JANUARY 25, 2012
\nBy Allison Davey \u201914, Contributing Writer<\/p>\n
As students jump back into second semester, many are making preparations for the semester that follows: May X.<\/p>\n
May X, or May Experience, is an optional, three-week term following Commencement. The classes are worth two credits and are not offered during the fall or spring semesters. They allow students to explore interests they may not have time for during the regular school year, and also offer the possibility to study away to those who may not otherwise be able to do so.<\/p>\n
This year, Furman is offering 38 classes on campus and 15 study away courses for the May X term. The number of classes varies from year to year, but there is no cap on the number of classes that can be offered. According to Brad Barron, Associate Dean and University Registrar, the courses are designed to meet student demand with faculty supply.<\/p>\n
The number of students involved in May X has increased steadily over the years, which comes as no surprise to Barron, who said, \u201cIt is hard to find someone who did not have a good experience.\u201d He\u00a0believes that \u201cof all the recent academic reforms, this is the coolest by far.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that students who participate in\u00a0May X\u00a0\u201cget an experience rather than just a course. They get to learn in a way that doesn\u2019t feel like work. Faculty get to work on something they love with students that are 100 percent committed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of the notable new courses for this coming term include \u201cInfectious Diseases in Movies,\u201d \u201cEpisodes in North American Urban History\u201d and \u201cSociology of the Simpsons.\u201d\u00a0Study away courses include \u201cFarm,\u201d which will be held on\u00a0a family farm in Iowa, and trips to Philadelphia,\u00a0Washington D.C., and\u00a0the Sierra Nevada mountains, where students will\u00a0study geology.<\/p>\n