A Fresh Perspective: 22 Days, 900 pages, no problem

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been over two months since my last “Fresh Perspective” column. Time flies when you’re having fun at Luther College. Christmas vacation was a much-needed break after my first finals week. It was during that week many of my first-year peers and I questioned our survival, but we made it through unscathed—for the most part, that is. Following the holidays, it was back to Decorah for J-term. Some of us were unsure what the month had in store for us, so naturally, we asked some upperclassmen friends what J-term was all about. After hearing stories about sleeping in and staying up late, easy classes with no homework and having all the free time in the world, we were very excited for the next couple of weeks.

Little did we know that there was a catch to this statement: J-term is only easy if you take an easy class. Needless to say, I didn’t get this particular memo. Assuming that all 185 first-year-level courses were created equal, I registered for “Dante’s Divine Comedy.” The course description said we’d be reading the entire “Divine Comedy,” an epic poem written in Medieval Italy by Dante Alighieri. (For those still wondering what in the heck this is, if you’ve ever heard of the Inferno, it is one of the three canticles of the Comedy.) I’m considering a potential major in English, so I greatly enjoy reading,
and I thought, “Okay, I can handle this—it shouldn’t be too bad, right?”

Wrong.

Because J-term is an entire semester-long class crammed into three and a half weeks, let’s just say it was pretty intense. Don’t get me wrong—this class was one of the most fascinating I’ve taken, thanks to great discussion and Professor Ruth Caldwell’s friendly enthusiasm. However, it was not an “easy” class. In about 22 days our class successfully read, interpreted and discussed this nearly 900-page book and its historical, philosophical, religious and scientific implications.

I must also say that even though I originate from northeast Iowa, I was not prepared for the bitter, bone-chilling cold of J-term at Luther College. I found myself avoiding certain parts of campus in fear of being blown away: the gap between Main and the Union, the hill descending to Regents, and basically any areas unprotected by trees or structures.

Even though my first J-term wasn’t what I expected, it was a nice change of pace to have class only once a day. In addition, I found myself meeting more new people along with spending time with my usual friends. Although I didn’t take a simple class, it left me with a feeling of accomplishment and an official “Certificate of Achievement” signed by Prof. Caldwell herself. I’m glad Luther’s undergrad curriculum includes a J-term course, but now I know that at least one of my subsequent Januarys will be spent in a much milder place than Decorah, Iowa.