January 2011 marks the 45th J-Term at Hastings College. Among the first colleges in the nation to implement a one-month study term between the regular semesters, Hastings College adopted the 4-1-4 calendar in 1966 and has been improving on it ever since. J-Term at HC is a time for discovery, innovation and unforgettable learning experiences.

The following is a partial list of 2011 J-Term courses and faculty. Please visit www.hastings.edu for more information about J-Term, including a full listing of J-Term classes, updates and upcoming student blogs.

On-Campus Courses

ART 348 - Comic and Graphic Novel Story Telling and Illustration
Bob Hall (Invited Faculty)
Artist Bob Hall, who has drawn superheroes like Batman, Spiderman and The Hulk for both DC and Marvel Comics, introduces students to the landscape of comic and graphic novel creation. Students will devise their own stories, fictionalized or biographical, then shape and illustrate them. They will hone their drawing skills, but the emphasis will be on story-telling, a craft Hall has perfected as a theatre director and playwright.

ECO/PLS 135 – Four Meals: Learn how to be a Locavore in Three Weeks
Dr. Liz Frombgen, Associate Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Department and Dr. Douglas Kinnear, Associate Professor of Economics
Want to beat the industrial food chain? Become a Locavore, or local eater! By eating locally produced food, we can reduce our carbon footprints, reduce our odds of contracting nasty food borne diseases, enjoy healthier and tastier meals and save money. In this course, students will read works by authors who have inspired the local food movement, visit local family farms and talk with food scholars and activists. By preparing and eating the four prototypical meals discussed in Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, students will learn about the economic consequences of our dietary choices, and how to be healthier and kinder to the environment.

ENG 252 – Literature and Film: Alan Moore
Ben Waller, Assistant Professor of English
A study of the comics of writer Alan Moore and the recent movies based on his work, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and From Hell.

HIS 225/226 - Clash of the Generals I & II
Dr. Mike Ibeji (Invited Faculty)
Acclaimed writer, producer and director Dr. Mike Ibeji works with students to break down the strategies and tactics of 12 of the most famous generals in history. Each student will choose a general to represent and attempt to replicate his tactics on the virtual battlefield of the Total War computer game-engine. The final six ancient generals will then face-off using Rome: Total War.

HIS/THR 261 – Performance in the Museum-Participatory Drama
George White, Professor of Theatre Arts and Chair of the Department
Learn to load and fire a civil war cannon or musket. Dance at a Victorian Ball. Attend a mountain man convention. Visit a replica railroad town complete with the artisans of the time. This course will approach history through participatory drama, including museums, historical dramas, reenactments and first-person performance of historical characters.

JRN 105/305 – Sports Reporting and Writing
Kathryn Stofer, Professor Emerita of Communication Arts and Brian Rosenthal (Invited Faculty)
Professor Emerita Kathy Stofer and HC grad and sportswriter for the Lincoln Journal Star Brian Rosenthal ’94 teach students the skills involved in creating game coverage, sports features and sports columns. Students will experience first-hand area sports coverage and press box facilities and travel to a Tri-City Storm game and UNL Men’s Basketball game. This class will teach students how to use media guides and how to handle media relations with coaches, sports information directors and competing media.

MU 134 – Sound
Dr. Debra McKim, Professor of Music
A little science, a little history, a little math, a little music and a little art. This class will explore musical instruments – acoustics, development, use and mechanics. Students will be building and playing simple instruments, both traditional and found-sound.

MU/PHL/THR 403 – The Sevens
Jim Fritzler, Professor of Theatre Arts; Dr. David Lovekin, Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department and Dr. Fritz Mountford, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities
Take a piece of visual art and turn it into music. Take a play and turn it into song. Take a song and turn it into a play. Take music and turn it into a piece of visual art. Then put it all together. Instrumentalists, vocalists, performers, visual artists and technicians will join to create a performance/installation in response to the theme: “The Sevens: Deadly Sins/Heavenly Virtues.” Combining techniques of traveling medieval theatre, the final creation will be performed in and around The Prairie Loft in Hastings.

PSY 151 – Moneyball Revolution: Football and Basketball Analysis
Mark Zajack, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Michael Lewis’ 2003 bestseller Moneyball both launched mainstream awareness of statistical analysis in sports as well as precipitated its spread throughout Major League Baseball front offices. The revolution has since spread to other sports, including both football and basketball. This course will explore the potential of statistical models to predict success in football and basketball. Students will gain hands-on, step-by-step experience modifying and evaluating analytics for those sports.

SCI 153 – Cooking Chemistry
Dr. John Bohmfalk, Professor of Biology and Chair of the Chemistry Department
How does flour thicken sauce? Why does bread rise? Why does cooked meat look and taste better than raw? Food preparation is one of the hallmarks of humanity. The processes by which we modify natural products before consumption involve huge amounts of and often very complex chemistry. Some of these chemical processes are well understood while others may not be so clear. In this class, students will investigate the chemistry of food preparation and will experimentally examine some of these processes through the preparation and consumption of many different food items. For novices, we will teach basic kitchen skills and equipment use. We will dissect recipes and culinary techniques and investigate a number of common culinary myths and misconceptions.

SCI 230 – Understanding How the Brain Works
Dr. Lorraine Edwards (Invited Faculty)
Dr. Lorraine Edwards from Central Nebraska Neurology helps students understand how the brain works through the principles of electrophysiology, neurochemistry and neuroanatomy. Students will have the opportunity to experience electroencephalograms, nerve conduction studies and computerized tomography of the brain.

Off-Campus Courses

ART/CMA 324 - Photographing the West
Brett Erickson, Assistant Professor of Communication Arts
The great landscape photographers of the twentieth century were drawn to the American West for inspiration: Ansel Adams, William Henry Jackson, Timothy O’Sullivan, Galen Rowell, as well as contemporary artists like Michael Forsberg, William O’Neill and Eddie Solloway. In the tradition of these individuals, students will spend time in Nebraska, Colorado and New Mexico learning and applying landscape techniques. The highlight of the course is a private three-day session with Eddie Solloway at one of the premier landscape photography schools in the United States, the Santa Fe Workshops.

BIO 303 - North India Adventure
Dr. John Kuehn, Associate Professor of Biology and Dr. Amy Morris, Associate Professor of Biology
The North India Adventure will provide students the opportunity to appreciate the biodiversity of Rajasthan in Northern India up-close: by camel and bicycle. Students will travel through the villages of Rajasthan via camel caravan, and experience the rich biodiversity of Northern India along its back roads.

Invited Faculty

Dr. Lorraine Edwards
Lorriane Edwards, M.D., a neurologist from Central Nebraska Neurology, P.C. in Hastings, Neb., is experienced in the treatment of disorders of the nervous system, which include diseases of the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles.

Bob Hall
Bob Hall has spent more than 30 years as an artist in the comic book industry. He co-authored a stage adaptation of The Passion of Dracula, which ran in Greenwich Village and London and was filmed for the Showtime network. He founded Nebraska's Flatwater Shakespeare Company.

Dr. Mike Ibeji
Mike Ibeji, Ph.D., has produced and directed television series that have aired in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, including “Ultimate Engineering” (History Television), “Ancient Megastructures” (National Geographic Channel), “Warrior Challenge” (PBS) and more. An expert on the Roman army, Ibeji holds a doctoral degree and bachelor’s degree in ancient and medieval history from the University of Birmingham in Birmingham, U.K.

Brian Rosenthal ’94
HC grad and writer for the Lincoln Journal Star’s Husker Extra Brian Rosenthal recently teamed up with Hastings College Associate Professor of Communication Arts Kathryn Stofer and Nebraska Wesleyan journalism professor James Schaffer to write and publish “Sports Journalism: An Introduction to Reporting and Writing,” a textbook he will be using in his J-Term course this year.

Hastings College, founded in 1882, is a private, four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). A total of 64 majors in 32 areas of study and 12 pre-professional programs are offered to more than 1,190 students. Hastings College was named among “America’s Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report, a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review, and a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s. Visit www.hastings.edu for more information.

J-Term class meeting times and locations can vary. For more information on J-Term classes, contact information or to arrange an interview, please contact Amber Medina at (402) 461-7757 or amedina@hastings.edu.