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Centre's faculty members are always passionate about the subjects they teach, so the College’s three-week January term has them especially excited. It’s flexible. It’s creative. It’s intense. And the professors’ enthusiasm is contagious during CentreTerm, which offers students the opportunity to enroll in one captivating course, complete an internship, study abroad, or tackle an in-depth research project. An Academic Adventure The classes are carefully designed, based on the special interests and expertise of the professor. Professors also have wide latitude in structuring class activities. CentreTerm courses may include field trips, dinner discussions, labs, and other special activities to arouse student interest. Freshmen take classes designed just for them. (Read on for more about the freshman focus.) All faculty members view CentreTerm courses as a journey to be shared with their students. DiMartino, who relishes “working intensively with a small group of students on a subject I love,” also is grateful for the flexibility of the one-course schedule. In the Ellington course, students watch videos, study CDs, write about music, and attend concerts—hopefully enabling students “to identify the unique elements of Duke’s music and its relationship to the times in which it was created,” DiMartino says. In a sociology course, open just to freshmen, “The Cafe and Public Life,” students visit cafes in Danville, Lexington, and Louisville to study the history of coffee and the important contributions cafes have made to public life. Another freshman offering, “Stem Cells, Cloning, and You,” encourages students to examine the scientific and ethical issues surrounding the use of adult or embryonic stem cells. The most recent CentreTerm offered 22 freshman seminars as well as 43 courses for upperclassmen. Learn on Location Students who don't study abroad during CentreTerm are still likely to have the opportunity to travel because courses are designed with field trips in mind. Students taking a course on the Holocaust, for instance, visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Those studying the immigrant experience class on leadership take in Ellis Island in New York City. And students studying American Utopianism might have a day or two of classes in nearby Shakertown, a restored village where students can study the lives of 19th-century Shakers. Since classes are capped at 15 students, freshmen develop close working relationships with their professors and classmates early on while experiencing education in the small, intimate settings usually reserved for upperclassmen. The seminars give students a new vision of academic life and studies from the beginning of their academic career. Rewarding Internships Internships are another option available to students during CentreTerm. During internships, students can find out if a job suits them, apply what they’ve learned in class to real-life situations, and make contacts for future job searches. Students can earn academic credit for internships and apply for our newest program, Internship Plus, which provides financial support for selected internships. Research Opportunities And faculty members pursuing research projects regularly seek out students to assist them; students gain valuable experience and contacts that may lead to jobs or graduate school fellowships. Distinctive Yearly Calendar Visit Centre Contact the Admission Office to plan your visit.
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updated 12/29/07 by rusnak@centre.edu |
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In “The World of Duke Ellington,” for instance, students learn that Ellington “loved classical music, visits to exotic places throughout the world, and trains,” says Vince DiMartino, Matton Professor of Music and internationally acclaimed trumpet player.
Students also have exciting opportunities to learn while traveling during CentreTerm. How about studying anthropology in Indonesia or foreign policy in Russia? Both were options available to students in CentreTerm 2007. Other students studied music and dance in Turkey, sustainable architecture in Australia, and religion in Nicaragua, among other topics and places.