Augustana follows a 4-1-4 academic calendar, which means that between the 15-week fall and spring semesters, students have a four-week Interim session during January.

The J-Term is designed to be a time of curricular exploration and enrichment for students, giving them the opportunity to take advantage of travel courses, internships, special one-time topics courses, and campus exchange programs, in addition to liberal arts core courses and those specific to their major. 

During J-Term, several different courses are available for Augustana students. Beyond the course examples, below, details are listed on two featured courses (Australia in the Global Economy and International Business Ethics) from the January 2009 Interim session.

Our Registrar’s Office area posts the Interim information; registration for Interim occurs concurrently with spring registration.

Recent J-Term Courses

• Arab and Jewish Influence in Spain and Morocco
• Augustana Band: China Tour
• Before CSI: The Criminal Element in Literature and Film
• Biblical Counsel: Help for Human Hurts
• The Disunited Kingdom: History, Literature and Social Reconciliation in Northern Ireland
• Guatemala and Belize: Coral Reefs, Tropical Forests, Mayan Ruins and Spanish Language Immersion
• Medieval Outlaws and Modern Movies
• Real Estate Development in Italy: From Romulus to Real Time
• Theatre for Community: Scripting for Change
• Toward a Sustainable World: Can Science and Religion Guide Us Toward the Promised Land?

Featured Courses from the January 2009 Interim Session

ECON 297A - Study Australia: Australia in the Global Economy

Location(s): Australia
Professor: Dr. Reynold Nesiba
Number of Students in course: 7 students from Augustana

Description:
The purpose of this course was to help students understand the development and performance of the Australian economy in a world undergoing rapid globalization. As a western, English-speaking, trade-dependent country located near Southeast Asia, Australia provides a unique yet inviting perspective for this study. May be applied to major in Economics.

Trip Dates: Jan 2-27, 2009

Photos from the trip:

 ACCT 397A - International Business Ethics

Location(s): Oslo & Bodø, Norway
Professor: Dr. Kevin Buell
Number of Students in course: 8 students

Description:
This course was designed to integrate the student’s international experience in business ethics with a background in business ethics at Augustana College. Pre-trip instruction built a thorough knowledge of various theories, concepts, and practices needed to understand the field of business ethics in the U.S. and on an international level. Specifically, this course was designed to obtain the following programmatic goals and objectives: to help students understand and define international business ethics; to develop the students’ ability to understand other cultures; to enhance students’ understanding of how international business activities create ethical conflict; to help students improve their ethical decision-making abilities. The course does not seek to impose any particular values or standards but provides, instead, an opportunity for examining one’s own moral convictions and those of others and for exploring how they can be integrated into management practice.

Fun Fact:
The group was in Bodø, Norway during the inauguration of President Obama. A local newspaper reporter wanted to interview US college students about their thoughts of our new president and the inauguration. The reporter met with the Augustana students and an article, including a picture, appeared the next day in a regional newspaper called the Avisa Nordland.

Trip Dates: Jan 10-24, 2009