Lynn University

Lynn University’s Office of Academic Affairs has unveiled the 2010 January mini-term (J-Term) courses, and it’s a roster that once again includes nationally recognized speakers, a battery of international experience courses, and several courses that will have students getting hands-on experience fighting poverty in Haiti, working the ESPN Winter X Games, or learning how to build a business on a shoestring budget.

In addition to more than 72 unique, educational and hands-on courses being offered, the J-Term faculty has grown this year to include three scholars-in-residence (Adam Hasner, Christopher Carey and Tom Cordaro), two executives-in-residence (Leonard R. Meyers and Mark Michelson), and a keynote address by TOMS Shoes chief shoe giver, Blake Mycoskie.

For the second consecutive year, Lynn students will be spending their next two-and-a-half week J-Term in much the same way as they spent their first – learning in some unconventional, exciting and often experiential ways. Lynn’s 2010 J-Term roster, which includes several highly popular encores from the 2009 inaugural term, is filled with new on-campus, domestic and international opportunities in all areas of study.

Scholar- and Executive-in-Residence on-campus courses:

• Scholar-in-Residence Adam Hasner (Florida House of Representatives majority leader) will teach “Popcorn and Politics,” an on-campus course aimed at explaining the ins and outs of campaigning for public office through some of Hollywood’s best political movies from past to present, interactive discussions and a mock campaign.  
• Scholar-in-Residence Christopher Carey (former deputy district attorney and assistant professor at Portland State University) will co-teach “Local Service: Global Impact,” a class aimed at engaging students in community service projects with Boca Helping Hands, Gumbo Limbo and Habitat for Humanity.
• Executive-in-Residence Leonard R. Meyers (former president of Meyers Bros. and owner of Milford Jai Alai casino) will teach “The Real Business World,” an on-campus class that will give students an in depth perspective on the parking and gaming industries while promising to teach them things they “never learned in Economics 101.”
  

International courses:

• Two volunteer service trips, “Journey of Hope” to Jamaica or Haiti, where students (along with the nationally recognized organization, Food for the Poor) will build homes for the poor in underdeveloped countries
• A communication course, “Japan – Multimedia Technology and Game Design,” where students will travel to Japan to explore multimedia trends associated with game design, computer animation, visual communication and its impact to a global communication system
  

Domestic and on-campus courses:

• An on-campus business class, “How to Start (or Buy) a Business on a Shoestring Budget,” where students will learn how to begin the entrepreneurial process armed only with an abundance of enthusiasm
• An education course, “What Is It Really Like to be a Teacher?,” where students will shadow teachers at local schools to learn about planning, instruction, and everything else associated with life inside and outside the classroom
  

Blake Mycoskie, founder and chief shoe giver of TOMS Shoes who was recently featured on a national AT&T commercial, will be Lynn's J-Term speaker this year, addressing students on Wednesday, Jan. 13, at 10 a.m. in the Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall on campus. Mycoskie has been featured in People Magazine in its “Heroes Among Us” section, in the Bill Gates TIME Magazine article “How to Fix Capitalism,” and according to former President Bill Clinton, Mycoskie is, “one of the most interesting people I've ever met.”

Although some of the J-term courses do require additional fees, more than 60 percent of the courses are less than $150 (a third are free of charge).