As the Fall semester draws to a close it becomes time for Baker University students to sign up for Interterm classes. The upcoming 2020 Interterm experience offers a variety of classes for students to choose from—both on campus and abroad.

While there are the usual trips to Amsterdam and Costa Rica, that students always return to campus raving about, there are also some unique on-ground opportunities for students to take advantage of.

Whether it be Coloring Our World with Dean of Students Cassy Bailey or The Natural History of Beer with Assistant Professor of Biology Scott Kimball, Interterm classes offer a unique experience for students to learn about a specific topic through a combination of educational lenses. While these classes continue to be popular options, there are also some new on-campus classes being offered that bring even more variety to Interterm options.

Assistant Professor of International Studies and Political Science Ryan Gibb will be teaching a course that has been previously taught, but by a former professor three years ago. The class is returning to campus to enlighten students on the presence of politics in film and how to decipher the underlying meanings of such films.

“I thought that this topic was interesting. But also, the medium that we are using—film—is readily accessible to everybody. Sometimes I think that politics might seem intimidating or controversial, and in some ways it is controversial but I think that it is something that everybody is also invested in,” Gibb said.

There are also some new classes that have never been brought to students. Academic Support Coordintor and ADA Accommodations and International Student Services provider Kathy Wilson will be teaching a course based on finding middle ground among controversial topics.

This class, inspired by a Youtube series published by Jubilee, aims to help students learn to have tough conversations with people who have different views. Wilson hopes that students will learn to hear others’ points of view and identify the natural bias that everyone has. Wilson is excited to see how students respond, but also wants students to understand the potential intensity of some of the topics being discussed.

“Come prepared knowing that difficult topics are going to be addressed and adult conversations will be had. It is rooted in respect and genuinely listening to each other,” Wilson said.

Associate Professor of English Tamara Slankard is offering her first Interterm class since she began teaching at Baker. This class will study literature and the presence of aging in popular writing pieces. Students will study specific works along with traveling to Baldwin City healthcare facilities to interact with residents.

“I want students who choose not to do a travel interterm to know that there is a world of good that you can do without ever actually leaving Baldwin City,” Slankard said.

No matter the chosen class, there are a variety of things to be learned during Interterm. This unique experience allows for students to grow through ways that they would never have expected without this opportunity.