026 · KSU Community and Professional Education

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