Tusculum College’s commitment to increasing opportunities for students to study abroad during their academic careers has been evident in the past few months with faculty trips to Italy and Costa Rica and trips planned to Europe and Belize in the spring.
A group of five professors traveled to Northern Italy this summer while three professors embarked on an expedition to Costa Rica. The faculty members investigated ways to integrate an international perspective into their curriculum as well as possible trips with students abroad.
Traveling to Italy were Dr. Greg Church, associate professor of biology; Dr. Troy Goodale, assistant professor of political science; Dennis Lingerfelt ’02?, assistant professor of computer science, and Craig Wright, assistant professor of business administration.
According to Church, the 11-day, cross-disciplined trip included dramatic landscapes, varied cultures and more than 5,000 years of history, art and architecture. “Italy is an entirely different culture in the north and in the south,” said Church. The north is very Germanic and both German and Italian are common languages, with the exception of Venice, which is a very traditional Italian city.”
The trip introduced the faculty group to a small but diverse region of Northeast Italy, including Merano, Bolzano, Arabba and Venice. “There were abundant opportunities to learn about history from Roman times to the present, as well as the progression of art and architectural styles throughout these historical periods,” Church said.
The group observed firsthand the diverse cultures currently living in this region as well. Italian language and traditions predominated in the cities of Mestre and Venice, while German language and Tyrolean culture dominate Merano and Arabba in the Alto-Adige region. He added that the ancient Ladin culture still exists in a few isolated alpine valleys near Arabba. This culture is believed to pre-date Latin and has its own unique traditions, costumes and mythology.
It was important for the group to focus on what they wanted to bring back from their experience to share with others at the College and to utilize in possibly planning future student trips. As a group, they defined the main learning outcomes of this trip as gaining insights into the history, culture, educational systems, healthcare systems, transportation infrastructure, nature, art, and architecture of this fascinating region.
For Lingerfelt, this was his first trip out of the United States and a tremendous learning experience that he said broadened his horizons and makes him a better educator and advisor for students considering international travel.
“Before I couldn’t really advise students on these types of opportunities – I didn’t have that experience. Now I have some experience and knowledge to pass along, and I feel much more adept at discussing with students,” he said.
In addition, Lingerfelt brought back real-world experiences to share with his computer science classes. “Language is a barrier not only in spoken word, but with keyboards,” said Lingerfelt, “There is some loss in functionality when a “c” in Italian is not equal to a “c” in English. He has already incorporated this into his classroom discussions on standardization.
While the five professors were in Italy, three were exploring a different environment in a different part of the world – Costa Rica. Gaining insight into the biodiversity, diverse geography, stable democracy and diversified economy of Costa Rica were Dr. Ian VanLare, associate professor of biology; Dr. John Paulling, professor of mathematics and Amy Brooks, assistant professor of athletic training.
“During this trip we looked at diversity both biological and culturally in a variety of places within Costa Rica,” said VanLare. The participants visited both ends of the Central Valley, traveled through lowland Caribbean habitats, stayed at a cloud forest while visiting several nature reserves and visited two active, but different types of volcanoes.
“We stayed at both ends of the Central Valley,” said VanLare, “And, we visited the northern town of La Fortuna where they have an active volcano and then went on to Monte Verde, which interestingly was settled by American Quakers. Also on the group’s travel agenda were two hydroelectric plants. These plants provide much of Costa Rica’s and neighboring Nicaragua’s electricity, said VanLare.
In addition, the group traveled to Jaco, a town located on the Pacific Ocean, where they observed how the Tico (a term for the native inhabitants of Costa Rica) society struggles with the effects of ecotourism.
“The strength of the trip revolved around its participants,” said VanLare. And while each of the three faculty members represented different academic disciplines, VanLare said each was enthusiastically engaged in all the planned activities and participated in activities individually.
Brooks, in her job as athletic trainer, works with a number of Tusculum’s international students, many of whom are natives of Central and South America. “I see the adjustments these students have to make in coming to an American school and adjusting to the American lifestyle,” said Brooks. “I wanted to see where they come from and be able to help those athletes get over the culture shock.”
VanLare, who has traveled before to Costa Rica with students, would consider doing so again, as he feels it allows students to experience ecosystems that do not exist in East Tennessee, as well as exposes them to another culture.
“I can see the international experience incorporating language, science, service and history, and my long-term goal would be to take students not for a trip, but for a semester of study,” said VanLare.
Students are going to have the opportunity to travel abroad this spring as three trips have been approved.
In March, 10 Tusculum College students and two professors are making plans to visit the art, architecture and history of Renaissance and Reformation Europe when they take their classroom to Europe in March.
Because of the uniqueness of the “one class at a time” block schedule offered at Tusculum College, students enrolled in “Politics and Religion in Renaissance and Reformation Europe” will spend two weeks in traditional class work and then take their classroom on the road to see firsthand where the Renaissance was born and where key historical moments took place.
Leading the trip are Dr. Joel Van Amberg, assistant professor of history, and Dr. James Reid, professor of political science. “After two weeks of traditional coursework we will travel to Europe to visit some of the major sites, buildings and images associated with the Renaissance and Reformation,” said Van Amberg.“There are historical realities that are sometimes hard to understand without traveling to the location where those realities took place,” he said.
Van Amberg added that in addition to the significant political science, religion and historical topics that they will investigate during the trip, they will also explore the “incredible developments in paintings, sculpture and architecture” that occurred during the Renaissance and Reformation. “There is just no substitute for actually seeing these masterpieces.”
On the itinerary for the trip are visits to Rome and Florence, Italy; Wittenberg, Germany, and Geneva and Zurich, Switzerland. The trip is planned for March and will cover nearly two weeks.
While several of the students are history or political science majors, several others enrolled in the class for the experience of learning the topic first hand and on the original sites were the movements were born.
According to Van Amberg, another positive aspect of the trip is that many of Tusculum’s students have never done any traveling abroad. “This experience will help students and reduce the anxiety associated with international travel. Hopefully it will clear the way for them to take advantage of other travel opportunities offered in the future.”
Another European trip has received recent approval – this one to Great Britain. Dr. Sheila Morton, assistant professor of English, will lead a group of students to study literature in England.