Interterm: Don’t Miss Out!

Photo by Reaghan Lesh

Have you ever taken an interterm class? Maybe you’re a new student at Greenville University, and have never even heard of that word before. “Interterm” is a term that occurs between two other terms and is usually shorter than a regular term; often, it is referred to as “winter term.”

At Greenville, between the fall and spring semesters, many students return to campus in January for interterm. Interterm provides flexibility for the university and offers General Education courses, as well as courses that can cover major or minor requirements. What makes Greenville’s interterm courses exceptional is that they provide unique experiences both on and off campus for students.

The late Leah Chase (left) speaking to the 2019 GU Cuisine and Culture class over a meal. Photo by Reaghan Lesh.

As a freshman last year, I debated on whether or not I wanted to take an interterm class. A couple more weeks’ relaxation during winter break sounded really nice, but I ended up taking Cuisine and Culture with Deloy Cole and Doug Faulkner, and I am very glad I did. Not only did the course fill both my Global Foundations credit, and my Activity credit, but it was also an incredible experience that I will remember for years to come. We traveled to different places in Greenville, St. Louis, and New Orleans, exploring cuisine from different cultures. We drank tea with our First Lady, Kathie Filby. We ate a traditional Irish breakfast and went to the Jewish Federation of St. Louis to have a Passover Seder meal. We explored the Big Easy, and ate delicious Cajun and Creole meals. We ate Beignets at Café Du Monde. We also had the opportunity to eat at Dooky Chase’s Restaurant and meet the late Queen of Creole Cuisine, Leah Chase. Back in Greenville, the Estevezes opened up their home to feed us a Dominican meal. We had a cuisine that was Bosnian, Indian, Ethiopian, Italian, Chinese, and more. After every meal, we would write a blog post reflecting on the cuisine, as well as what we learned about the culture. We also had FitBits in order to track our steps for the activity portion of the class.

In past years, there have also been courses like Psychology of Skiing with Eric Watterson, where students learned the foundations of Sport Psychology, and then applied their research to a skiing experience at a Colorado ski resort. Emma Canady also led a Gender in Grey’s Anatomy class, where students looked at the theoretical foundation for gender theory and TV spectatorship while using the hit TV show, Grey’s Anatomy, as their vehicle. This upcoming interterm also has variety of interesting courses. Psychology of Skiing is making a return, as well as Movie Madness with Richard Beans.

There are also a few study abroad options like Ben Wayman’s Spain trip, where students will experience urban culture through the lens of the New Testament. Students will attend lectures, guided tours, museum visits, and even a professional fútbol match. Richard Huston is also offering a study abroad option with his Israel trip!

Greenville presents students with many amazing opportunities to go out and learn in the real world, and students should take advantage of every opportunity they can! Also, during interterm classes, you will typically get to know your professor a lot more, as well as the other students in your class, compared to a traditional fall or spring course – you may even form friendships that will last a lifetime! The classes are challenging and fun, and they help you ease back into things after winter break and before the spring semester starts. Interterm courses offer great experiences that are simply not available during the regular semester, and they allow us to go outside of our comfort zones and grow as individuals. Start searching for your opportunity today!

Media by Noah Thuma.

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