Editor's Note: On Monday, Jan. 11, 20 students and a political science professor from St. Olaf College in Northfield will land in Manchester, New Hampshire, where they will spend weeks soaking in the sound and fury of the presidential campaign.

Students in this January-term class, taught by Prof. Dan Hofrenning, will serve as interns on the various campaigns, and they'll also observe and study everything from the substance to the silliness of the election contest as it barrels toward the Feb. 9 primary.

The Oles, as St. Olaf students are known by, also will be blogging for the Star Tribune about their experiences, providing a grounds-eye view of this first-in-the-nation primary.

Follow along, starting next week, as the Oles on the Campaign bloggers write about what it's like to be in the eye of the 2016 political storm -- just as it starts gathering steam.