Pictured: Student Shannon Ward (front) meeting a penguin at the Pittsburgh Zoo. The trip was part of the 2012 Maymester class, Environmental Literature, taught by Dr. Bruckner.
While most schools have an extended winter break, students at Chatham University head back in to start the semester early. One would think that if school starts early, then it must get out early; this is not so. Chatham University students get out of school at the same time as surrounding schools like Pitt and CMU due to 3-week-long extended classes, called “Maymester.” During Maymester, students can take up to 5 credits at a time. Classes typically meet for 3 hours Monday through Thursday, leaving Fridays free. It’s an easy way to earn extra credits, and the cost is built into tuition! Many classes also leave to go abroad during Maymester; this year, students went to Germany, Taiwan, and other places.
The classes offered during Maymester are quite unique. For example, Empowertooled teaches students how to use power tools while at the same time building sustainable objects, like chairs and tables, out of recycled materials. The Body, Self/Other in Three Parts is a sculpting class where students use plaster to make molds of each other’s faces and then decorate them with any and all materials and found objects. Other classes are more academic, like The Politics of Being Female. There are also fantastic wellness classes offered, like Step Bench Aerobics, Weight Training, Lifeguarding, and Flag Football.
While many students go into Maymester thinking that it will be a relief from the intensity of the previous semester, Maymester has its own stresses. Having classes daily means that homework needs to be done every night; even with Fridays free, it doesn’t leave much time to work. On the bright side, students can earn credits that would ordinarily take a semester in just three weeks. Additionally, Maymester classes are often only offered during Maymester; they are unique, individualized, expressive classes that many instructors look forward to teaching.
Photo courtesy of Shannon Ward