“Anatomy of Italy” class during J-term 2025
Students explore, reflect, even rest during 2025 J-term classes
Students in “Confident Communication” participate in a networking luncheon and job shadowing event with Quad-Cities area employers. This course helps students from all disciplines overcome communication apprehension, empowering them to confidently voice their ideas whether in the classroom, the workplace or the community.
Students in “Mojave Desert” take a break for lunch on the outcrop in the Rainbow Basin near Barstow, Calif. Led by Dr. Jeffrey Strasser and Dr. Jenny Arkle, the group explored this remote Southern California site, describing and mapping the region’s unique geologic formations.
Students in “Loom Weaving,” with Anne Heide, assistant professor of art, proudly showcase their first weaving projects of the term. Each sampler is an experimental cloth that explores a variety of textures, colors and techniques, reflecting the students' creative exploration of weaving.
Students in “China in World Affairs” and “Epic China,” led by Dr. Elizabeth Lawrence and Dr. Xiaowen Zhang, visited the Southern Universit of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Shenzhen, China. They spent the day engaging with students at SUSTech, one of China’s top public and pioneering research universities.
Students in “Writing Poetry,” led by Associate Professor Farah Marklevits, visited The Atlas Collective in Moline, Ill., to write poems and draw inspiration from the books. Their visit was featured in a local television station’s story celebrating the coffee shop’s one-year anniversary.
Students in “Career & Life Design” participated in a networking reception simulation with the Augustana College Advancement team. The event emphasized the importance of building and nurturing personal and professional networks throughout their careers.
Five Augustana students completed STEM internships in Costa Rica during J-term 2025. Pictured from left: Hailey Turner ’25, Selgie Okine ’25, Renee Williams ’26, Karen Rodriguez ’25 and Grace Jenkins ’26.
During January term (J-term), Augustana students take a step back from their usual 15-week semester schedule to engage in a month-long period of concentrated, in-depth learning.
One class. Three hours a day. Five days a week.
It’s a change of pace that allows students to take classes outside their major, dive into one subject area or experience a short-term study away.
Sam Baugous ’27 and his class
Athen-ding class in Greece
In “Greek World On-Site” with Dr. Kirsten Day and Dr. Mischa Hooker, Sam Baugous ’27, from Rock Island, Ill., saw the sites and monuments from his studies in person. For the Classics and English double major, the trip to Greece was an opportunity to encounter the land and culture central to his major, and to use his Augie Choice.
After an early morning traveling on foot or bus to an ancient site, the class spent the day exploring the site, led by a guide or a peer presenter. Sites included the Lion's Gate at the Citadel of Mycenae, Temple of Apollo at Ancient Corinth, Theater at Epidaurus and Temple of Hephaestus. Lessons emphasized issues of archaeological practice and cultural heritage.
Visiting the material remains of ancient Greece while immersed in modern Greek culture added dimension to Baugous’s studies. “It allowed a hands-on experience that would be missed
if we were just looking at pictures in a textbook,” said Baugous.
“Sometimes we would speak to locals, and learn firsthand how modern Greece is different or the same as the Greeks of the past,” he said.
His favorite part of the class? Seeing iconic landmarks in person.
“I'd heard about the Parthenon and sculptures in class and just through culture, but you don't really get a grasp of the scale until you are standing right in front of them,” Baugous said.
Grant Ackard ’25
Measuring ‘peak’ performance
Grant Ackard ’25, a kinesiology and psychology double major from Sarasota, Fla., chose to take “Physiology of High Altitude” with Dr. Jeff Mettler as an elective for his major. Through a series of lectures and labs, the class investigated how the body adapts to high altitude.
The lecture portion of the class typically included a quiz on an assigned article, followed by a student group presentation on the article and notetaking. The second half of each class was dedicated to lab work, which often involved walking and running.
“My favorite part of this class was having access to the metabolic cart and having the opportunity to test my VO2 max,” said Ackard. “It was a great firsthand experience to see my aerobic capacity, finding my physical limits while also gaining valuable data about my fitness level and training potential.”
While many students choose to take classes outside of their majors during J-term, Ackard found that J-term was the perfect time to hone in on a specific area of academic interest. He was surprised to learn how many small details go into the body's physiological responses to high altitude during exercise.
“I didn’t expect to learn so much about the way systems adapt and work together to improve performance and sustain physical activity,” he said.
Lexi Golab ’25
Studying anatomy in Italy
Lexi Golab ’25, a women’s, gender and sexuality studies; creative writing; and psychology triple major from Chicago, Ill., expanded her academic horizons in “Anatomy of Italy” with Professor Bradley Kennedy. The class surveyed the development of anatomy and medicine in Renaissance Italy through the study of anatomical wax models and works of art by Michelangelo, da Vinci and others, and by visiting the universities where anatomy as a modern science began.
Lessons were presented through a combination of classroom lectures and tours to museums, universities and historic landmarks, like the Statue of David and St. Peter’s Basilica. After the classes, students explored Siena, Rome, Florence, Bologna and Padua in small groups. The days closed with group dinners with antipastos (appetizers), pastas and desserts.
For Golab, looking at anatomy through the lens of her majors gave her a new appreciation for how well science blends with history, art, religion and culture.
“I loved being able to learn about the female contribution to the field of anatomy through our lessons on Anna Morandi, a woman who dissected over 1,000 cadavers in order to accurately replicate the human body in wax sculptures,” she said. “Her spectacular work almost never saw the light of day, due to the jealous Ercole Lelli, a male sculptor who wanted his work to be the main reference for anatomical studies.”
Golab’s intersectional perspective helped her make unexpected connections.
“One thing that surprised me in this class was how applicable it was to my majors and life in general,” said Golab. “I went into this trip expecting an anatomy-heavy lesson schedule, but instead, was pleasantly surprised at how well the anatomy was blended through art and culture.”
Afua Asirifi-Bonsu ’27
A reminder to reset
Afua Asirifi-Bonsu ’27, a psychology and data analytics double major from Ghana, enrolled in her J-term class simply to fulfill her religion requirement, but she found the class helped her achieve a personal goal: to learn how to take a fulfilling break.
Students in “Work and Sabbath Rest” with Dr. Michelle Crouch explored Sabbath rest, as fleshed out by the Jewish and Christian traditions, and the challenges for religious observance and intentional work and rest in a demanding, fast-paced world.
In addition to reading and writing about Sabbath practices and vocational discernment, students developed exercises of stillness, boundary setting, media fasts and other practices to inhabit "slow time" and reflect on meaning and purpose.
Asirifi-Bonsu’s favorite part of the class was Friday Sabbath dinner, when she and her classmates shared a meal in Dr. Crouch’s apartment in Swanson Commons. For her, spending time with her professor and classmates without distractions was “refreshing.”
“This class has taught me not only the benefit of rest, but that of work too and the importance of having balance between them,” Asirifi-Bonsu said. “Though rest/Sabbath is important for our bodily and mental well-being, it is not meant to be a selfish practice. It should be shared and enjoyed with others when you can.”
A class that reminds students to slow down and be present? An apt J-term course.
“I don’t think there’s a better class to take during J-term,” Asirifi-Bonsu said. “This one prepares you for balancing work and rest during the next spring semester, and really for the rest of your life.”
By Genevieve Ryan ’26