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F EATU RE S
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WWW.GUILFORDlAN.COM
J-Term 2014 fixes prior glitches, exceeds expectations
BY SUKYUN CHUNG
Staff Writer
last year was that the courses offered didn't an email interview. "My mind was immersed J-Term's three-week programs make it easier
fuljfill any education recjuirements. in die work I was engaged in." for them to travel. CCE senior Pamela Rhyne
This year, die number of IDS courses was Professor of ReUgious Studies Eric took advantage of this and went to Myanmar
Ninety percent of you, whether it was at doubled and more classes were offered that Mortensen led a study abroad program in along with Mortensen.
home relaxing and spending time with family catered to specific majors, such as justice and Myanmar that focused on the practice of
or travelling with friends, did not take a J-Term policy studies and psychology. Courses "for Theravada Buddhism in a predominantiy
course. Ninety percent of you missed out oti fun" were stiU plentiful, giving students a wide Buddhist country.
what could have been the experience of a range of topics to choose from. The program also studied Buddhist
lifetime. ^phomore Noah McDonald took extremists in Myanmar, also known as the
January Term 2014 was Guilford College's advantage of one of these 'for fun' courses: %9 Movement and their crusade against the
best one yet Albeit there have only
been two J-Terms, tihis year's three-
week event worked out many of
the kinks encoimtered last year.
Last year, four-credit J-Term
courses on campus cost on average
about $1300, or over $400 a week.
Summer courses at Guilford cost
about die same, but they last for
five or 10 weeks. For a five-week
course, the cost is about $250 a
week. Obviously, some students felt
a littie cheated.
She only had good things to say about the
journey. /
"I had the opportunity to see things that
I had always read about, and you see how
important immersing yourself in another
culture is to learn," she said. "I feel like I had
gotten more out of it than I had
anticipated."
Despite the wide variety of
J-Term programs, there was a lack
of courses from the sciences, as
highlighted by the failed Galapagos
Islands biology study abroad
program.
"ITs up to the students ... to tell
their faculty in the sciences 'I want
to do a J-Term experience,'" said
Zerbe.
Woodworking and Furniture History, taught Islamic population and the political tensions J-Term has already seen huge - growth.
This year, the cost of a four-credit on-campus by Professor of English James Hood. brought up by it appealing to students with increasing its enrollment to 263 from last
"I had the opportunity to see things that I had always read about... I feel like I
hod gotten more out of it than I had anticipated."
Pamela Rhyne, CCE senior
J-Term course was reduced to $500, and if you
do die math, you can save up to about $100 a
week, or $500 overall from a summer course.
'It's kind of a no-brainer, financially," said
Director .of Study Abroad and Professor of
Theatre Studies Jack Zerbe.
On top of learning about the Arts and Crafts interests in political sdence and history. year's 106. It also offers a respectable number
revival movement of the mid to late twentieth 'It's a place people visit wide-eyed, and of courses with 22 on-campus opportunities,
century, Noah spent a lot of his time making a the intensity of Myanmar is someming that three study away programs, and 25 study
bcxjkc^ using die Arts and Crafts style. nobody could predict" said Mortensen. abroad programs.
'1 worked for hours at a time with a saw, CCE students find it difficult to juggle study- At this rate, J-Term is only going to get better
chisels and a mallet while listening to music on abroad programs in between family and work, as the faculty and students remain endiusiastic
One of the biggest complaints about J-Term the sound system in the studio," said Noah in as most courses go for a whole semester, but about their next adventure.
ANIMAL FARM ^
Performance encourages questions about sociopolitics
Continued From Page I
attempt to caution us about the results of blindly following
revolutionaries.
The story of the Bolshevik Revolution is told through the
animals on Manor Farm. Every character on the farm, from
the pigs to the hors^, parallels key people fix>m the socialist
revolution in Russia.
"We've avoided those direct parallelisms," said sophomore
Lucas Perez-Leahy, actor and dramaturge. "But (those
parallels) are true."
The m^sage that almost vibrates in each actor's words begs
us to look at how politics work.
It demands we ask que^ons about oppression, revolutions
and totalitarian governments.
"I'm inter^ted in lots of styles of plays, but one of my
favorite is sociopolitical-style plays," said Zerbe. "Certainly,
George Orwell is in the foreground of sodo-politics."
Perez-Leahy and CCE junior Patrick Brandt, playing
Squealer and Napoleon respectively, were both able to give
insight into the process itself.
"I had some initial concerns about how animal we would
have to be," said Brandt "Were we going to be wearing big
masks or oinking on stage?"
"In terms of (George Orwell's) prose, he can be very dry and
pedantic," said Perez-Leahy. "A lot of our lines are dry political
language, and our job was to breathe life into those lines. That s
what a lot of acting is, to play action."
This play is standing strong against some weaker adaptations
in the past Furthermore, the cast was able to do this in half the
time of a normal Guilford production.
Last semester, the play "Rumors" ran after about seven
weeks of preparation. "Animal Farm" will run for its second
weekend Feb. 6, 7, and 8, open after only three weeks of
preparation.
"Animal Farm's" shortened preparation time also meant that
everyone was working on their lines and the lights every day.
Where normally those tasks could be divided, the shortened
time and smaller class size meant that tasks had to be split
between the entire group.
"Every actor had a technical responsibility," said Perez-
Leahy. "An actor who is also an electrician is on stage and a
light bursts, and they think 'Oh I have to go and replace that,'
but they can't be thinking about that on stage. You have to pierdng the soundstage and banners waving, the new Theatre
separate those two ways of thinking." Studies department's production continues to make us
Similar to last year's J-Term play, "The Trial, "Animal Farm" question the way we thir^ and redefines what it means to be a
tak^ us to a bizarre parallel universe. And with gunshots cog in the machine.
The enthusiastic actors of “Animal Farm” encourage the audience to participate as they begin the production with a rousing song.