Fall 2009 Travel Offerings

The College reserves the right to change course offerings and scheduling.

In this section you will find a comprehensive overview of Franklin College's Academic Travel course offerings. For the most current list or if you would like to plan your Academic Travel Program, please visit My Franklin.

Academic Travel Programs scheduled for Fall 2009 are as follows:

TVL 202 Greece
Professor McCormick

The purpose of this Program is to introduce students to the birthplace of Western culture. Through visits to Knossos, Santorini, Mycenae, Delphi, Olympia and Athens, the Program traces the development of Greek civilization from Minoan civilization in Crete to the flowering of democracy in fifth-century Athens. Contemporary Greek culture, including modern Greek literature and politics, are discussed with students and professors from Greek universities. The Program is designed especially for students whose interests include classical literature, history and art. The travel destinations are integrally linked to the readings in "Introduction to Literature, Part I (LIT 100)."

TVL 213 Geneva, Brussels, Paris, Strasbourg
Professor Schlein

(International Organizations and their Role in Today's World) This program focuses on international organizations; how they are organized and operate, and how they deal with particular problems. Students are introduced to salient aspects of international politics and economics in Europe and to the political, economic and financial aspects of international integration and interdependence. These themes are underlined with visits to international organizations. Students visit Brussels and Strasbourg where the groups are hosted by the European Union Commission and Parliament and are directly informed about the progress being made towards European economic and political integration. In Brussels, a visit to N.A.T.O brings students up-to-date on the changes in strategy that this security organization is developing to cope with the changes in the international system and to maintain security and stability among the member states. Visits to Geneva and Paris in addition to Brussels and Strasbourg provide the opportunity to get to know a wide range of international organizations and their activities. In Geneva the students visit the United Nations at the Palais des Nations, the World Trade Organization, the UN High Commission for Refugees and in Paris the group visits the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the most important organization for economic analysis and forecasting, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

TVL 216 Nice and Southern France
Professor Saveau

(Nice and its Region: From Impressionism to Contemporary Art) This program will focus primarily on the life and art of painters and sculptors who lived in Nice and its surrounding region. Artists such as Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, Bonnard, Giacometti, César, Arman, Ben, Yves Klein found there a source of inspiration and creativity that some of their artwork celebrates. Among the museums we will see are the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, the Matisse, Marc Chagall, Fine Arts, Modern and Contemporary Art Museums in Nice, the Ferdinand Léger Museum in Biot, the Picasso Museum in Antibes, the Matisse Chapel in Vence, the Picasso Chapel in Vallauris, the Maeght Foundation in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, and the Museum of Concrete Art in Mouans-Sartoux. Students will also meander through the old parts of Nice, enjoy the sights and smells of her outdoor market, visit Eze, a "village perché" ranked among the most beautiful in France. They will finally experience "une grande table", namely the cuisine of a top chef in France.

TVL 225 Northern Italy
Professor Adams

(From Antiquity to the Present) This Program introduces students to the history, politics, culture, and present day social and economic life of Northern Italy. Students may visit, among other destinations, Venice, Padova, Ravenna, Verona, Bologna, Torino, Bolzano and South Tyrol, Trieste and the Italian Riviera. In addition to historical, artistic and naturalistic tours to further the comprehension of the traditions of Northern Italian civilization, there will be scheduled visits to local industries and international businesses in some selected areas. In each city, the program director, guides and specialists will lecture on particular relevant topics. Students will be expected to integrate the past and the present with an eye toward an under- standing of the future developments of the area in a united Europe.

TVL 229 London: Classical Modernism
Professors Glass, Stanford

(Primarily Modern European Art) This program is focused on Art in London. It is fundamentally a museum and gallery program and concentrates on the following: The Tate Gallery, The Tate Modern, The Courtauld Institute of the University of London, and the National Gallery. The program also includes museums of interest, and especially the British Museum, The British Library, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. For purposes of Twentieth Century historical interest the Imperial War Museum and the Britain at War Museum are also visited. A visit is made to Sotheby's auction house and to the Beaux Arts Gallery, one of the private dealerships in the Mayfair district of London. An attempt is made to allow time for individual interests (antiques, for example, or photography etc.). A one-day excursion is made to Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge, and another to Cambridge (to visit the University generally and King's College Chapel and the Kettle's Yard Museum specifically).

TVL 273 Florence and Central Italy
Professor Mottale

(From Antiquity to the Present) This program will introduce the students to the civilization of Florence and Central Italy. Students will be studying the historical, social, political, cultural and artistic dimensions of this region. Florence will be the center and the base of this trip, while the most important cities in the area will be visited. They will include Siena, Arezzo, Volterra, Cortona, Perugia, Urbino, the Chianti region, and the Tuscan countryside.

TVL 277 Turkey
Professor Rocourt

(Turkey: the old and the new) Clichés about Turkey's unique cultural and geopolitical status abound. Is it part of Europe or part of Asia? Is it an Islamic republic or a European-style democracy? An original member of NATO, Turkey is today still only reluctantly embraced by the European Union, with full membership far from a certainty. The focus of the trip will be upon developing an understanding of why all the disparate and even paradoxical descriptions contain a kernel of truth. Modern Turkey has evolved from a unique historic blend of Greco-Roman culture, Byzantine dominance, and Ottoman politics, culture and religion, all of which were brought into the modern age by the political will of Ataturk starting in the 1920's. Destinations include Istanbul's innumerable historical and cultural shrines along with the modern corporate and university environment; Ankara, selected by Ataturk in the centre of the peninsula to be the heart of the new Turkish politics; and the South Mediterranean coast (Antalya/Alanya) with a focus upon Greco-Roman and medieval history, as well as modern-day tourism and agriculture. Readings will include an Ottoman history and a biography of Ataturk.

TVL 285 Hamburg/Baltic Sea/Copenhagen
Professor Prisner

Hamburg prides itself on being Germany's "Gateway to the World". It is Germany's largest harbor and, historically, it connected the Baltic Sea region with North Sea access. In recent years, Hamburg has had to manage the challenge of globalization by developing new economical areas in cooperation with the surrounding communities. Copenhagen has to face the same situation and its answer is similar: building a metropolitan area with a diversified economical structure. We will spend several days in Hamburg, visiting the harbor, wharfs, the Airbus site, a publisher, and an advertising company (Hamburg is Germany's center of print media and is a leader in the field of advertising). We will also visit Luebeck. Then we will travel to Copenhagen, enjoying the countryside and the Baltic Sea on our way. Students will study how major cities deal with economic changes and will consider the problems harbor cities face as they make the transition to a global market.

TVL 288 Japan
Professor Sugiyama

(Contemporary Japanese Culture and Communication) This academic travel offers students an opportunity to explore various aspects of communication in contemporary Japanese culture. Prior to travel, students will learn about such topics as verbal communication, nonverbal communication, cultural values, and communication technologies within the context of Japan. As a part of the travel preparation, student will identify a particular topic of interest, as it pertains to the travel theme of Japanese communication, so that they can make focused observations during the travel. Students will spend significant time in central Tokyo (e.g., Shibuya, Harajuku, Ginza), observing contemporary Japanese culture and communication. To put contemporary Japanese culture into perspective, students will visit some sights depicting "traditional" Japanese culture (e.g., temples and shrines in Kyoto, a tea house, the imperial house).

TVL 297 Lausanne, Geneva and the Alps
Professor Steinert Borella

(Travel Writing/Writing Travel) From the salons of Mme de Stael to twentieth-century travel writers Alexandra David-Né el and Ella Maillart, France and French-speaking Switzerland have been home to a rich literary tradition. This course will offer an introduction to the travel literature of France and French-speaking Switzerland in English translation. (Students who can will be encouraged to read in the original French). Authors studied will include Madame de Stael, Nicolas Bouvier, Alexandra David-Né el, Anne Deriaz and Ella Maillart. Course will include visits to St-Luc in the Valais, Lausanne, Coppet and Geneva in Switzerland as well as excursions to Digne-les-Bains in France. In addition to museum and chateau visits, this class will include several writing workshops and meetings with contemporary Swiss writers.

TVL 314 Cairo, Egypt
Professor Khan

This travel is intended as an introduction to the field of urban economics a discipline which asks basic questions about the location of production, the division of labor, the terms of exchange between urban and rural areas, as well as the conditions required for sustained and balanced economic growth. Students will become familiar with the economic development of Cairo over two millennia and come to appreciate the constraints on growth and the opportunities for social innovation in a modern developing country megalopolis. The group will visit archeological sites, a broad spectrum of Cairo's residential areas, media outlets, government ministries responsible for urban planning, as well as cultural and educational institutions to experience, first hand, the challenges and hopes of this giant developing metropolis on the Nile.

TVL 316 Paestum, Pompei, and Rome
Professor Orsi

"Learned antiquity, through all its extent, was never enlightened to equal our times." This quote by Perrault (1687) made up the core statement of the discussion between the so-called "ancients and moderns" in the seventeenth century. Their quarrel was a witty cover for deeply opposing views on the idea of progress in society and its art and literature. Keeping the quarrel in mind, the travel will take a close look at some of Italy's most breathtaking monuments from antiquity to the present day. We will go from the temples of the Magna Grecia in Paestum, to Pompei and Herculaneum, where the daily life of ancient Rome was arrested with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, and finally to Rome itself, a modern city where antiquity and today's world intersect. Thinking about the notion of progress and its validity (or lack thereof) in contemporary life, we will visit and study archaeological sites, Renaissance and Baroque churches, modern art museums and galleries, and Rome's famous film studios at Cinecittà.

TVL 317 Croatia: Service Leadership
Professor Bourgeois

(Facilitating the Progress of Individuals, Communities and Society) This travel experience will focus on organized service and the ways in which community-based service efforts affect social change in Croatia. The course will explore the effectiveness and value of community service organizations, the leadership of such organizations and the challenges they face. Participants in this travel will develop an understanding of the strategies employed by government and non-government organizations to address the needs of various populations within a larger society. The course revolves around travel to and active participation in the life of a host community during the duration of the travel period. The immersion experience and associated assignments are specifically intended for students interested in personal involvement in social justice and service leadership. At the travel site, students will be required to perform service work and participate in additional activities. Students should expect service projects that may include painting, basic construction, clean-up and general construction duties. Elementary school visits that include tutoring, teacher assistance and interaction with local children are also in consideration. Participants should expect a significant amount of activity that may require a serious degree of physical ability. Service projects associated with this Travel may include heavy lifting, digging, basic construction, and basic landscaping tasks. Visits to museums, civic locations and recreational sites in Dubrovnik, and the Dalmatian Coast may be included in the travel to help students better understand the history, values, natural resources and traditions of Croatian culture.

TVL 318 Slovak and Czech Republics
Professor Bulcroft

An examination of contemporary Slovak social structure, relationships and culture as an example of current social conditions and culture in post-Soviet Central European society. This tour will incorporate seminars with leading experts on Slovak society and culture; visits to major business/work organizations (HP; US Steel); tours of significant urban and rural areas of Slovakia; student conducted interviews with Slovak students at two major universities to explore issues around youth, relationships and family life; and a close examination of the conditions and issues facing the Roma (including the potential for a service learning day in the Roma community in Eastern Slovakia). Interspersed with these experiences will be an opera performance at the Janecek Theatre in Brno (Dvorak's Czech peasant opera - "The Jacobin") and opportunities to explore historical and cultural sites in both the Sovak and Czech Republics (churches, museums, buildings, castles, monuments, etc.). Locations in Slovakia will include: Bratislava, Banska Stiavnica (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Banska Bystrica, Spania Dolina, Vlkonec, Levoca, Spisska Kapitula, Spissky Hrad (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Zehra, Presov, and Kosice. Locations in the Czech Republic will include: Brno, Prague, and Ceske Krumlov (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Depending on time and weather conditions, there may also be an opportunity to engage in winter recreational activities in the High Tatra mountains of Eastern Slovakia.

TVL 323 Scotland: Symbolizing Scottish "Folk"
Professor Vogelaar

Concurrent with the trends of "globalization" over the past 30 years, there has been a re-emergent, if not reactionary, interest in the notion of "folk" (or "local"/"popular") culture. Although the (re)emergence of and interest in folk culture is geographically widespread, it is often associated with Great Britain and Ireland where long clashes over regional independence and class tensions have inspired strong "folk" cultures that have served as powerful sources of identification and allegiance. This program explores the significance of the notion of "folk" in Scottish culture as it permeates Scottish art, humor, music and dance, language and other symbol systems (e.g. tartans, coats of arms) and social practices (e.g. education, cuisine, sports, pub culture). During this travel program will explore the following questions: What does "folk" mean? What is Scottish folk culture? What are its distinct cultural representations? What cultural "work" does it do? In order to explore these questions, we will visit cultural sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh, neighboring Fife, and may include a trip to Aberdeen. Visits and sites many include the National Museum of Scotland, the Scottish Storytelling Centre, the International Comedy Festival, Glasgow's famous "King Tuts," the University of Edinburgh, St. Andrews, a distillery tour, and a soccer match.

TVL 324 SanFrancisco BayArea - FromGoldToSilicon
Professor Della Corte

Students will trace the growth and development of the exciting SF Bay Area from sleepy Yerba Buena Cove to its present day status as global leader in business innovation. Particular focus will be given to pivotal events such as creation of the California missions, the Gold Rush, the 1906 earthquake and fire, the high tech explosion in Silicon Valley, and how these events transformed the California cultural and economic landscape. This academic voyage will explore Northern California's Mission past, its rebirth from the Great Quake and its place today as a mecca for education (with visits to UC Berkeley and Stanford) and high technology (visits to selected Silicon Valley businesses) . We will also touch on its amazing cross cultural diversity and why it has been considered the most European of U.S. cities.

TVL 325 Elbe River Environs - Czech Republic and
Professor Hale

This travel will explore the course of the Elbe from its origins in the Czech Republic, through the UNESCO biosphere reserve Flusslandschaft Elbe, which spans over half to the German length of the Elbe, to its end in the North Sea. Along the way we will examine the natural communities of the river, the role history has had in shaping and protecting this important resource, the challenges facing the management of the river today, and the successes conservation has enjoyed thus far. While this travel will focus on themes most relevant to environmental studies majors and, conditions permitting, will involve some hands-on ecological fieldwork, it is open to all with an interest in the topic.

TVL 326 Berlin: Unification
Professor Wiedmer

(And the Wall Came Tumbling Down: Revisiting Unification in Berlin from a Historical, Political and Cultural Perspective) When asked where they were and what they were doing when hearing about the fall of the Berlin wall, most people who were adults at the time can tell you in fairly precise terms. In fact, the fall of the wall, and the politics and cultural upheaval surrounding it has, in geopolitical terms, had a similar effect as the moon landing or the murder of John Kennedy. And yet for today's students, toddlers at the time of this cataclysmic event, the notion of a divided Germany, of the co-existence of two separate regimes, and of the wall itself is history. The focus of this travel is to animate this history by taking participants to the original sites of the divide, such as Checkpoint Charlie, and what remains of the wall; to study what lead up to and away from November 9, 1989, in literature, documentaries, history books and in discussion with witnesses; to explore the traces of once-divided Germany by following the debates on contemporary architectural erasures and reconstructions in former East Berlin; and by savoring DDR nostalgia, complete with the requisite DDR cuisine and Trabi ride.