Try the lighter side of Hopkins learning

Three Intersessions ago, when senior Irun Bhan was deciding how to spend his January break, he wasn't exactly looking for a massage class. What he was trying to find, however, was an excuse to stay in Baltimore and something fun to do with his friends. The massage class offered by the department of Student Development and Programming for the January term simply fit the bill.

"It was a lot of fun," Bhan said. "I learned something and met some people."

Personal enrichment classes like massage have been part of Intersession for over 20 years. This winter the school is offering 20 courses through Student Development and Programming and five through the Digital Media Center.

"I used to, years ago, offer a lot more," said Jane Rhyner, the Student Development and Programming staff member responsible for coordinating the classes. "But now that academic Intersession is more extensive, 16 to 20 is all that I can do. I'm happy if I have an average around 20."

Rhyner is pleased that she can advertise her courses along with the academic courses offered by the University. "I'm very happy they let me complement the [Intersession] Web site with my classes," she said. "It gives students a broader scope of classes to take."

The schedule of personal enrichment courses offered changes each year. In addition to the consistently favored courses, like Ballroom Dancing, Introduction to Massage, and Wine Appreciation, a class Rhyner said is "by far number one" and fills up fast, this year Introduction to Dance and Appalachian Fiddle also grace the schedule. "That's what's interesting," said Rhyner. "They [the courses] do change. I probably have six to 10 new courses a year."

In addition to a varied course schedule, this year Rhyner also has a varied set of course instructors that, in addition to field professionals, also includes undergraduate students. Sophomore Brittany Sterret, president of the JHU Modern Dance Company, will be leading Introduction to Dance. Sophomore Asheesh Laroia will be instructing Linux for Everyone and Big Media's Monopoly of Creativity: What You Can Do, and sophomore Scott Waldron is teaching Learn to Play Bridge.

According to Rhyner, personal enrichment courses give individuals with a passion or a hobby an opportunity to try their hand at sharing that interest. "This is a perfect time for novices to teach," she said. "I make it very clear that these are not accredited courses. They're just for fun."

Professional instructors enjoy themselves as well, Rhyner points out. "The reason some of the instructors return is that they really like working with our students," she said, citing Ballroom Dance instructor Irv Stiefel, who has been teaching at Hopkins in January for 22 years. "He loves it. It's one of his favorite things to do."

Course costs vary, depending on the class. About 85 percent of the listed course fee goes to instructors and the remaining 15 percent is paid to the department of Student Development and Programming. "The program is basically a break-even program," Rhyner said.

With the recent changes made to academic Intersession -- a larger number of courses offered, a decrease in the number of credits courses offered are worth, and a shift to a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading system -- one wonders if the popularity of noncredit courses, which generally draw 200-250 students each year, will change.

For students like sophomore Al'na Balasanova, who feel that the academic incentive that was once perceived to accompany Intersession was its biggest draw, personal enrichment courses may not be reason enough to participate in Intersession programs. Balasanova has reconsidered staying in Baltimore in January. "I was going to do Intersession and now I'm not," she said. "We are so overwhelmed with classes during the semester as it is. Even if it's a ??"fun' class, just the idea of coming and taking a creditless class is really unappealing, at least to me."

Senior Crystal Rosario was actually pursuing academic Intersession courses when she learned the University also offered these informal classes. "My incentive for checking out [Intersession courses] was the credit courses," she said. "I actually didn't realize they had noncredit courses." She is now considering enrolling in Wine Appreciation. "I thought it would be fun. I've gone on a couple of [wine] tours. I think it would be useful to know. It makes you feel smart when you're at a dinner party and you know about the wine."

Bhan notes that the personal enrichment courses generally require a minimal time commitment and thus can be one part of a student's Intersession schedule. This year, Introduction to Massage is only one three and a half-hour session. "I would suggest that people do it," he said, noting that such courses might be ideal for those trying to stay busy while back on campus, doing research for example. "It's another fun thing to do to fill up time," he said. "Something to do in addition to other things."

Personal enrichment courses may also help students get back into learning mode in a more relaxed way. "There's not a lot of things going on in January," Rhyner said. "This is a good transition into the spring semester."