Winter term courses will be offered by the Humanities, and Social Sciences programs. There are two sessions, an early session from December 14–27, and a later session, from December 28–January 10. Students register for the early session using the fall 2026 registration system, and register for the later session using the spring 2027 registration system.
These courses are designed to cover all of the same material covered in a one-semester course but in 14 days—10 days of instruction and four reading days. This design converts three credits and 135 hours of work into an intensive experience of engaged work in the range of 10–13 hours per day. Accordingly, it is not wise to take one of these courses if you have any other demands on your time—including travel, weddings, internships, jobs, weekend obligations, or other such commitments—and no allowances can be made for interfering events.
Session 1 (December 14–27, 2026)
COM 200: AI, Data, Communications, Instructor: Brian Casario
This course examines the rhetorical and ethical challenges as well as the cultural consequences of AI technology in the field of communication. Students will critically assess the problems and potential of usage of LLMs in writing, developing a considered, evidence-based approach to using the technology in their own writing processes. The course is one of three in the interdisciplinary Certificate in AI Fluency.
Prerequisite(s): Satisfaction of Illinois Tech’s Basic Writing Proficiency Requirement
Lecture: 3 Lab: 0 Credits: 3
Satisfies: Communications (C), Humanities (H)
HUM 380: J. R. R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit, Instructor: Keith Green
The famous words that started it all: “In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit.” In this course, we will examine the book that first brought the Middle-Earth legendarium to public attention, J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of the text as well as learn a little about the personal history of J. R. R. Tolkien and the evolution of this enchanting children’s story from a fairy tale into a prelude to The Lord of the Rings.
Prerequisite(s): Satisfaction of Illinois Tech’s Basic Writing Proficiency Requirement
Lecture: 3 Lab: 0 Credits: 3
Satisfies: Communications (C), Humanities (H)
PHIL 380: Arguments and Reasoning, Instructor: Kathryn Petrozzo
We encounter arguments in all facets of life—in academic work, in the media, to debates with family and friends. The aim of this course is to improve students’ ability to be able to evaluate, interrogate, and construct arguments through building one’s critical thinking and reasoning skills.
Prerequisite(s): HUM 100 or HUM 102 or HUM 104 or HUM 106 or HUM 108 or HUM 180 or HUM 200-299
Lecture: 3 Lab: 0 Credits: 3
Satisfies: Communications (C), Humanities (H)
Session 2 (December 28, 2026–January 10, 2027)
AAH 380: The Psychology of Space: Drawing the Imagined, Remembered & Experienced Place, Instructor: Madeleine Bailey
This is a studio/seminar hybrid in which we will investigate the relationship between the built environment and human perception, behavior, memory, emotion, and social interaction. Grounded by close readings and analysis of Gaston Bachelard’s Poetics of Space and Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, we will look at historical and contemporary painting and drawing practices, including the introduction of non-western pictorial space. Students will use drawing by hand as a research instrument, alongside written and oral skills, to describe and contextualize both seen and unseen worlds around them.
Prerequisite(s): HUM 100 or HUM 102 or HUM 104 or HUM 106 or HUM 108 or HUM 180 or HUM 200-299
Lecture: 3 Lab: 0 Credits: 3
Satisfies: Communications (C), Humanities (H)
PS 238: Energy Policy, Instructor: Matt Shapiro
This course traces our dependence on fossil fuels and government-based attempts to promote energy conservation and develop alternate energy sources. Assessed are the economic and political effects of the supply and demand for energy; the implications of different energy production and consumption methods; and efforts to minimize the environmental consequences through increased energy efficiency and/or regulation. The course explores such problems as fossil fuel dependence, greenhouse gas reductions, nuclear waste, rapid industrialization, and national and international attempts to provide economic, political, and technological solutions.
Lecture: 3 Lab: 0 Credits: 3
Satisfies: Communications (C), Social Sciences (S)
Please note the CRN and course code for this intersession course: 54726 and PS 238-J01
SSCI 285 Environmental Sociology, Instructor: Joseph Renow
Can better design and technology help save the planet? Who decides what gets built, who benefits, and who pays the environmental price? This course explores how our everyday lives, cities, buildings, and technologies shape the environment—and how the environment shapes us. From smart cities and green buildings to climate change, pollution, and environmental inequality, students discover how social, political, and economic forces influence the world around us. Using real-world examples, we’ll explore the challenges of creating a greener future and how we can rethink the ways we design, build, and live.
Lecture: 3 Lab: 0 Credits: 3
Satisfies: Communications (C), Social Sciences (S)
Additional Information
Cost. The cost to students will be a flat fee of $2,500 per course. This fee is separate from fall and spring tuition, and there are no tuition discounts for this fee.
Duration. Classes will run 14 days: 10 days of instruction and 4 reading days. December classes will run from December 14–27 or December 28 to January 10.
Registration. Register for December courses using the fall registration schedules, and register for January courses using the spring registration schedule.
Overload. Students already with 18 credit hours for fall or spring will need an overload permit to register for a J-term class in that same term.
Last day to withdraw. The last day to withdraw from the December 14–27 term courses is December 7, and the last day to withdraw from the December 28–January 10 courses is December 21, after that, you will be charged the full amount for the class whether or not you complete it. Note: this is a change from last year.