Normally, 在课堂上喝酒是不受欢迎的——至少可以这么说——但比尔·索斯沃思教授的课是个例外.
In his May Term course, History of Wine, 每堂课都伴随着来自世界各地的各种葡萄酒. “我想做的是让人们对葡萄酒更熟悉，对葡萄酒有更多的了解, and more comfortable with dining out,” says Southworth, a speech and debate professor in the History Department. “如果你要从商或进入现实世界，这是有用的知识.”
每门课他都以葡萄酒产区的历史开始, such as France or Greece. Then they talk about the history of wine in that region. 最后，他们会举行品酒会，并选择一些开胃小菜来赞美葡萄酒.
The class goes through about 112 bottles during the four-week term, which Southworth scouts out and selects by hand. “It’s an awful lot of work,” he says, “but it’s my passion.”
How the rise of the internet has changed people’s lives is obvious; How it’s affected death is more obscure but just as dramatic, says Kevin O’Neill, professor emeritus of philosophy.
His new course, Internet Afterlife, explores how the internet, with its seas of photos, videos and blogs frozen in time, has affected what it means to be dead. “一旦你上网，你就永远在那里……这是一种永恒，”他说.
奥尼尔的五月学期课程是为了赞美他的新书而设计的, which goes by the same name as the course. In the book, O’Neill describes much more change that’s on the horizon.
在这门课上，学生们了解到一些公司正在研究将人的肖像数字化的技术, complete with an artificial personality, 因此，活着的人可以在死者去世后通过电脑与他们所爱的人互动.
这门课的最后一节课将介绍一些公司如何将个人个性数字化，而不仅仅是表面上的, but by creating an exact digital replica of the person’s brain, so when a person dies, 他们可以按下开关，那个人的计算机化版本就会活下去.
O’Neill asks his students, will this computerized creation, 有自我意识和相同的记忆和认知能力, be a replica or a new incarnation of that person? “We don’t know. We really can’t answer that question,” says O’Neill. “如果我问你是不是你，而你说是，我怎么知道这是不是真的?”
英语教授希瑟·金说，漫画书不仅仅是轻松的娱乐. They’re meaningful windows into the issues affecting our society.
In her new May Term class, Reading Comics and Culture, 金展示了这些自30年代创作以来被许多学者忽视或忽视的文学作品是如何充满意义的. “Even if these texts are viewed as just entertainment, 人文学科的解释工具使我们能够批判性地看待漫画能告诉我们的历史、社会和哲学,” she says.
The class studies Superman as an example. 他是由两个俄亥俄州的犹太少年创造的，主人公的挣扎反映了他们的创造者. Superman came from another planet, making him an outsider, 他在努力融入社会的同时，也努力为他所接受的社会做贡献.
She then introduces her students to the Fantastic Four, Spiderman, and the Hulk and their connection to post-World War II anxiety. These characters were created in the wake of the bombing of Japan, 所有这些英雄都是从辐射中获得了他们不想要的能力. 金说，这反映了美国人对核战争的新现实有多么焦虑.
她的课还会看涉及政治结构和道德问题的漫画. The Watchmen, for example, presents a balance of power dilemma. She asks her students, what is the role of the superhero in relation to a government, 谁来监督那些拥有巨大权力的人，确保他们用它来做好事?
“文学是哲学和社会变革的实验室,” King says, “a way to experiment using fictional characters.”
蒂姆·罗杰斯(Tim Rogers)有一个使命:向他的学生展示，即使他们生活在城市里，也可以种植粮食.
His new May Term course, Urban Gardening, 教授在任何环境下种植农产品所需的技能. “The majority of humans now live in urban areas,罗杰斯一边说，一边在校园北缘的雷德兰兹可持续大学农场(Sustainable University of Redlands Farm)筛选一箱堆肥.
布罗克顿大道公寓以北的两英亩土地是罗杰斯上课的地方. 学生们有自己的土地，并通过动手来学习园艺.
“Most people learn gardening hands on," he says. "Stuff needs to be done so you show up and do it.”
During May Term, Rogers, 社区服务学习协调员和可持续园艺负责人, also leads trips to both traditional and urban gardens.
One highlight is a Redlands family that makes a living off its “farm,“一个中等大小的住宅物业被改造成一个小型但高效的食品生产商. “It looks like a typical suburban yard,” he says, “ but when you look closely, all their trees are fruit trees, all their bushes are herbs and all their groundcover is vegetables.”
Bill Southworth is a professor of Speech and Debate. He is a renowned expert on debate and public speaking. 他教授许多关于演讲的课程，以及关于葡萄酒和肯尼迪家族的历史课程.
Philosophy Professor Emeritus Kevin O'Neill's expertise is broad, 在他漫长的职业生涯中，他教过这门学科几乎所有分支的课程. 有一个话题一直激发着他的兴趣，那就是死亡和与之相关的哲学. 他教授两门与这个主题相关的课程:后现代主义、死亡和互联网来世.
English Professor Heather King 可能以教授18世纪英国文学课程而闻名, 但她有一个喜欢读童话和漫画书的孩子. 她教授阅读漫画和文化课程，不久将教授一门关于哈利波特和其他奇幻故事的新课程.
蒂姆·罗杰斯是社区服务学习部门的协调员，也是可持续园艺方面的专家. 他管理着Redlands农场可持续发展大学(SURF-Sustainable University of Redlands farm)，在那里他教授5月学期的城市园艺课程.
