Changes to J-term requirements for first-year students
Date 11/10/2005 12:00 AM | Topic: NewsNew changes will be made to J-term requirements for first-year students beginning in 2008.
Future first-year students will be required to take seminars during the month of January. There will be 35-40 seminars offered across all disciplines.
Each seminar will concentrate on a proposed topic by a professor. Students and professors will take turns leading the class in discussion, but the seminars will encourage student leadership. All students will be responsible for reading and researching the topic and leading the class in discussion, lectures or activities.
Laura Gorton ('08) thinks that having a variety of seminars to choose from that strongly focus on all subjects will be beneficial.
"I have found that some students take classes because they are easy or they've already completed their major. As a result, students who need to take certain classes are unable to because that opportunity is taken away from them by others."
One reason for implementing seminars into the J-term curriculum is because first-year students haven't been making good choices when it comes to registering for classes.
Kevin Kraus, associate dean, voiced some concerns that have been raised by faculty advisers.
"First-year students don't find classes open that are interesting to them since they are the last to register; they end up feeling forced into things."
Not only do first-year students get stuck with taking J-term classes they are uninterested in, but also often end up taking classes that don't fulfill any requirements.
"I had to take Classical Mythology last J-term because there were no other options available. It was interesting, but it wasn't useful for fulfilling my major, minor or general education requirements," Claire Butchkoski ('08) said.
J-term seminars will also promote a more active learning environment.
If a first-year student takes a Paideia lecture, a biology lecture, and then a lecture-orientated class during J-term, they aren't able to widely participate in classes of under 30 students during their first year. The seminars will provide smaller classes that some first-years aren't able to fully experience.
First-year students will have the opportunity to register for seminars being offered this January.
Four seminars offered this J-term are Science and Politics of Climate Change, Women in Science, Causes and Treatments of Cancer and Natural Disasters.
Considering an environmental studies minor, Amy Saupe ('09) is thinking about taking the course Science and Politics of Climate Change.
"I think the seminars will force students to focus on the topic they're learning about, and I'd enjoy researching an area I'm interested in," Saupe said.
Other J-term requirements have been passed that must be completed during a student's four years at Luther. Students must select one of three requirements which include studying within the United States at a different location or studying outside the United States, taking a directed reading course or participating in a student-directed course.
Directed reading courses already exist at Luther. Students and faculty read books and meet occasionally to discuss the books. Writing may also be a component of the course.
Student-directed courses would allow students to design their own courses. A group of students can propose an idea for a study they would like to do. Approval must be obtained from a faculty mentor who would grade the journal or paper submitted at the end of the course. The academic planning committee must also agree to the study proposal.
The goals of these requirements are to give students more choices and greater flexibility when choosing how to make the most of their J-term experiences.
"J-term is popular among students at Luther, but we're striving to make it better," said Kraus.
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Kassie Petermann
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