The B'More Program is open to members of the freshman class only. All courses focus on Baltimore and are designed to give students a better understanding of their course's topic, and to introduce them to their "hometown" for the next four years.
A typical day consists of:
1) A morning lecture from 10 - 12:30;
2) Lunch from 12:30 - 2;
3) Learning from the Community Course Activities, which include a combination of field trips, guest speaker or community service from 2 - 4:30 (although the end time will vary depending on your activity).
In addition, we have a series of events that you must attend throughout the week as follows:
1) Keynote Speaker: Delegate Mary L. Washington on Monday, January 23
2) Agents of Change Panel: Jessica Turral and Scott Burkholder (Moderator: Michael Reese) on Friday, January 27
3) Afternoon of Service: Friday, January 27
To register, students select one course (1 credit, graded S/U) from the list below.
Art
B'More: Charm City Through the Lens
This course will analyze and discuss the work of three Baltimore-based photographers and a film director. Students will be introduced to the concept of photography as an artistic medium for documenting a city’s cultural life. Classroom lectures will be complemented by visits to Fells Point and Mount Vernon, as well as to a photo exhibit in a gallery. Using their own digital and cell phone cameras, students will create their own mini-portfolios to present.
B'More Program Dates: Monday, January 23 through Friday, January 27
Distribution: H
Course Number: AS.371.189.31
Instructor: Monica Lopez-Gonzalez
Syllabus: Download
Earth & Planetary Science
B'More: Cleaner, Greener, and Sustainable Baltimore: An Inside Look
This course will focus on the elements of sustainability from an operational viewpoint, paying particular attention to how the sustainability efforts at Johns Hopkins University complement the larger efforts underway in Baltimore. Students will gain an inside perspective on resource conservation efforts, strategies, policies and long-term goals at JHU and then compare them with the variety of initiatives in the City. Students will meet environmental leaders in the community, including City officials, members of the Sustainability Commission, non-profit activists, and private sector visionaries who are on the leading edge of transforming the City into one of the shining examples of sustainable action in the nation.
B'More Program Dates: Monday, January 23 through Friday, January 27
Distribution: N
Course Number: AS.270.119.31
Instructor: Davis Bookhart | Contact: dbookhart@jhu.edu
English
B'More: Poe and Mencken
In this course, we’ll be engaging in a quick but close study of two of Baltimore’s most famous writers: Edgar Allan Poe and Herbert Louis Mencken. In addition to familiarizing yourself with their works, we’ll also be visiting some of the places associated with them: Poe’s grave, of course, and Mencken’s house; we’ll also be taking a look at the extensive collection of Mencken’s papers at the Enoch Pratt Free Library. There will be one four to six page paper.
B'More Program Dates: Monday, January 23 through Friday, January 27
Distribution: H
Course Number: AS.060.153.31
Instructor: Patrick Fessenbecker | Contact: pfessenbecker@gmail.com
Syllabus: Download
History
B'More: Blue-Collar Baltimore
This course charts the history of Baltimore’s working classes, from Fells Point shipbuilders in the 18th century to Sparrows Point steelworkers in the 20th century. Along the way, the course will consider how the politics of race, gender, and ethnicity influenced Baltimore’s labor movement, how working-class neighborhoods responded to changing pressures, how popular culture has portrayed blue-collar Baltimore, and the evolving meanings of class in a post-industrial city.
B'More Program Dates: Monday, January 23- Friday, January 27
Distribution: H
Course Number: AS.100.145.31
Instructor: Robert Gamble | Contact: rjgamble@gmail.com
Humanities Center
B'More: Homelessness
In Baltimore, as in any major city, many urban poor find themselves without a home and without shelter. For these individuals, life on the streets is desperate and dangerous. Students will read about, discuss, and debate the causes and implications of homelessness in Baltimore, and explore present policies and potential solutions. Guest speakers include homeless rights advocates from both local government and community groups. Students will also participate in service directly affecting homeless persons.
B'More Program Dates: Monday, January 23 through Friday, January 27
Distribution: H S
Course Number: AS.300.100.31
Instructor: Thomas Gottbreht | Contact: tgottbr1@jhu.edu
Syllabus: Download
Public Health Studies
B'More: Junk Food vs. Whole Foods
This course looks closely at the environment of Baltimore City’s complex food systems and what it would take to improve these systems to assure widespread access to nutritious, adequate and affordable food. Students will gain hands-on experience through visiting a supermarket, a corner store and an emergency food distribution center. The in-class sessions are structured primarily as discussion seminars based around the readings and trips, supplemented with some lectures and guest lectures.
B'More Program Dates: Monday, January 23- Friday, January 27
Distribution: S
Course Number: AS.280.205.31
Instructor: Seung Hee Lee | Contact: seulee@jhsph.edu
B'More: Vaccines and Child Health
This course focuses on the importance of immunizations for child health. Students learn about vaccine-preventable illnesses that affect children; disease-tracking in Baltimore; and, strategies for getting child illness rates under control. Local immunization initiatives will be discussed, including Baltimore City’s model immunization program which made history in 1996 when it increased child immunization coverage to 99 in just 3 months. Through lectures, discussions and field trips, we explore methods and strategies that have helped Maryland maintain one of the top immunization coverage rates in the nation.
B'More Program Dates: Monday, January 23- Friday, January 27
Distribution: N S
Course Number: AS.280.214.31
Instructor: Jennifer Lam
Syllabus: Download
Sociology
B’More: Studying Innovation and Change Through Charm City
Did you know that many ideas that have changed the world originated in Baltimore? We will examine these innovations rooted in B'More and discuss how they were born, how they spread, and how they succeeded or failed. Our in-class activities will provide general insight into how entrepreneurs and activists promote change. Our field trips will inform class conversations about technological and cultural innovations along with the societal and economic consequences of those changes.
B'More Program Dates: Monday, January 23- Friday, January 27
Distribution: S
Course Number: AS.230.116.31
Instructor: Michael Reese | Contact: mreese@jhu.edu
Writing Seminars
B'More: Baltimore in Fiction, Film, TV
Baltimore has long inspired a diverse group of writers & filmmakers. Students will gain access to the creative soul of the city by reading works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Russell Baker, and Anne Tyler; watching films by Barry Levinson and John Waters, and viewing episodes of The Wire. They will also visit the Poe House and the Enoch Pratt Library, and meet with local writers and filmmakers. Finally, students will write their own Baltimore-inspired stories and scripts.
B'More Program Dates: Monday, January 23- Friday, January 27
Distribution: H
Course Number: AS.220.123.31
Instructor: Emily Parker | Contact: eparke17@jhu.edu
Syllabus: Download
B'More: How to Be Scary
This is a course that examines the tradition of ghost stories in Baltimore and explores why ghost stories are culturally important to us. Students will listen to, read, and discuss a range ghost stories related to Baltimore's history and learn to write ghost stories of their own. They will build writing and storytelling skills and practice engaging an audience’s interest.
B'More Program Dates: Monday, January 23- Friday, January 27
Distribution: H
Course Number: AS.220.190.31
Instructor: Lauren Reding
Syllabus: Download
B'More: The Water Taxi Diaries: Travel Writing
Through readings, movies, and trips in Baltimore, we'll explore the genre of travel writing and do some of our own. We'll read and view The Motorcycle Diaries and Into the Wild, explore the Inner Harbor, among other neighborhoods, and write our own collaborative travelogue. The Water Taxi Diaries will include both our observations and our imagined experiences, from Hons to pirates.
B'More Program Dates: Monday, January 23- Friday, January 27
Distribution: H
Course Number: AS.220.194.31
Instructor: Rebecca Parson
