True to its purpose, January 2002 Short Term offered students and faculty a change of pace and out-of-the ordinary teaching and learning experiences.  

By Julie Sowell

Packed between the Fall and Spring terms, Short Term has provided students with the opportunity for intensive study in courses or topics of special interest since 1971. It also allows for professional growth of faculty and staff through planning and teaching new courses, which are frequently unique or experimental in content and experiential in format. Every student must complete three short terms for every four years of full-time study at Berea. As alternatives, students can also receive credit for internships, independent studies, study at another college or university and increasingly, international study.

This year, more options than ever were available. Among the more than 90 different courses offered, 11 were held off-campus during all or part of the month, including in Florida, Arizona, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee. Students also studied traditional theatre in Japan ( article Sharing Culture), traditional dance in England, designed and created their own books, and designed ecological housing in Mexico's Sonoran Desert. On campus, several courses culminated in performances, bringing the benefits of short term to the entire campus community.

Camelot - Over 35 cast members spent short term preparing for Camelot! The Lerner and Loewe musical was directed by Dr. Albert DiGiacomo, assistant professor of English and theatre, with musical direction by Dr. Stephen Bolster, professor of music and chair of the music department. It starred Denis Burton, '02, as Guinevere. The performance packed Jeckyl Theatre March 8-9 and 13-16. Photo by Robert McGraw, '03.

(SENS) Students explored the possibilities for designing low-cost, sustainable housing in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Mexico during “Ecological Design in an Arid Place," taught by Dr. Richard Olson, director of the sustainability and environmental studies (SENS) department. Photo by Robert McGraw, '03.

(CELTS) Appalachian scholar and activist, and former director of the Berea College Appalachian Center, Helen Lewis (right, seated) co-taught “Appalachian Women’s Leadership” with Dr. Meta Mendel-Reyes, director of the Center for Excellence in Learning through Service (CELTS), Donavan Cain, CELTS learning service coordinator, and Lori Briscoe, associate director of the Appalachian Center. During Short Term, the two Centers sponsored the Helen Lewis semester, a celebration of her life and work as one of the founders of Appalachian Studies and the service learning movement. Photo by Robert McGraw, '03.

Taiko Drum Students in “The Culture and Techniques of Taiko Drumming” learned the history of the art, built their own drums, and learned to play. BOOM! Photo by Mar Lynch, '02.