On Saturday, Oct. 17, students and faculty departed Tusculum College for an eight-day study abroad trip in Barcelona, Spain. Twelve students were chaperoned by Wayne Thomas, dean of arts and sciences and associate professor of English, and Dr. Ronda Gentry, director of the Center for Civic Advancement and global studies program, as they toured many of the city’s most famous sites.
Despite an exhausting 13 hours of travel, including a short layover in Munich, Germany, fatigue gave way to excitement as the plane sailed over the Mediterranean Sea and Barcelona came into view. Softened by the afternoon sun, Barcelona resembles an old fresco, ancient stone walls melting into neoclassical ironwork melting into bright mosaics. The evolution of the city is a story told through its architecture, each facade an individual memory in the greater history of Catalonia.
Slightly larger than Manhattan, Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain as well as the capital of Catalonia, a separate Franco-Spanish culture that was politically absorbed by Spain in the 12th century. Because the city has both Roman and Spanish foundations, it has become an ideal converging point for Catalan culture. Students explored the city’s Roman heritage at the Barcelona City History Museum where the ruins of an ancient Roman city are under excavation.
Thomas and Gentry taught ENGL 402 and CMNS 480, respectively, which are both variants of Citizen Issues in a Global Era. Lecture was held at IESE Business School, allowing students to discuss Barcelona’s culture in a local context and better apply this understanding during the trip. Additionally, Gentry was invited to present at the International Leadership Association’s 17th annual global conference. This provided students an opportunity to volunteer at the conference as well as attend lectures and interact with leadership experts from around the world.
Walking tours of the Gothic Quarter and the El Born district introduced students to Barcelona’s “old city.” This historic part of Barcelona houses several Gothic cathedrals and the outer walls of Barcino, a much smaller, earlier Roman settlement. Students also visited Antonio Gaudí’s Park Güell and the basilica La Sagrada Familia, Gaudí’s magnum opus, which has remained a work in progress since 1882 and is not estimated to be completed until at least 2026.
Despite having class and assignments, the professors allowed students to have several free afternoons to explore Barcelona for themselves. For example, some students visited Olympic Park, the site of the 1992 Summer Olympics. Others made their way to the Mediterranean Sea or spent the day scouring local boutiques and markets for antiques and other souvenirs.
A presentation exhibiting student experiences in Barcelona will be held on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. inside the Rankin House. It will include student readings of creative and academic writing inspired by Barcelona as well as panels discussing the country’s history and culture. Tapas and other refreshments representative of Spanish culture will be served.
For more insight into the study abroad in Barcelona, students participating in Gentry’s service learning class wrote about their personal experiences in a travel blog found at http://web.tusculum.edu/cca/travel-blogs/barcelona-2015/.
By Sarah Holly, a senior creative writing major from Johnson City
Originally published by the Tusculum Manifesto
Barcelona vista