J Term: Creating expansive experiences across the globe
Hartwick’s January Term is a distinctive, three-week term that often includes international study or concentrated research. Whether it’s an urban center in Ghana, a stage in London, or museums in Italy, Hawks spend the month immersing themselves in new ways of learning in completely new settings. In recent years, faculty have taken students to 36 global destinations, enabling them to widen their worldviews and strengthen their skill sets.
During students’ very first year at Hartwick, FlightPath offers an additional opportunity to travel stateside. This experience is one of their first steps outside their comfort zones, helping to prepare them for international travel in subsequent years.
Whether in person or virtually, Hartwick faculty tap a range of experiences to give students transformative cultural exchanges and deep exploration in the arts and sciences.
Bridging connections across continents.
During a recent J Term, Dr. Aaron Stephens taught an international business course in collaboration with his colleague Charles Robb of Dongguk University. Reimagining how individuals from such disparate backgrounds could learn with and from one another, Stephens and Robb brought students together to expand their thinking and gain global perspectives via Zoom.
Finding new partnerships right on campus.
Biology students and computer science students don’t often end up in the same classroom. But when Dr. Stephanie Carr’s bioinformatics course brought them together, they quickly teamed up to analyze a sizable genomic dataset. In adapting the course, Carr found that the subject was perfect for J Term: with sustained daily time at the computer, her students mastered skills faster and accomplished more than she had anticipated. And in true Hartwick fashion, she devised new lessons as they progressed to keep them learning and collaborating.
