News Collection
Winter Term
Oberlin provides a winter term each year to empower students to discover the value of self-directed education. Students may devise an individual project in collaboration with an Oberlin staff or faculty member, or participate in a group project that has been organized by Oberlin staff, faculty, or other students. These undertakings can happen on or off campus. The Office of Winter Term oversees these projects.
The central objective of this period is to continue the process of personal and academic discovery outside of the classroom.
Oberlin Musicians Collaborate at California’s Hidden Valley Institute
Winter Term projects culminate in performances involving TIMARA, dance, chamber music, and jazz.
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Winter Term: Psychological Factors on COVID-19
October 1, 2020
Many areas of the country saw significant drops in pollution levels when stay-at-home orders were put in place several months ago. The effects on the atmosphere suggested to Devin Williams ’21 that there might be other factors to investigate. He joined a team of students who assisted Professor of Psychology and Environmental Studies Cindy Frantz in a project that would lead to the study of COVID-19 on psychological factors.
Winter Term: A Plan to Improve Education for Students
September 30, 2020
Bridget Smith ’21, an education and politics major, wants to improve the educational experiences of students with special needs. That's why interning at the Monitoring and State Improvement Planning division of the Office of Special Education Program in Oberlin (OSEP) was a great fit.
Winter Term: Creating Music Miles Apart
September 23, 2020
Seniors Arthur Welsh and Mark Ligonde had an ambitious goal for Winter Term. The pair planned to release a seven-song album with six different genres and subgenres of music, while residing miles apart. The project would challenge their compositional and production skills, but the end result was even more complex and creative than they imagined.
Winter Term: The Art of the Artist Book
September 15, 2020
After spending a month researching artist books and creating a book of her own, Marie Romanelli ’21 is officially hooked on the craft, both as an artist and as a short-form poet.
Winter Term: Butterflies, One of Nature’s Flashiest Pollinators
September 14, 2020
Mary Perchlik adores butterflies. That interest led to her month-long project in August, which combined the study of butterflies on a species level while maintaining a broader focus on environmental systems that support butterflies and their interactions between different plants, insects, and habitats.
Winter Term: Recording the Stravinsky Violin Concerto with Piano
September 10, 2020
Fourth-year violin major Peiwen Su took on the ambitious project to learn and record the entire Stravinsky Violin Concerto in D major. The project was both challenging and inspirational—and demonstrated to Su what is possible in this new reality.
Winter Term: The Auto Drink Dispenser
September 8, 2020
Creating an auto drink dispenser is something Thomas Heffer ’21 had toyed with for quite some time. However, his busy schedule wouldn’t allow him to actively pursue it.
Winter Term - Summer 2020
September 3, 2020
More than 200 students performed individual and group projects during this year’s Winter Term. Although typically held in January, it was shifted to August this year under the same premise: a time for students to explore opportunities outside of their regular course of study.
Film by first-year Alba Robledo Díaz Accepted into Two Festivals
May 21, 2020
The cinema studies major's short film Accidentes takes a slightly satirical point of view on death.
How Organs Become Vital
May 18, 2020
International travel—and Oberlin opportunities—proved pivotal for Fulbright Finalist Celina Kobetitsch ’18.
Oberlin in Photos: Day Tripping
May 7, 2020
Although current conditions have fraught travel plans for many, there are still ways to indulge in much-needed vacation time. This week, we fly to the moon and return home in time for dinner.
Revisiting the Underground Railroad
February 26, 2020
A student re-enactment of escaped slaves along the Underground Railroad is recognized 40 years later with a visit by participant Herman Beavers ’81 at Third World House.
