Chieftain, Volume 19, Number 2, Spring-Summer 1971 Page: 4
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4 McMurry College Chieftain
"Besides giving me the
opportunity to visit
Washington, D. C., the
course provided me with
the unique experience of
entering the inner structure
of the government and
comparing theory to
practice.
"I entered not knowing
really what to expect. I
came out glad that I took
the course.
99
JT course "National Political Exposure: Washington, D. C."
enrolled was a 1970 McMurry graduate who
returned to participate in a course she had
helped to plan.
For those who attended McMurry's first
January Term, it was an exciting time. If you
happen to ask one of those people what he did
during last January, be prepared to spend the
next few hours listening to his answer. Hell
tell you.
Patricia Ault is a junior English/Religion
major from Little Rock, Arkansas. Pat has served
as student assistant in the January Term office
since the initiation of this program. She
participated, as a freshman student, in the early
stages of the development of January Term at
McMurry. Pat also has served two years as a
student representative on the Curriculum Revision
Committee.
January Term and
McMurry
by Walter Hofheinz
Walter Hofheinz was the director of McMurry's
first January Term (1971). He is Professor of
Religion and has been at McM since 1964.
Why is January Term such an important
educational experience? This question has been
asked by many persons at McMurry before, during
and after this first January Term.
To answer the question properly we must look
at certain basic characteristics of January Term
at McMurry, the things that epitomize the spirit
and function of the term. The first of these
characteristics is expanded academic opportunity.
At McMurry many faculty members have
competency and special interests in areas
other than those of their major training
and teaching. For instance, Mr. Gene Rister
has a special interest in the Chicano and because
of January Term he was able to offer a course in
this area. Dr. David Klassen, Dr. Richard
Moore, Dr. Clark Beasley, and Dr. Lyndol Harris
have interests in specialized areas of scientific
study which they wished to explore with their
students. January Term provided them with the
opportunity.
January Term also offers the opportunity to
look at areas of academic interest and study
which could not be explored in the long
semesters. The curriculum for the long semesters
has been developed and refined over a long
period and there are some areas in which courses
are not provided. January Term offers the
opportunity to experiment with courses which do
not fit into this regular curriculum. Thus,
January Term is a highly valuable complement
to the regular curriculum.
Moreover, long semester courses often do not
seem relevant to the student's practical interests.
Many January Term student participants have
commented that their January Term courses were
relevant. Especially in those courses where the
students were off-campus talking with leaders in
government or in education or in business was
this note of relevancy sounded. Many students
said that it was wonderful to take a course where
they could immediately see the practical nature
of their learning.
A second important element of January Term
is individualized study. January Term offers the
opportunity for students as individuals or as
McMurry College Chieftain
Charles Hogsett '47, Editor
Second class postage paid at Abilene, Texas 79605. Published
quarterly by McMurry College, Abilene, Texas 79605, for the
alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends of
McMurry. Statements contained herein represent the
opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the
attitude of McMurry College or the editor.
Volume 19, Number 2
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McMurry College. Chieftain, Volume 19, Number 2, Spring-Summer 1971, periodical, 1971; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth238662/m1/4/: accessed June 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting McMurry University Library.