Transcribing an original letter written in 1824 by William Carey
to botanist Nathaniel Wallich is an unusual privilege for
undergraduate students. For the 21 students enrolled in the Life and
Work of William Carey, it's a required hands-on experience
In the five-day class that ends this week, students get to
analyze and examine many of the missionary's papers and artifacts
housed at William Carey University.
"I've done more planning on
this one course," said Bennie R. Crockett Jr., who teaches the class
with Myron C. Noonkester. Both professors are co-directors of Center
for the Study of the Life and Work of William Carey.
It is one of six classes taught within a week at the university.
For the first time, Carey is offering short session classes with
full course credit during January.
The university calls the session J-Term. At the Hattiesburg
campus, 100 students registered to take six different classes.
J-Term classes also are being held at Carey's Gulfport and New
Orleans campuses.
Brandon Davis, 23, is a senior with one trimester left. A
religion major, he needed this class to graduate.
"It gives you a chance to get more hours in," Davis said. "It's
hard to cram so much information in a short time. But the research
is fun."
This class about the missionary's life can be taken either for
religion or history credit. In the morning, the professors lecture.
In the afternoons, the students interpret documents, drawings and
other artifacts.
"This is one of the best collections in the world," said
Noonkester. The collection and museum is in Donnell Hall on the
Carey campus.
Sarah Mahaffey, 22, is taking the class for religion credit.
"To do it in a week is good. Once I'm done, I'm done," she said.
Actually, she will have to write a research paper and take a final
exam during the next trimester.
Carey has offered short courses before, during May Term and
Mini-Term, which lasts for about 10 days before the regular summer
terms begins. Those sessions became so popular, university officials
decided to offer J-Term classes.
"Many of these classes are not offered during the regularly
scheduled calendar year," said Tommy King, president of Carey, in a
news release. "Students are looking for a variety of classes and
learning experiences. By designing the J-Term and May-Term schedules
in this way, we can offer students a myriad of opportunities to meet
their educational goals."
J-Term classes started Jan. 3 and continue through Wednesday.
Classes include The Life and Work of William Carey, Web page design,
educational psychology, computers in nursing and performance
assessment in education. New Orleans history is being taught at the
New Orleans campus only.
Even travel courses were offered as part of the session. These
include trips to Italy to study ancient Greek colonization, Roman
emperors and imperial and Christian Rome.
A tropical field biology is meeting in Rio Dulce, Guatemala.