January
Opportunities at Smith
It must
be January. The Smith campus is relatively deserted, the pace
decidedly more relaxed, class schedules markedly reduced,
and fewer faculty members to be seen.
But for those
still on campus -- staff members, faculty and a handful of
students -- the January Interterm Program provides an opportunity
to pursue some pastimes they can’t fit in at other times
of the year.
The Interterm
Program, now in its eighth year, is a series of non-credit
courses taught
by Smith community members -- students, staff, faculty, alumnae
and associates. This year’s program, which runs through
Friday, January 27, offers three dozen weeklong courses and
several one-day workshops that might entice the fringe curiosities
of those still on campus.
Consider some
of the titles: “Handbells: How Not to Ring Wrong,”
“Mythology of Wales and Ireland,” and “Basic
Cooking and Special Secret Tips.” Of course, the perennially
popular course “Basic Home Repairs,” taught by
Stan “the-Fixit-Man” Pollack, is again crowded
with enrollees.
Scott Johnson,
coordinator of the Smith Outdoor Program, who will teach “Lead
Rock Climbing” from January 23 through 27, says teaching
Interterm courses provides a chance to work with different
students that he doesn’t meet during the school year.
“I love teaching J-term courses,” he says. “It’s
a way to teach some more specifically creative or advanced
skills to students who are interested.”
His course, which
he is teaching for the second time, will guide students through
top-rope rock climbing skills, a technique in which an anchor
is secured above the climber and acts as protection against
falling as the climber ascends a rock face. The course will
also teach lead belaying techniques.
Johnson says the
Interterm time frame is ideal for this type of intense training.
“During the shorter Interterm course, I am able to specialize
a bit more,” he says. “Once the climbing wall
was built [in Ainsworth Gym], I began to get more requests
for learning to lead climb. Interterm is a perfect time to
be able to accommodate those folks. It took a few years to
build interest. Now we have a ton of climbers at Smith!”
On deck for future
Interterms, Johnson says: international mountaineering trips.
Also as part of
the Interterm Program, the Career Development Office offers
job-search workshops, and the Jacobson Center for Writing,
Teaching and Learning hosts a series of workshops.
And from January
10 through 26, the Interterm Film Series offers a lineup of
thought-provoking screenings, each preceeded by discussions
led by faculty members and administrators. Titles in this
year’s series include Blade Runner, Burden
of Dreams, and the John Sayles films Sunshine State,
Men With Guns, Matewan and Eight Men Out.
For more details
on the Interterm Program, consult .
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