B’More Intersession Program

B’More Intersession

B’More Intersession courses are now open for students of all grades to participate in! Stay tuned here in the coming weeks for more information.

The B’More Intersession Program is a one-week academic and co-curricular experience designed to introduce Johns Hopkins University students to Baltimore City’s civic and cultural landscapes while showing them the ways in which community engagement can enhance their JHU education.

The courses run during the last week of the January Intersession period (January 12-January 15). During this weeklong experience, students can elect to register for a free of cost, one credit course, taught by either a JHU faculty or staff member, and/or a community partner in Baltimore City. Students are graded on a pass/fail basis.

B’More Intersession courses are now open for all JHU undergraduate students to take!

B’More 2026

Theme: What is health?

2026 Courses

What Was Health?

Instructor: Arthur Russell

Course Description: What Was Health? invites students into the archives for an interdisciplinary investigation of the material histories of health care. Working in special collections libraries and museums, alongside local archivists and artists, we will learn to decode the premodern artifacts and artworks that frame our present conceptions of human health. We will conduct our fieldwork on site at the Welch Medical Library, the Walters Art Museum, and the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Assessing the Health of Baltimore’s Literary Communities

Instructor: Nate Brown

Course Description: This course will explore historical events, fictional documents, and other multimedia that address health and sickness. We will reflect on medical ethics and the lived experience of clinical disease at the intersection of community health and racial/gender/economic differences. In response, students will produce original work in the genres of fiction, poetry, and essay.

The Public Health Experience

Instructor: Shantell Roberts

Course Description: This one-week course explores public health in Baltimore City through the lens of social determinants, answering the question, “What is health?” Studnts will examine the impact of housing instability, food deserts, transportation systems, public education, and public safety on community well-being. Through case studies and fieldwork, students will understand how these factors shape human expereinces and health outcomes.

For Students

As a result of participating in the B’More Intersession Program, students will be able to:

Recognize actions they can take to be active citizens and critical thinkers in the JHU and Baltimore communities.
Identify resources available to support their community and civic engagement at JHU and in Baltimore.
Connect with other JHU students, staff and faculty, and Baltimore community partners.

Class Registration

Students can begin viewing Intersession courses on SIS in November; Students can register for a B’More course starting in December by logging into SIS!

Class registration is open!

For Faculty & Instructors

Each year, the B’More Intersession Program follows the theme of the Hopkins Common Question, which poses one big question to the Hopkins community, and inspires reflection, public discourse, and learning through immersion in relevant sources. Faculty and instructors are expected to embed this theme into their B’More courses. This year’s theme is What is health?

Compensation

Instructor teams are paid $2,000 and are set up through the Summer & Intersession Programs (SIP) Office and the Center for Social Concern. B’More instructors must have a sponsoring department. Students receive one (1) credit for their participation in a B’More course and are graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

Application Process and Procedures

To express your interest and desire to teach a B’More course, please click on the link below. Fill out the application and attach your CV and Course Proposal Template by the deadline Friday, September, 26. All proposal templates will be reviewed by the B’More Committee. You will be notified if your course is approved to be a part of the B’More program.

PDF Document: A blank copy of the B’More Course Proposal Form can be found here.

Applications for 2026 are open!

Apply Now

Please direct any questions to [email protected]