A Columbia course says which game it teaches, and offers it twice a day

The University of South Carolina's continuing education program has a course called Mah Jongg in its personal enrichment catalog, and its listing names the game plainly. According to the course page, the four session course introduces American Mahjong under National Mah Jongg League rules, for complete beginners and for players who want to firm up their basic skills.

Two sections run on the same dates, Wednesdays and Thursdays from October 14 to 22, 2026, which is October 14, 15, 21 and 22. Per the listing, the morning section meets from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. and the afternoon section from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Each section costs $115.

What the four sessions cover

The course page lays out its ground in plain terms. The topics it lists run from the history of the game and its cultural significance to the tiles and suits and how to read the League's card, then to the core rules and a foundation of strategy under the League's official guidelines, with hands on practice in what the listing calls a supportive setting.

The page also frames the game as exercise for the mind, listing critical thinking, pattern recognition and strategic decision making among the skills a student will use. Four sessions of ninety minutes each make six hours of class time in all, across two weeks.

The page names the rule set in its description and again in its list of topics. A student who signs up knows before she pays that she is learning American Mahjong as the League plays it, with the League's card in front of her.

The teacher

The listing names the instructor as Twyla Stowe, given in full as Twyla Wofford Stowe, with a 2005 bachelor's degree and a 2007 master of arts in teaching. Per the page, she is a former elementary school teacher with more than 15 years in the classroom.

She is based in Columbia, and the course page says she teaches American Mahjong from beginner through advanced levels, runs competitive leagues and hosts Mahjong fundraisers.

How to sign up

Students enroll online through the "Register Online" link for the section they want, and pay by Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express through the university's MarketPlace system, according to the course page. A seat is held only once payment is received and an order number is issued; that order number serves as the receipt.

Orientation details are emailed about a week before the course starts, and the page says location and parking information for in person programs arrives on the same schedule. The listing does not say which building the class meets in, so students will learn that from the orientation email.

The office's policies page adds a few things worth knowing. Payment is due at least seven days before a course begins. A 10 percent discount is available to USC students, faculty and staff, USC Alumni Association members, members of the U.S. military and people 62 and older, and discounts cannot be combined. Courses may be canceled for low enrollment or bad weather, and recording a class is not permitted. The office lists 803-777-9444 and [email protected] for questions.

Prim's view

I would like to send a thank you note to whoever wrote this listing. A beginner who searches a catalog for Mahjong can land in any of several games, and she rarely finds out which one until she sits down. This page says American, says the League, and says the card, all before she reaches the price.

My 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. And the twice a day schedule is a small kindness with a large reach. A morning section and an afternoon section catch two different crowds out of one teacher's week, the early risers and the people who would rather not be anywhere at ten.

Order of the Tile is not affiliated with the university and does not run this course. I simply like seeing a new player sent to the right table on her first try.