Every year, TFC conducts a two-week intensive semester called a Winterim semester. This provides students with the opportunity to earn full credit for a course in a different format. What would normally be a 15-week course becomes a condensed course taught every day from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for two weeks. Not all classes are conducive to this format, but this semester we saw students register for classes in Toxicology, Gospel of Matthew, Pre-Exilic History, Human Sexuality, Expedition Planning and Management, and Western Thought & Culture. In total, we have welcomed 198 students on campus for Winterim! The majority of which are students enrolled in Western Thought & Culture.

Western Thought & Culture is a course that employs the biblical framework of the “Cultural Mandate” to uncover the development of Western Culture. Students begin each day in the classroom exploring the curriculum with their professor before walking to the Grace Alford Performing Arts Center for a plenary session. At Toccoa Falls College, we believe the humanities are integral to following Christ. During the plenary sessions professors from each of these areas are able to dive deeper into how art, music, and literature interact with the Christian life. This course is a requirement for all freshmen, as it shapes the way students view and interact with their studies for the rest of their college experience.

This week, plenary sessions included:

“Theology of Culture – Part 1” with Dr. Curt Wanner

“Anthropology: Benefits from Reflective Thought in Western Culture” with Dr. Jon Penland

“Theology of Culture – Part 2” with Dr. Curt Wanner

“Is Chemistry and Physics All There Is?” with Dr. Brian Peek

“The History & Development of Literature in English” with Professor Matthew Cannella

Next week, students will hear from Dr. Curt Wanner once again, as well as Professor Grant Wall and TFC Professor Emeritus Dr. Donald Williams. Students will have the opportunity to tour the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and will take their final exam before wrapping up the Winterim semester and gearing up for Spring.