January 19, 2012 — The University of Virginia's January Term, an intensive, two-week academic experience tucked into the calendar between New Year's Day and the beginning of the spring semester, gives students and faculty alike a chance to stretch their intellectual curiosity and explore new, often novel topics. Some offerings even involve study abroad.

UVA Today examined a sampling of 2012 J-Term courses, including a course taught by U.Va. President Teresa A. Sullivan – the first that she has led on Grounds. Here are their stories:

•    Are Teens Really Rebellious in Teen Films? J-Term Class Takes a Deeper Look
•    J-Term Course Digs into Religious Inheritance of the 1960s and '70s
•    January Term Course Sheds Light on Murky Soviet History
•    J-Term Students Examine Finer Points and Clicks of Internet Politics
•    Students Explore Reproductive Technology Issues in J-Term Course
•    U.Va. Students Work with 'Flash Fiction' in January Term Course
•    J-Term Course Focuses on Latin American Literature and the Art of Film Adaptation
•    Chinese Terra Cotta Warrior Sculptures Are Jumping-Off Point for J-Term Class
•    President Sullivan's First U.Va. Course Offers More Than 'Sociology of Work'

In addition, the students and faculty in a course, "Systems Case Studies," traveled to Argentina to consult with two wineries there, and shared their experiences on the UVA Today News Blog.