Interterm classes offer unique learning opportunities for students
Published: January 27, 2022
Though interterm classes at Greenville University require two weeks of intensive work, they offer unique learning opportunities for participating students.
Running from January 10 to 21, the just-completed term allowed students to take a non-traditional class delivered in a decidedly non-traditional way.
“I love it,” said Professor George Barber of the interterm format. “It’s unique, because it gives you a concentrated period of time to focus on just one thing.”
In past years, Barber– GU men’s basketball coach and professor of kinesiology and sport – has taught an interterm cooking class, Healthy Kitchen, Healthy Body. But this year, he switched things up, taking students through the Handbook on Athletic Perfection (Cross Training Publishing, 2016) by weightlifter Wes Neal. Course materials describe Neal’s book as a “training manual for Christian athletes,” and asserts that faith and athletic performance can complement each other.
“Interterm classes give professors a chance to be creative in their teaching,” Barber said. “The classes are usually smaller and there are more opportunities to build relationships when you’re together for several hours a day. You never forget an interterm student because you get to know them so well.”
Students hit the gym as part of Professor George Barber's interterm class. Photo by Dave Bell.
The psychology of interterm
In another interterm offering, Psychology Professor Eric Watterson taught a class called The Psychology of Skiing. For the first week, students learned about the foundations of sport psychology and the mental techniques involved in mastering a new skill – like skiing. Then, in the second week, they put those principles into practice on the ski slopes near Keystone, Colorado.
“The students confirmed that the videos we watched and the visualization exercises we did before the trip were very helpful,” Watterson said. “They felt that they progressed to higher skills quickly because of the mental preparation we had done.
Professor Eric Watterson performs visualization exercises with a student. Photo by Dave Bell.
Psychology took center stage in another interterm class – Psychology Through Film – taught by Professor Rich Beans. In that class, students viewed several films, and then through readings, discussions and lectures, they analyzed how the films illustrate psychological concepts.
“The primary question this course asks,” said Beans, “is where did the movies get the psychology right, and where did they get it wrong?”
Interterm students get to know the Bible
Ruth Huston, an instructor in the department of philosophy and religion, taught a course titled, Experiencing the Story of God, which she developed as a way to introduce the students to the Bible. “We read aloud from a book titled The Story of God, the Story of Us, and then have activities and discussions that parallel the Bible stories we’ve been reading,” Huston said. “It’s a great way to get to know the Bible and each other.”
Huston likes the interterm format, because it offers a different learning atmosphere than conventional classes. “During interterm, students can concentrate on only one class,” she said. “There’s not a lot of time to process things, because things come at them rather quickly. But students taking a class like this become friends and those friendships last.”
Huston’s husband, Richard, was scheduled to oversee another interterm activity – a trip to Israel – but that event had to be canceled because of COVID-related travel restrictions.
