Furman brings experiential learning to summer MayX session

School may be out for Summer, but Furman University’s May Experience lets students make the most their break.

The optional three-week “MayX” term earns students credits while diving into courses not offered during the academic year. Study-away MayX courses take students around the world, studying health in Italy, education in Finland, religious art in Turkey or traditional craft and new technologies in Japan. On campus and in the surrounding Greenville, South Carolina area, some students learned about the history and science of barbecue while going on a tasting tour of the Upstate.

Whether they’re learning the psychology of magic, the techniques behind drawing fantastical creatures, the finer points of trading on the stock market or the methods behind sleep research, MayX courses offer an experiential approach to learning that gives students hands-on, practical experience alongside their studies.

Making magic happen

Associate professor of psychology Adam Putnam helps students understand the psychological principles behind magic tricks while sharing his personal experience as a magician to help them learn those tricks. Photo by Owen Withycombe, Furman University.

Is this your card? With a flick of his wrist, associate psychology professor Adam Putnam demonstrated the misdirection and sleight of hand involved in a close-up magic trick. Misdirection, perception, memory and suggestion are all principles that are at home in a psychology classroom and up a magician’s sleeves.

When Putnam was first designing his “The Psychology of Magic” MayX course, he originally had it planned as a series of lectures mostly focused on the cognitive processes behind magic tricks and the history of scientific study of theatrical magic.

“But one day while I was sitting with my syllabus, I realized it’s called the May Experience for a reason, and I started from scratch,” Putnam said. The key to experiential learning is getting the students involved, so Putnam’s new plan for the class sought to turn students into magicians themselves.

Putnam hosted guest lecturers like acclaimed magician and Furman professor of scenic and lighting design Rhett Bryson and Bon Secours St. Francis Health System physician and magician Dr. Austin Daniel. Their experiences as magic performers lent the students practical insight as they practiced their own trick.

“It helps them feel more confident, explore different modes of learning and push through performance anxiety and fear,” Putman said.

From the classroom to the emergency room

The students in professor of health sciences Meghan Slining’s MayX course got firsthand insights into what it’s like to be an emergency department doctor. In “The Emergency Department as a Microcosm of Society,” Slining taught from her background as a public health professional, while guest lecturer Dr. Paige Bridges shared her experience as an emergency medicine physician.

In the “Let’s Watch Horror Movies” MayX course, students snack on popcorn while watching monster, slasher and haunted house movies – then discuss and plan out their own horror screenplays. Photo by Owen Withycombe, Furman University.

“Their different backgrounds and perspectives enriched class discussions and highlighted how healthcare benefits from interdisciplinary collaboration,” said public health major Vaishnavi Bharadwaj ’25, who returned after graduating in December to attend this MayX course. “MayX creates the space to engage more deeply with a subject, often allowing learning to extend beyond the classroom.”

Each student in this class shadowed doctors in local emergency departments, seeing how public health principles and challenges play out in practice. “The emergency department truly is the front line of public health,” said Annelie Jones ’29. “Having access to both viewpoints gave us a more complete understanding of the healthcare landscape.”

That’s the strength of the MayX format, Slining said: experiences students can attach their classroom learning to.

“The type of class we are running is not possible during the semester. The students need the flexibility to do the odd hours of observations,” Slining said.

Where There’s Smoke…

It’s time.

Time for Furman professor of music Mark Britt to start conducting. He’s brought his students together, coordinated the timing and all that’s left to do is say the word and get this orchestration rolling. But his stage isn’t what most would consider when they think of Britt. This stage is a barbecue restaurant in the sprawling farmland of Anderson County, South Carolina, and the instruments are chunks of wood, racks of seasoned meats and a crescendo of smoke billowing in the May breeze.

Jeff Little, co-owner of Mike and Jeff’s BBQ talks to students in the 2024 “BBQ-It’s a Noun, Not a Verb” MayX course about the techniques he uses. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.

It’s Britt’s wildly popular MayX course, “BBQ: It’s a Noun, Not a Verb,” and the 16 students who clamored for a spot in the unique offering are readying for another field trip to try brisket, pulled pork, ribs and any number of down-home side dishes. This time, they are at Fork Grove BBQ in Anderson, S.C., and it’s just another day in paradise for Britt and his hickory-soaked band.

“I don’t even barbecue myself, but I’m a professional eater of the stuff,” Britt said while waiting for trays of smoked meats, mac and cheese and seasoned collard greens to come to the table. “This is a way to share that passion for good food and good community that can only come through barbecue.”

The course is one in a long line of unique offerings through the MayX program. And the students aren’t necessarily looking to become competition barbecue cooks or open their own restaurant. What they are looking for is a chance to connect with someone like Britt and their peers over what makes good barbecue and, most importantly, what it tastes like. Over three weeks, they’ve been to six different restaurants and two separate butcheries to better understand a style of cooking that is all about taking your time and savoring the small stuff.

“Food is meant to bring people together,” Britt said. “These students were barely talking to each other at the start of this class. And now they are talking and laughing and eating together, all because of some smoked meat.”