Tusculum College students in Advanced Studies in Fiction and Seminar in Literature and Society classes spent 10 days immersed in Catalonia culture while studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain. Picture from top left are: William Kemper, Austen Herron, Justin Reed and Joseph Borden. Front row from left are: James Cox, Cheyenne Hartman, Hilary Nowatski, Allison Harris, Professor Wayne Thomas, Trevor Long, Billie Jennings, Jeff Roberts and Andrew Baker.

On Monday, Feb. 4, students from Tusculum College offered a presentation of their recent study abroad trip to Barcelona, Spain. Students left for Spain on January 12, and returned on January 23.

Travelers included two Tusculum professors: Heather Patterson, assistant professor of English and chair of the English department and Wayne Thomas, associate professor of English and chair of the fine arts department, as well as thirteen students.

Students included Justin Reed, a senior from Florence, S.C.; Austen Herron, a junior from Durham, N.C.; Joe Borden, a senior from Lyles, Tenn.; Hilary Nowatski, a junior from Kingsport; Nathan Riddle, a senior from Danton, Ga.; Cheyenne Hartman, a senior from Louisa, Va.; Allison Harris, a senior from Franklin, Tenn.; Jeff Roberts, a junior from Breenbrier, Tenn.; Billie Jennings, a senior from Mountain City, Tenn.; Trevor Long, a junior from Atkins, Va.; Andrew Baker, a senior from Athens, Tenn.; James Cox, a senior from Greeneville,  and William Kemper, a senior from Greeneville.

The presentation came in a unique form as students utilized the Allison Gallery inside the Rankin House on Tusculum’s Greeneville campus. Pictures of various sights taken during the trip spanned the gallery, providing viewers with an opportunity to glimpse Catalonian culture.

While attendants moved through the gallery, viewing images of locations such as the monastery at Montserrat, Sagrada Familia and the Spanish Gothic quarter, members of Patterson’s “Advanced Studies in Fiction” class read from works they crafted from inspiration received during and after the trip. Students in Thomas’ class were participating in “Seminar in Literature in Society.”

The presentation also included a short documentary film created by the students that explained their responses to the immersion of Catalonian culture. Senior creative writing major, Reed explained, “Barcelona is a hotbed for conflict between Catalonian Separatists and Spanish Unionists. You walk around and can see separatist flags hanging from apartment terraces and building rafters, realizing the distinction this culture has from the whole of Spain. They want this complex crisis known, and in coming back I want the global public to become more informed of it.”

Outside of the distinctly political atmosphere currently embedded in Barcelona to the city’s historical significance, Professor Thomas said, “having the opportunity, in a single day, to walk from streets that are less than 50 years old, to ones that are almost 2,000 is amazing. You become caught up in the beauty of it.”

Five Tusculum College students spent two months in Barcelona, Spain, as part of the school’s Global Studies program, living, working and studying immersed in the culture of their host country.

Participating students included: Andy Goellner, a senior business, accounting and sports management major from Denver, Colo.; David Talley, a senior from Piney Flats enrolled in independent study; Victoria Hill, a junior psychology major from Moorestown, N.J.; Samantha Underwood, a senior business major from Muncie, Ind., and Paige Fultz, a junior political science major from Mascot. The five gave a presentation to other students, faculty and staff about their experiences on Monday, October 22.

As part of their program, the students participated in an international marketing course, earning nine college credit hours during their two month stay this past summer. They lived, studied and worked in Barcelona, Spain, but several were able to travel to other locations in Europe during their time abroad.

“When you stay somewhere for two months, you feel like you live there,” said Talley. “Not everything is planned, and you become part of it.”

Four of the five participated in internships during their visit, working in varied locations such as business offices, hotel operations and tourism. According to Underwood, her experience helped her because of its variety. “I learned a lot about revenue management and marketing of the hospitality industry,” she said.

According to Goellner, while the trip was not inexpensive, it was an investment he feels was well worth it. “The experience was incredible and the connections – we met people from all over the world – can be invaluable later,” he said.

Talley said his internship experience was the hardest thing he had ever done in his life. “It was a huge learning experience. I learned more in those two months than a year of college.”

Additionally, the students talked about their cultural exposure, including dealing with the language barrier, with only Hill speaking Spanish. They also spent a lot of time in independent exploration. Side trips included Rome, London and Carcassonne, France.

“I refuse to believe that anyone could take a trip like this and not come back personally changed. If you do this, you will have a better view of how the world works,” said Talley.

According to Dr. Geir Bergvin, director of the Global Studies program and associate professor of marketing at Tusculum College, several upcoming trips are already planned, including a return trip to Barcelona in the fall and an upcoming trip to Malta over spring break.

Anyone interested in more information on the program or who would like to find out about Tusculum College’s Center for Global Studies should contact Bergvin at 423-636-7300.

The Center for Global Studies was formed in spring 2008 and is located in the Pilloni Office on the ground floor of the Thomas J. Garland Library. The mission is to “enhance the capacity of individuals and organizations to address local and global challenges through building relationships with communities, institutions of higher learning and organizations globally.”

Tusculum College students will have the opportunity to experience studying in Barcelona, Spain, in an upcoming trip being planned for January by the College’s Center for Global Studies.

Students on the trip will be in one of two fifth block courses: ENGL 450 Advanced Studies in Fiction taught by Heather Patterson, assistant professor of English, and ENGL 402 Seminar in Literature and Society taught by Wayne Thomas, associate professor of English. Students will leave for Spain on January 12, 2013, and return stateside on January 23. The ENGL 402 is an official alternative to CMNS 480 and is open to all majors.

Twelve students will accompany the two professors to Barcelona where they will stay in campus housing at ESEI, a prestigious private school located in the center of the city, or in apartments near the campus.

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain and the trip’s 10-day itinerary includes visits to historical and cultural sites inside the city. While mornings will be primarily devoted to classroom time at the university, afternoons will be reserved for guided trips, including visits to the Sagrada Familia church, Antoni Gaudí’s unfinished masterpiece and one of Barcelona’s most popular attractions; the Liceu Theater, one of the most important opera houses in Europe and one of the most beautiful attractions of Barcelona; the Museum of the History of the City, which includes remains of the Roman city of Barcino; the distinctive and ornate Palau de la Musica Catalana concert hall; the Gothic Quarter (Barrio Gotico) at the heart of old Barcelona; the National Museum of Catalan Art; the Santa Maria del Mar, a Gothic cathedral, and El Born, one of the most fashionable parts of the city.

Students will also be traveling to the Dali Museum in Figueres. The museum, built on the former Figueres theater, contains the broadest range of works from the artistic career of Salvador Dali.

The students will also have two free days in the schedule to explore the city and visit sites or do activities that fall into their interest areas.

In preparation for the trip, students must obtain a passport and provide proof of medical insurance.

The cost of the trip is $1,850 per student, which can be paid by the student or paid through a financial aid option. This fee does not include purchases of souvenirs participants may want to make or food costs. Payment for the trip must be made by November 16, 2012. The first 12 students to make full payment will be allowed to take part in the Barcelona trip. Twelve is the maximum that can participate in this study abroad opportunity because of the housing accommodations at the university.

For more information about the trip, please contact Dr. Geir Bergvin, director of the Center for Global Studies and associate professor of marketing at gbergvin@tusculum.edu or at campus ext. 5012.

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - Does the United States have an edge over the rest of the world in entrepreneurship?

This question was the primary topic of the most recent international videoconference held Tuesday, Oct. 23, at Tusculum College.

Students in the college’s Business Club and the Study Abroad and Global Awareness (SAGA) organization along with faculty from the School of Business had the opportunity to discuss the environment for entrepreneurship in Europe, Africa and the United States with students from a university in Norway.

“This is a good opportunity for the students at both schools to discuss entrepreneurship and hear different perspectives on it,” said Dr. Geir Bergvin, associate professor of marketing and director of the Center for Global Studies at Tusculum.

Participating from the university in Norway were students in an international marketing class from 12 different nations, including England, Russia, Ghana and Denmark in addition to Norway.

Prior to the videoconference, both groups of students were asked to read the article, “The United States of Entrepreneurs: America still leads the world” from The Economist magazine, which served as a starting point for their transcontinental conversation. The article states that the United States does lead the world in entrepreneurism due to such factors as a culture that celebrates and encourages innovation and entrepreneurial risk taking, a well-developed venture capital investment industry, an open immigration policy and a close relationship between higher education and industry.

Beginning their transatlantic conversation, the students at Tusculum and in Norway both agreed that the article was biased towards the United States. With the acknowledgement of that fact, Tusculum student Luis Zamora, who is a native of Chile, asked the students in Norway to describe how entrepreneurship is encouraged in each of their countries.

One of the students from Denmark responded that programs exist in that country to assist entrepreneurs in starting a business through which they receive legal, marketing and management counsel. Another student from Denmark said that people are being encouraged to start new businesses. Both said that there are limited funds available from the government.

This exchange was typical of the videoconference as the students shared their knowledge and experiences with each other.

Dr. Bergvin served as facilitator for the conference, asking the students questions about various issues raised in the article, such as whether the article made a valid point in its assertion that individuals in other nations, particularly in Europe, have more to lose if an entrepreneurial venture fails.

A student from Ghana said that people in his nation are deterred from entrepreneurism because of the fear of bankruptcy. Students from Europe agreed that laws about bankruptcy in some countries do affect the willingness of individuals to take the risk of starting their own business.

Funds for starting entrepreneurial businesses typically come from individuals or banks in their native countries, but there is not widespread governmental support, the students from Norway said.

Tusculum students noted that there is governmental support through tax cuts and other programs that assist entrepreneurs in the United States. The students also discussed the tendency for individuals with capital making decisions to invest in ventures in their local community or region.

The decision by students graduating college to start their own businesses or even start them in college as a response to the global economic recession and the lack of job availability was noted by students in both groups as another reason for the rise of entrepreneurship.

The videoconference took place in Tusculum’s newest distance learning classroom, which is equipped with multiple flat display screens, audio equipment, cameras and laptops.

International videoconferences are scheduled throughout the year through the Center for Global Studies to give students the opportunity to interact with students from other countries on various topics.  Conferences have been held for students in specific courses or for students in a particular major.

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – A group of 10 students and two faculty members from Tusculum College learned about how joining the European Union has affected Malta and about the nation’s history and culture in a recent trip to the Mediterranean country.

The students, who included business, political science and education majors, spent their spring break at Malta University. They were accompanied by Dr. Troy Goodale, assistant professor of political science, and Dr. Tom McFarland, professor of business administration. The group shared their experiences in a presentation to the Tusculum College community on April 11.

A typical day for the students included attending a lecture at the university during the morning and taking trips to business or historical sites in the afternoon.

One of those trips was to the Malta Experience, which is an audio-visual attraction in the capital city of Valletta that tells the history of the island nation from prehistoric times to the present and helped give the students a deeper understanding of the places they would be visiting and the country itself.

Among the historical sites they visited was the city of Mdina, the area where the apostle Paul stayed after the boat in which he was traveling shipwrecked on the island. “It was exciting to walk the same streets that Paul walked,” said Kirstie Gust, a senior from Rutledge, majoring in business administration with a concentration in accounting and management.

The students visited Attrans, a transportation company. “It was one of the more interesting places we visited said, Trey Whitfield. “One of the focuses of the trip was to learn about the European Union and how membership affects a member country. At Attrans we saw how joining the European Union has helped them to expand and grow.” Whitfield is a senior majoring in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Greeneville, Tenn.

The political workings and laws of the European Union were also explored by the students. Trevor Long, a sophomore majoring in political science from Atkins, Va., said that while the European Union’s political structure is similar to America’s with three branches, there are significant differences legally. “As a political science major, learning about international law will definitely help me in my studies in the future,” he said.

The U.S. Embassy in Malta was another interesting visit, the students said. There they learned about the embassy’s work in Malta, including how staff worked to help American citizens get out of Libya during the recent conflict, as well as how an individual can attain a position working in an embassy or international relations.

Lauren Taylor was the only education major on the trip. Taylor said she talked to the local people they would meet at places and ask them about their education system and was able to get an insight into it from their responses. Taylor is a senior from Kissimmee, Fla.

The group said that they found the people in Malta to be friendly and welcoming. Jill Corum, a junior from Knoxville majoring in business administration, said she did not know what to expect in regards to the reception the people would give the Tusculum students, but found them to be very friendly. A major benefit of traveling abroad is to be exposed to other cultures and people groups, she said.

Traveling and studying abroad can be life changing, agreed Bo Cordell, a junior majoring in business administration from Cincinnati, Ohio. “You can use what you learned for the rest of your life,” he said. “It changes you as a business person and gives you an international perspective.”

Gust said that the trip helped her to better realize how everyone is living in a global society. “As an accounting major, it will good to know how other systems operate. An international experience is also good as a talking point.” She added that she was able to talk about her Malta trip on a recent trip to the graduate school she will be attending.

The Malta trip is a first step in an effort to form a strong relationship with Malta University and provide Tusculum students with additional international study opportunities.

Last year, Tusculum hosted an international exhibit that displayed a photographic study of the Malta’s prehistoric temples and artifacts. Malta’s ambassador to the United States, Mark Miceli, visited campus during the exhibit and made a presentation to students about the nation’s history and its role in the European Union. The exhibit and trip to campus were coordinated through the assistance of Dr. Bruce Shine and his wife, Betsy. Shine, a 1960 graduate of Tusculum, has close ties with Malta through his years teaching at the International Maritime Law Institute.

Tusculum College, the oldest college in Tennessee and the 28th oldest in the nation, is a liberal arts institution committed to utilizing the civic arts in developing educated citizens distinguished by academic excellence, public service and qualities of Judeo-Christian character. Approximately twenty-two hundred students are enrolled on the main campus in Greeneville and three off-site locations in East Tennessee. The academic programs for both traditional-aged students and working adults served through the Graduate and Professional Studies program are delivered using focused calendars whereby students enroll in one course at a time.

-TC-

Eugenia Estes

Associate Director of College Communications

Tusculum College provides a liberal arts education in a Judeo-Christian and civic arts environment.

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Six Tusculum College students explored rain forests and coastal ecosystems in Costa Rica as part of an environmental science course.

The students spent 16 days of the 18-day “Field Biology II” course in Costa Rica, exploring the Central American nation’s rich abundance and variety of plant and animal life. The students shared their experiences in a presentation to the Tusculum College community on Tuesday, April 17.

The trip took the students all across the nation as they visited a volcano, mountainous regions, a wet tropical forest, a dry tropical forest and the coast.

“Ecotourism is huge in Costa Rica,” said Ariel Hawkins, and the students stayed in eco-friendly hotels and visited nature reserves, a reforestation project and an animal rehabilitation organization. Hawkins is a senior from Greeneville.

They stayed at the Celeste Mountain Lodge, which is operated by a French national and constructed in a modern style with primarily recycled materials. “It was one of the most beautiful places that we stayed,” said Drew Baker, a junior from Athens, Tenn., who recalled that the students wondered about their destination as they traveled over narrow and treacherous roads.

The lodge had a garden area that stretched to the bordering nature reserved. “When we were in the garden, we saw more native birds there than any other place on our trip,” said Charles Shrewsbury, a senior from Stanton, Va.

While there, they hiked to the Rio Celeste, a nearby river, and to some natural hot springs. Hiking through the rain forest, the students experienced a rain shower unlike one they had experienced before. Jabari Bunch, a senior from Stone Mountain, Ga., explained that when it started to rain, the tree canopy overhead was so thick that they stayed relatively dry. “Everything seemed to glow there,” Bunch said of the rain forest. “Everything was so colorful.”

Wherever they traveled, the students said their guides cautioned them to not veer from paths because of the dangerous and poisonous animals in the forest. Morgan Baese, a senior from Chattanooga, Tenn., noted that at the Rio Celeste Lodge, there was a carpeted path going through the garden because the first guests apparently would go out into the garden and the wilderness beyond barefooted.

This caution was needed at their stop at Tárcoles River. The students took a boat ride on the river, which is filled with huge crocodiles. “We were riding in a flat-bottom boat,” Baese said. “The water was murky and every once in a while, you would see these two eyes peering at you beside the boat.”

The primary purpose of the boat ride was to see the hundreds of birds that live alongside the river. At one point, Hawkins said, “the guide asked everyone to be quiet and we could hear the most beautiful song. It was from a clay robin, which is not the most colorful or beautiful bird. In Costa Rica, it is the symbol of the common man . . . that he has a beautiful song inside.”

The students then visited the coastal region. “The beach there looked like a movie,” Hawkins said. Swimming into tidal pools off the beach, the students saw an abundance of sea life and also encountered spider monkeys on land.

Their next few days were spent visiting Cloudbridge Nature Reserve that is focused on reforestation of land that had been stripped by farming practices. The reforestation has been a success and the reserve is now channeling its efforts into education about the importance of the forests and how to preserve the forest.

At Cloudbridge, the students met a former attorney from Minnesota who is living at the edge of the reserve in a home that is completely hydro-powered. They also talked with a former local farmer who is now helping in the reforestation project and with college students completing research internships.

Another destination was La Fortuna, a small town at the base of the volcano. Shrewsbury said that this was one of his most anticipated destinations of the trip because he wanted to see an active lava flow. Unfortunately, there was not one while the students were there, but they hiked up the side of the volcano.

Five of the students are majoring in the sciences while Baker is a creative writing major. Baker said his primary reason to go on the trip was gaining further experience in travel writing.

Baker is most interested in the travel essay that shares reflections on experiences in a particular location and what an individual felt and learned. He encouraged anyone who is interested in that type of writing to keep an open mind when traveling with no expectations or assumptions of the destination.

Tusculum College, the oldest college in Tennessee and the 28th oldest in the nation, is a liberal arts institution committed to utilizing the civic arts in developing educated citizens distinguished by academic excellence, public service and qualities of Judeo-Christian character. Approximately twenty-two hundred students are enrolled on the main campus in Greeneville and three off-site locations in East Tennessee. The academic programs for both traditional-aged students and working adults served through the Graduate and Professional Studies program are delivered using focused calendars whereby students enroll in one course at a time.

-TC-

Eugenia Estes

Associate Director of College Communications

Tusculum College provides a liberal arts education in a Judeo-Christian and civic arts environment.

Students in the “3-D Art in Europe” special topics course, accompanied their instructor, Keith Herrin, assistant professor of art, on the trip, which had stops in Munich, Germany; Innsbruck, Linz and Salzburg, Austria, and Zurich, Switzerland. Also traveling with the students was Dr. David McMahan, dean of students.

Part of the focus of the trip was not only to see the artwork and architecture, but also to allow the students to learn how to travel and feel comfortable in traveling, Herrin said during a presentation about the trip to the Tusculum College community on Monday, Feb. 27.

The first stop for the students was Munich. Walking in a city where everyone speaks another language was a learning experience, said Eric Henderson, a sophomore from Del Rio majoring in graphic arts. When international students at Tusculum speak about feeling out of place in America, he said, he now knows what they are feeling.

Much of the trip was spent in Austria. In Linz, the cathedral was stunning, Henderson said. “When you walk in, all you can do is look up and appreciate the time and skill it took to construct.”

Clare McBeth, a junior from Martin majoring in museum studies, was struck by the size of the cathedral in Salzburg. While looking at a set of sculpted, metal gates inside the cathedral, she was encouraged by Herrin to touch them. “I thought about the person who did this and how many people have gone through it,” she said. “The trip started to mean more to me then. I was seeing incredible things that I had only seen in books. I had not really grasped that there was so much history in these cities.”

In Salzburg the students climbed to the top of the fort where they had a breathtaking view of the Alps, which make the mountains in East Tennessee look small, the students said.

The students were also treated to awe-inspiring views of the Alps in Innsbruck. The youth Olympics had started the day that they arrived, said Ashley Marinelli, a senior graphic arts major from Lexington, S.C., and the students were able to view some of the events.

The last stop was Zurich, which the students found very different from the Austrian cities. In Zurich, three of the students got to practice some of their new traveling skills as their cab took them to the wrong hotel and they were able to find their way to the correct hotel.

In each city they visited, there was no set schedule, Henderson said. Although there were some things that the students were required to go visit, he said, they never felt pushed and could explore what interested them.

Overall the trip was an “amazing time,” Herrin said. As a professor, Herrin was excited to travel to the various cities and see the cathedrals, works of arts and cities themselves, some he had waited his whole life to see. However, he said, the most important part of the trip was getting to know his students as individuals outside of the professor-student relationship.

Jennifer Lawson said that getting to spend time with the others has resulted in their friendships meaning more. “I know that we will be there for each other,” she said. “The conversations we had were great. I learned a lot about myself on this trip.” Lawson is a senior majoring in graphic arts from Knoxville.

As a last-minute addition to the trip, McMahan said he was welcomed by the students and Herrin on what was his first international trip. “From day one … everyone struggled at one time or another whether it was physically or emotionally,” he said. “I soon saw that each one of this group were looking out for the others. People did not care about their needs, but cared that others in the group were having the optimal experience they could.”

Henderson said he would recommend a trip to Europe. This was his first trip out of Tennessee. “I had never flown, never rode in a taxi and on my first trip I went to Germany,” he said. “It was a learning experience. If you get the opportunity to go, don’t find an excuse to stay at home. Go do it. It will make you a different person.”

Tusculum College, the oldest college in Tennessee and the 28th oldest in the nation, is a liberal arts institution committed to utilizing the civic arts in developing educated citizens distinguished by academic excellence, public service and qualities of Judeo-Christian character. Approximately twenty-two hundred students are enrolled on the main campus in Greeneville and three off-site locations in East Tennessee. The academic programs for both traditional-aged students and working adults served through the Graduate and Professional Studies program are delivered using focused calendars whereby students enroll in one course at a time.

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Tusculum student Sarah Waddell spent the fall 2011 academic semester studying and experiencing British culture in London.

Waddell, a junior from Cosby, Tenn., who is majoring in digital media, participated in the Missouri-London Program of the Centers for Academic Programs Abroad (CAPA). She joined 19 other students in the fall 2011 program who took classes together and lived in an apartment building in the Little Venice area near Regent’s Canal in northern London. S

he shared her experiences in a presentation Tuesday that was open to the campus community.

“One of my favorite parts of the program is the people, not just the people in London but also the other people in the program,” she said. “We got to know each other pretty well.” Most of the other participants in the program were from universities in Missouri.

The CAPA program operates in affiliation with Imperial College of the University of London, and the students had full membership rights to use Imperial College facilities and its programs. During the semester, Waddell took four classes just as she would have at Tusculum. Each student in the program was required to take “Understanding Britain Today,” a class about British culture, recent British events and the differences between the British and American culture.

Waddell’s father is British, and she said she has visited England several times so she was more used to the differences than other students in the program. Some of the students in the CAPA program thought that the English were rude, she said, but they are not. The British are more reserved and professional in their demeanor while Americans are more open, she explained.

“Aesthetics” was another of Waddell’s courses, and the students visited galleries and museums often as part of class. She noted that many of the museums and galleries in London do not charge admission.

Related to her major, she took a British broadcasting course, which focused on the BBC. Students were able to visit the BBC studios and learned how English media is different from that in the United States.

The courses that the students could take were limited, and Waddell took a “Philosophy of Sports,” learning about cricket, football (soccer) and rugby. The national rugby championships occurred while she was in this class and she was able to attend. She also attended a sold out Arsenal home soccer game and a Millwall game. The games were a great place to meet people, she said.

Waddell had class three times a week which left her extra time to explore London and other parts of England. Waddell likes to cook and enjoyed the Borough Market. “It was a cool place to go and explore,” she said. “It had everything you could imagine foodwise.”

Camden Market was another place that Waddell enjoyed exploring. The area is known as artsy, and she said she saw a wide variety of people there and enjoyed the shops.

There was a pub at the corner of her street that the students frequented. “Pubs are the social part of British culture,” she said. “There is one on about every street corner. They are not like bars, but a place for people to meet.”

As part of the CAPA program, the students went on a day trip to Bath and Stonehenge. Waddell also took day trips to Oxford and Cambridge to explore those campuses.

Traveling to other places in England is easy, Waddell explained, because buses and trains are readily accessible and fares are inexpensive. Air fares are also inexpensive, she said, adding that she paid the equivalent of $15 for a ticket to Edinburgh, Scotland.

Other students in the program would travel every weekend to places in England or other European countries. Waddell said she would not recommend this approach because those students stayed tired during the week and did not have time to explore London extensively.

For a first time traveler to Europe, Waddell said she would recommend going to London. “There is not a language barrier,” she said, “and the city is such a great mix of old, historic places and the coolest, new modern things going on in fashion and the arts. It has something for everyone.”

The program in which Waddell participated is offered through a partnership between Centers for Academic Programs Abroad  and the Private College Consortium for International Study, a partnership of 14 colleges in the Appalachian College Association.

All PCCIS institutions are fully accredited. All courses have been structured so that academic credits earned by students are part of the regular authorized course offerings, which allows students to make normal progress towards their undergraduate degrees while utilizing foreign resources and cross-cultural experiences. Courses are taught by a combination of British and American academics. Dr. John Paulling, professor of mathematics at Tusculum, has taught in London as part of the program.

Tusculum College, the oldest college in Tennessee and the 28th oldest in the nation, is a liberal arts institution committed to utilizing the civic arts in developing educated citizens distinguished by academic excellence, public service and qualities of Judeo-Christian character. Approximately twenty-two hundred students are enrolled on the main campus in Greeneville and three off-site locations in East Tennessee. The academic programs for both traditional-aged students and working adults served through the Graduate and Professional Studies program are delivered using focused calendars whereby students enroll in one course at a time.

Literature came alive to a group of Tusculum College students as they traveled to London and were able to see settings of some of the most important works of 19^th century British authors.

Students in the “19^th Century British Literature” course traveled to London Oct. 27- Nov. 2 accompanied by their professor for the course, Dr. Shelia Morton, assistant professor of English. The trip was the first airplane trip for some of the students and the first international plane trip for most of the seven students who went. The students gave a presentation about their trip on Monday, Jan. 16.

Arriving after an overnight flight to London, the students settled into the hostel that would be their home during the trip and faced the challenge of trying to stay awake for the remainder of the day to adjust to that time zone.

They visited the National Gallery and Green Park and saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the London Eye as they explored London on foot. They went to Picaddilly Circus.

The students visited the Tower of London, which was built as a fortress and stronghold and also served as a royal residence and a prison. Michelle Hoover said the group’s guide, Jimmy, was excellent, and the students were interested to learn that an individual had to serve in the military for several years to qualify to be a tour guide and live within the Tower.

A day trip to Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath was taken by the students. “It was beautiful, the scenery itself,” said Andrew Baker of the area around Stonehenge. “There was nothing but rolling green hills and sheep, lots of sheep.” Stonehenge itself was disappointing to some of the students because visitors are not allowed to go very close to the stone circle.

The students enjoyed exploring the streets of “ancient” buildings in the city of Salisbury, the home of author William Golding, and all enjoyed the trip to Bath, a popular high society destination in the 1800s and the setting for much of Jane Austin’s novel, “Persuasion.” “It was my favorite city,” Baker said.

Exploring some of the places authors frequented and places used as settings in their books was the main focus of the trip.

Oscar Wilde was the focus one day as the students visited various sites related to the playwright with a guide who is one leading experts on the British writer. This was Valerie Harrell’s favorite day because Wilde is one of her favorite authors and at the end of the tour was selected by the guide for a photo.

Sites related to Charles Dickens’ and his writings were part of another day. As part of the Dickens tour, the students went to sites that Dickens used as settings in his books. For example, Dr. Morton said that the guide took them to see a house that was used as a setting in “Martin Chuzzlewit.” “It really brings to life having been there,” she said. The students also visited the debtor’s prison where Dickens’ father was imprisoned and his family lived during his childhood.

While in London the students read Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” and a history of 19^th century London. The students said they read at every available opportunity, whether it was waiting on transportation or a spare moment in the evening.

The Victorian era in London was the focus of the “Darkest Victorian Walk” that the students took on Halloween. They saw some of the sites where charities were created to help the desperately poor who lived in London at the time. They learned about the members of the wealthy class who started these charities because the government did not provide support to the poor.

Sites related to Shakespeare were also on the itinerary, and the students visited the replica of the Globe Theatre.

The students found Londoners to be friendly once they were engaged in conversation. Baker said that people on the streets did not make eye contact or speak to one another. “You had to break their focus to get them to speak to you,” he said, adding that atmosphere of individuality could benefit a writer.

Pubs, which the students described as more like restaurants than bars, are the places people make connections. Dr. Morton said that is why the pubs are so important in British life, because they are the places where social connections are made.

One evening the students went to the National Theater to see the play, “The Kitchen.” Baker said the set, which depicted a restaurant kitchen, was amazing and featured appliances that operated. “It was one of the best plays I have ever seen,” he said. “I rediscovered my love for theater that night.”

The trip was the first international one taken by Tusculum students during the 2011-12 academic year. A group of students are currently on a trip with stops in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and a trip to Malta for business and political science students is planned later this year. Dr. Morton is planning another British literature trip to England in 2013.

More than 20 students at Tusculum College and 17 in Norway participated in a global classroom discussion on Monday, December 5.

The topic of the program was “English as a Global Language.” Students represented not only the United States, but also Chile, Norway, Russia, Denmark, Bulgaria, Nigeria, China, France and Ghana.

Students connected via one of two sites, either on the Tusculum College campus or the campus of  HiH University in Harstad, Norway.

Students debated whether English was becoming a global language, whether it was the right language for a global language and considered alternatives such as Chinese or Spanish.

Discussions also focused on the lack of bilingualism of American students, while most international students were fluent in a minimum of two languages.

The students also discussed the cultural aspects of language and the difficulty of conveying cultural connotations in a second language.

It was also noted that as the world becomes smaller through global interactions, English and other languages are adopting phrases and terms from other languages. It is possible, one student conjectured, that there could become an international language of common terms.

The global classroom was sponsored by the Tusculum College Business Club and the Study Abroad and Global Awareness student organization at Tusculum College. It was coordinated by Bergvin and is one of a series that has been designed to connect Tusculum students and faculty in academic discussions with students and faculty throughout the world.

Along with Tusculum’s technology, a partnership with the Greeneville City Schools that allows for other universities across the world to link with Tusculum has provided a unique opportunity on campus to participate in worldwide interactive discussions and other shared classroom.

Anyone interested in more information on the program or who would like to find out about Tusculum College’s Center for Global Studies should contact Bergvin at 423-636-7300.

The Center for Global Studies was formed in spring 2008 and is located in the Pilloni Office on the ground floor of the Thomas J. Garland Library. The mission is to “enhance the capacity of individuals and organizations to address local and global challenges through building relationships with communities, institutions of higher learning and organizations globally.”