Wherever January Term takes you—to a country across the globe or a classroom right on campus—it is sure to expand your world.

“Hastings College was among the first colleges in the nation to implement a one-month study term between the regular semesters. We adopted the 4-1-4 calendar in 1966 and have been improving on it ever since. Students consistently tell us that the January Term is a highlight of their academic experience at Hastings College.”

Dr. Richard Lloyd
Professor of English, Dean Emeritus

January 2011 marks the 45th J-Term at Hastings College. One of the most successful and popular features of Hastings College’s academic program, J-Term allows students to immerse themselves in one course, instead of four or five. Students can focus on a topic in their major field or study something new. J-Term at HC is a time for discovery, innovation and unforgettable learning experiences.

Vanessa Quintana, Stacie Sawyer, Adreanne Brungardt and Dani Bachman at Versailles outside Paris.

French Immersion Students in this J-Term class just returned from a three-week immersion in French language and culture. The class traveled to the south of France where each student spent a week living with a French host family. They then traveled to Paris and toured important cultural and historical sites, including the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Catacombs, l’Arc de Triomphe and much more.

Photographing the West This course is dedicated to exploring and expressing the essence of the American West, including the Great Plains. Students will immerse themselves in the landscapes of Nebraska, northern New Mexico, southern Colorado, and southeastern Wyoming in a 8-day trip. Students will work with American master Eddie Soloway in a private three-day photography session at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, the premier photography retreat in the Southwest. The students will then take what they've learned and create stunning landscape photographs of Santa Fe area icons like Bandelier, Ghost Ranch, and Tsankawi, as well as Colorado's San Luis Valley, Wyoming's Vedauwoo, and Nebraska's Platte River. http://photosofthewest.wordpress.com

A 4-minute exposure at night of HC photography students in Ghost Ranch, NM

Sound This J-Term class aims to give students a little science, a little history, a little math, a little music and a little art. Students will explore musical instruments – acoustics, development, use and mechanics. They will be building and playing simple instruments, both traditional and found-sound.

Sports Reporting and Writing Led by Professor Emerita Kathy Stofer and Lincoln Journal Star sportswriter Brian Rosenthal ’94, J-Term’s Sports Reporting and Writing teaches students how to use media guides and handle media relations with coaches, sports information directors and competing media. Students enrolled in this course will travel to state-wide sports events, learn how to create game coverage, sports features and sports columns and experience first-hand area sports coverage and press box facilities.