UNH Today

College can be crazy busy, with students attending an average of four classes per semester, participating in student organizations and athletics, working and often balancing both a major and a minor. Sometimes it seems as if there just isn’t time for it all. This is where January term comes in. 

J-Term, as it’s known, is exactly what it sounds like: a term running from Dec. 28 through Jan. 22 during which students can take courses online, on campus or abroad in places such as Rome and London. The term gives students the chance to get ahead with their credits or take classes outside of their major that might be of interest. We scoured the 2016 course catalog to bring you some of the latest and greatest J-Term has to offer. Here are the highlights.

Building Rome

Building Rome is back for its fourth year. In this study-away course, students jet off to Italy to study the ancient cities of Rome and Pompeii. An average of 22 students enroll each year and embark on their journey with professor R. Scott Smith and lecturer Susan Curry.

Program highlights include visits to the Colosseum and Vatican as well as a celebratory Roman banquet at a local restaurant. Smith describes the course as a combination of intense study and fun, where students “study the ancient monuments, the houses and streets on which the ancient Romans lived — all while enjoying the benefits of the modern city, with pizza, gelato and cappuccino at every turn!”

The Human Story: Evolution, Fossils and DNA

From Australopithecines to modern day Homo sapiens, the story of our species is a long and complex one. The Human Story: Evolution, Fossils and DNA is an online anthropology course that studies this story in its entirety. It is the only course about human evolution at UNH.

“I try to make the online setting still very engaging,” says associate professor Meghan Howey, who uses interactive exercises, videos, live monkey webcams and more to provide a more hands-on environment than a typical online course might. This J-Term will be an especially exciting time to be in the class, as students will learn more about Homo naledi, our newly discovered human ancestor who has been making headlines recently.

Literature and the History of Ideas: Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

Zombies, fallout shelters and government surveillance, oh my! Returning for its second year, Literature and the History of Ideas: Dystopian and Post Apocalyptic Fiction explores the sociological reasons behind the increasing popularity of dystopian and post‑apocalyptic literature (think: “The Hunger Games”) during the past decade. Lecturer Stephanie Harzewski says the online course includes an examination of several popular novels and includes virtual discussions, essays and blog posts.

Topics in Career Exploration

College is a time for figuring out what you want to do for the rest of your life, but sometimes making that choice isn’t so easy. There are thousands of career options, and narrowing them down to just one can be a daunting task. This course aids students in the process. Offered by the Paul College of Business and Economics, Topics in Career Exploration is designed to help students in the business school solidify their career choices. “We conduct mock phone and video interviews, practice how to conduct oneself in an interview and figure out if this career is the one that really fits you as a person,” says professor Kimberly Clark. The class uses self-analysis exercises as well as reflective journals to help students make confident career choices. For non-business students, there's Career Planning in the Liberal Arts, which explores career paths and strategies to market the skills and competencies associated with a liberal arts major. 

All of the electronic J-Term courses will use myCourses, a new platform that will replace Blackboard.

Other on-campus J-Term courses

Wilderness Emergency Medical Care
Rope Ice Climbing 
Machine Shop Training 
Counseling with Communications Disorders 
Image and Sound 
See All 

Other online J-Term courses

Advertising as Social Communication
Introduction to Exceptionality 
Girls Gone Bad: Delinquent Girls in Cultural Context  
Exploring Math with Young Children (also offered on campus) 
Activity, Injuries and Disease
Classical Mythology 
See All 

Other study-away J-Term courses:

Cruise Ship Management
Perspectives on the Business Environment in the Dominican Republic 
The London Experience 
Archaeological Survey and Mapping in BelizeAgriculture and Development in the Neotropics 
See All 

Interested in taking a J-Term class? Check out the  course catalog.