(Go to List of Past Jterm Courses)
 
One of the most exciting opportunities offered by University High School is the January Term. With two semesters of 18 weeks each, University High School has something most other high schools do not -- January Term. For three weeks in January, between first and second semester, students can immerse themselves in a single subject. This allows students to focus in detail on a subject of their interest. The January Term class counts as a single semester class.
 
January Term allows:

• Hands-on, applied, active and creative learning activities
• Different kinds of experiences and the teaching of classes not normally offered
• Opportunities to get off campus, to travel and to bring in outside speakers and resources
• In-depth, intensive and rigorous classes
• Classes that reflect student interest
• Team teaching by teachers with related interests
• The building of a deeper understanding of our core values
• Experiences in community service, service learning and community-building.

The offerings change every year and reflect both student interest and faculty expertise. There are courses each year that offer travel opportunities. Every four years, the students have the opportunity to participate in the presidential inauguration. During January Term, students in Oceanic Studies learned how to scuba dive in preparation for their visit to the Florida Keys to explore an active coral reef. Students studying Culinary Arts visited local restaurants and kitchens as they learned about cuisines from around the world. Acting students attended a number of productions locally and in Chicago. Other students got a jump on a future career by interning at hospitals, law firms, schools and even a recording studio.
 

One January Term was especially significant for my daughter. She was able to establish an internship with Dr. Campbell, an OB-GYN at St. Vincent Hospital. She experienced situations to which only medical students would normally have exposure, and this peaked her interest in medicine. I believe it was instrumental in solidifying her desire to become a doctor.
        Charles Phillips
 

2007-08 January Term Course Descriptions

January Term courses from previous years

Acting

This class will explore all elements of the craft of acting.  Students of all ability and experience levels will learn from a professional actress & director about the process of acting.  Vocal development, physical awareness, character study and improvisation will be included in this course.

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This J-Term class will explore what service learning is and will culminate in a week-long trip to Costa Rica.  Service learning differs from community service in that it requires students to learn about the larger social issues that drive the need for service. Participants in this J-term class will research, study and visit social agencies in Indianapolis and in Hamilton County (School-on Wheels, The YMCA, La Plaza, Inc., Second Helpings, Indiana University's world-famous "Center of Philanthropy"). The goal of service learning is to promote authentic contributions to the community.  With social justice at its philosophical root, service learning naturally combines the "life of the mind with habits of the heart." The service-learning trip to Costa Rica is designed to increase students’ knowledge of Costa Rica through first-hand experience working with local people on community-based, service learning projects. Students will record and reflect upon their journey through a "visual journal" process--exploring a variety of ways to document their experiences. They will share these experiences in writing, discussion and group processing activities. 

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The purpose of this class is to develop a solid knowledge of the basic myth cycles and sacred texts of the West (Greek, Roman, Norse).  Students will read the myths, compare major themes, and research major myth cycles.  In addition, students will be exposed to important myths of other cultures, noting differences and similarities. Also important to the understanding of myth is a development of an effective definition of the term and an awareness of how the stories developed.  There will be a number of projects: a myth cycle (i.e. Theseus myths, Hercules myths, etc.), comparison (creation myths, flood myths, wars of the gods, etc.), modern application (use of a myth in movies, advertising, etc.).  For these projects, a student would read and research the topic and produce a final work either written, electronic, or physical. These reports will be shared with the class. 

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This January term class will look at computers from a “how do they work” perspective.  The students will learn about the different components of a computer and what each does, and in some cases how they do it. Students will then build a number of computers piece by piece and then install all the necessary software and drivers. We will also network these computers together and discuss various network protocols and encryptions. The current plan is for these computers to be donated to Anna’s House (a local charity) at the end of January term. We will take the computers to Anna’s House and set them up in their new location.

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Why do we dance?  Why can our bodies express what our words may not?  In what ways does dance reflect our collective history?  These are some of the questions we will attempt to answer in our exploration of the origin of dance and its socio-historical significance.  We will learn about a variety of dances as well as learn some of the dances themselves.  The activities and assignments will include (but are not limited to):  short readings, group discussion, individual and group research/ presentations and dance performance.  Come join us and make the body and mind connection! 

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This science class will study the history of nuclear physics and the making of the atomic bomb.  From the time the atom was proposed by Demokritos in 500 B.C., an interesting cast of scientific characters have come together to further our understanding of this “tiny universe”.  We will focus on 1935 – 1945, the time of the discovery of the Uranium-235 isotope until the dropping of the first nuclear weapons, and the dawn of the nuclear age.  We will conclude with a discussion of modern issues: hydrogen bombs, neutron bombs, proliferation and current debates about testing versus modeling weapons.  This class will culminate in trips to the University of Chicago and Oak Ridge Labs in Oak Ridge Tennessee.

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This class is available to juniors and seniors with permission of the coordinator and his/her mentor.  Students should have a passion or interest in learning more about a particular career, business, or organization. For example, students could intern with an architect or an architectural firm or they might intern with a particular elementary school teacher or at a school.  In other words, students may explore the vocation of one particular person or may look at the totality of a business, school or organization.  Students spend at least 11 days off campus during January Term working with an individual or an organization.  Students are not exempt from a Community Service Day and will receive information about scheduling a date.  Students are responsible for making their own arrangements, but will receive the guidance and support of the coordinator.  Final placement will occur by mid-September.  If a student has not made a confirmed internship arrangement by the end of September, the student will be removed from the Internship course and placed in another January Term course (which has spots still available).  In November and December, the interns will meet with the coordinator to discuss work place protocol, journaling techniques, etc.  Three or four one-hour meetings may occur to help prepare the interns for their experience and could be held in the evening or on the weekends.  Students will submit a daily electronic journal entry at the end of each day to the coordinator(s).  In addition, each student will give an oral presentation, with visual aids, that articulates his or her personal experience and evaluates his or her work during the internship.  The on-site supervisor(s) will also complete a performance evaluation that assesses the intern’s effectiveness, strengths, weaknesses, etc.

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Do you want to retire while you are still young enough to enjoy it?  How can you do that without winning the lottery?  In this class you will learn the fundamentals of investing and the power of compounding.   The go-go ‘80’s have come and gone but there are still lots of opportunities in the investment world for you to make money.  In this class you will learn the difference between stocks, bonds and how mutual funds are actually a little of both. You will learn to read an annual report and learn the difference between a 403-B plan and a 401-K plan.   There will be some math involved in the class but everyone above Pre-Algebra should have no problem.  You will be required to research stocks and make decisions on how to invest $10,000.  The student who earns the most money over the term will win a prize.  There will be a simple investment textbook for you to read, internet reports and requirements to watch some of the nightly business shows.  There will be a final project as well.  There will be a variety of guest speakers and a possible field trip to the Chicago Board of Trade.  You will be required to do a lot of reading in areas that you may not feel comfortable with. That is OK.  By the end of the class your parents will be going to you for financial advice. 

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This English class will study the relationship between books and the films made about them.  Students will read 3-4 novels and view their corresponding films while discussing concepts of adaptation, visualization, and the creation of meaning.  By the end of the term, students will be asked to take a short piece of literature and create their own screenplay using the concepts covered in class.

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The New Yorker Magazine

This English class will study The New Yorker as a cultural icon and exemplary weekly periodical.  Students will examine the various styles of writing in magazine, the constraints of weekly publication, and the effect of the magazine on its city and the world.  While most of the writing analysis and creative process will happen at school, the class will travel to New York City to meet with magazine staff and understand the publication’s relationship to the surrounding urban culture.  The culminating project will be the creation of a New Yorker-style magazine.

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This science class focuses on the oceans of the world as ecosystems and driving forces in global events as well as challenging frontiers for modern exploration.  While the course will include classroom instruction in ocean biology and analysis of oceans as systems (e.g. weather and topology), it will also include time swimming and training for PADI certification.  SCUBA diving encompasses many aspects of science.  Students will learn about human physiology, the physics of diving, and the importance of safety and teamwork while completing the course. The third week will include a trip to the Florida Keys including SCUBA, snorkeling, specimen collection, research and laboratory work that focuses on local underwater life.

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Learn about traditional and nontraditional forms of bookbinding and then create your own journals and books! This class is an introduction to basic techniques of papermaking and bookbinding.  During the J-term session, students will study the history of bookmaking and learn how to make their own paper and bind pages together using various methods. Throughout the duration of the class there will be several visiting artists and at least one trip to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. 

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Students will research the history of reality television and explore its positive and negative impact on the viewer. Is this form of television polluting the viewer's mind? Are teenagers influenced in positive or negative ways in regards to money, sex, power, and fame? Do people emulate what they see on television? How are self image, sexuality, nutrition, dieting, obesity, substance use, racism, socio-economic stereotypes and aggression portrayed and what is the impact?  Students will research current reality shows and discuss their impact on the viewer through prose and formal debates.  In addition to reality TV, students will look at the portrayal of certain minority groups throughout the history of TV and film and how that has evolved over time.  

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Research Scholars Program (by invitation only)

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• Acting
• American Revolution
• American Voices
• Animal Behavior
• Bach to Beatles
• Beat Poets
• The Bible as Literature
• Biotechnology: A Study of DNA
• Building a Computer
• Community Service
• Comparative Mythology
• Colonial America
• Computer Science: Virtual Museum
• Course of Empires
• Creative Elements of Theatre
• Culinary Arts
• Cultures of Mexico
• Dance
• Decoding Da Vinci
• Entrepreneurship
• Failed States: History of Afghanistan
• Feminist Framework
• Film Art
• Film Theory
• Forensic Science
• French Culture
• Game Theory
• Glassblowing
• History of the Atomic Bomb
• History of Film Music
• Instrumental Analysis
• Journalism
• Just War Theory
• Law: Students and the Constitution
• Literature and Film
• The Lure of Everest
• Metalworking
• Mohammed Ali & the Civil Rights Movement
• Myth and the Media
• The Nature of Science
• The New Yorker Magazine
• Oceanic Studies
• Opera
• Organic Chemistry
• Physics Seminar
• Portrait of an Artist
• Principles of Investing
• Printmaking and Bookbinding
• Psychology
• Reality TV
• Religious Diversity
• Research Scholars Program
• Scenic Acting
• Science Fiction and Gender
• Spanish Language Immersion
• Sports Management
• Storytelling
• Student Internships
• A Study of Comedy
• Studies in Acting
• 20th Century Drama
• 20th Century Music
• Theaters of Indianapolis
• Video Production
• Web Design