When in Rome...
North Lake students explore Italy and bridge distance with online travelogue
By Matt Jura
Staff Writer
Thirty-eight North Lake College students embarked
on a semester-long odyssey to Italy on
Sept. 20. They will see natural wonders and
priceless masterpieces, and learn the art of living
through the study of Western liberal arts.
The students and five instructors are participating
in the North Lake College Rome Studies Program. The
college's Italian campus is located in southwestern Umbria,
78-miles from Rome, in the medieval hill-town of
Orvieto.
Students and professors travel to Rome, Venice,
Florence, Assisi, Siena and Pompeii, where they will
have on-site lectures in English.
The lectures fit into Visual & Performing Arts' innovative
and challenging Italian Learning Community,
Dr. Lynn Brink said. The program is headed by the departments
' dean, Dr. David Evans, and Program Director
Marsha Anderson.
Brink, a former history and government professor
for the Rome Program, said students take at least 15
credits worth of classes in the liberal arts, including
art, cultural studies, literature, philosophy, history and
Italian.
“Everybody learns the same things, everybody goes
to the same lectures. They will all hear about Dante,
but maybe they won't have to write papers on it later,”
said Brink.
The emphasis on community learning, coupled
with the interrelation of topics and the startling reality
of being in the presence of your subject matter,
makes the Italian Learning Community a unique experience.
“You are on site, not studying a picture,” Brink said.
“You go to the Coliseum, not look at a picture of it.”
The up-front reality of every subject opens up a new
dimension of learning to the students.
According to Linda Long, Rome Studies Program
speech professor, it's not just an academic experience,
“it's a cultural program, an enrichment
program.”
Aside from the fact that the students get to study
their subjects up close, they also get to experience the
cultures of Italy and Europe. After talking to natives
and making friends in Orvieto, Long said, “Students
come back with not only a much better understanding
of the world outside the U.S., but also a better understanding
of the U.S. itself.”
By learning things as varied as philosophy, culture
and history, the students receive an open, or liberal,
education. According to Long, “A liberal education
teaches you the art of living, not the art of making a
living,” and “you can't get this out of books.”
But is this wide-ranging program accessible to a
wide range of people? Travel can be expensive, and the
uncertainty of being in a foreign country can be an issue.
The program costs $5,875 and students pay tuition
for 15 credit hours. They also bring their own spending
money. This seems expensive, but looks economical
compared to other programs. It costs a similar amount
to go to UTA for one semester and live at home, and the
University of Dallas and American University's Rome
semesters cost $17,873 and $13,945 respectively.
Many students start saving a year in advance and
scholarships are available to qualified NLC students.
Amanda Witt, a student assistant for the Rome
Program, spent a great deal of time preparing for the
group's departure.
“It's well worth it, because instead of reading a
book about Machiavelli speeches, we will actually get
to hear the story from underneath the balcony that he
spoke from,” said Witt.
She and fellow journalism student Casey Cavalier
developed an online travelogue that Witt will edit while
in Italy. All 38 students may submit content to the travelogue,
called The Blazer Abroad. Witt will add photos
and video clips to enhance the experience.
“She left here with a MacBook and a backpack full
of technological gadgets,” said Cavalier. “I even gave
her a tiny skateboarder's camera that can be strapped to
your head. We're calling it “The AmandaCam” and I'm
curious to see how it all comes together.”
Family, friends and the NLC community are able
to leave comments for students in the Rome Program.
The travelogue's URL is www.theblazerabroad.com.
Witt hopes to update the site as frequently as possible,
“at least three times per week,” which could be
difficult with the potentially inconsistent Internet access
in Italy and her busy schedule.
Witt said, “I have no idea what is going to hit me.”
But that doesn't stop her from being positive about the
upcoming semester. Witt's been told the trip will be a
“life-changing experience.” |
