Self-Designed Honors Experience Proposal: Global Understandings Trip to Italy
1. Detailed abstract of proposed honors experiential learning project
2. Connection to Learning Outcomes within the Honors Thematic Area
This experience truly includes study on a global scale. The three Learning Outcomes specifically geared towards this trip include but are not limited to:
Possess global literacy, including knowledge of geography, history, current world issues and similarities and differences among cultures
3. Connection to Goals and Academic Theories
4. Initiative, Independence, and/or Creativity
5. Reflection
6. Dissemination
7. Project Advisor
8. Budget
- As a student with no abroad experience, I plan to travel outside of the country to Italy during UC’s winter break. While visiting Italy, I will be analyzing the economic and cultural elements of the country, documenting all that I observe and interpret. With this information, I will compare and contrast the economy and traditions of Italy with that of the United States in attempt to draw broader conclusions about the countries’ state of wellbeing as well as attempt to understand cultural differences and societal norms. Since this is also my first experience traveling abroad, I will be experiencing a whole new insight on the global world and its unique holiday traditions. My lack of exposure to foreign countries will allow me to stay curious and engaged the entire week of travel. This is truly an experiential learning project, for the data and photographs I hope to accumulate can be obtained solely through personal experience and learning. The understanding behind these findings cannot be obtained through the internet, as it will fail to provide a holistic view of both countries and therefore encourage bias in my results and conclusions.
- I hope to dedicate a great majority of my time photographing my surroundings during the day and then personally reflecting during the evening about the day’s agenda. The hours spent on pre-trip research and post-trip reflection and organization will also contribute to the hours requirement. The total amount of hours should accrue to 70-75 hours. This total is composed from 6 hours of photography and documentation each day, 2 hours of daily reflection, 5 hours of pre-trip research, and 10 hours of post-trip analysis, reflection, and organization into presentable material.
- The tentative itinerary for each day of the trip is as follows:
Wednesday, 12/24/13 – Depart 5:50pm Delta / Air France · Cincinnati to Paris
Thursday, 12/25/13 – ROME
Arrive 11:50am Air France / Delta · Paris to Rome
3:30 pm Best of Rome Walking Tour: $47.99 Piazza del Popolo, Santa Maria del Popolo Church, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Colonna, Palazzo Montecitorio, Pantheon, Palazzo Madama (Senate of the Italian Republic), Piazza Navona - Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, Campo de Fiori
Hotel Accommodations: Hotel Sant'Anselmo $166.35
Friday, 12/26/13 – ROME
Roman Forum, church of San Pietro in Vincoli to see Michelangelo's Moses, Colosseum, church of San Clemente, Capitoline Museums on the Piazza del Campidoglio
Hotel Accommodations: Hotel Sant'Anselmo $166.35
Saturday, 12/27/13 – ROME
Vatican Museums (Raphael's Transfiguration, Caravaggio's Deposition, the Raphael Rooms, and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling), St. Peter’s church, Castle Sant'Angelo, evening in Trastevere, Trevi Fountain
Hotel Accommodations: Hotel Sant'Anselmo - Rome $166.35
Sunday, 12/28/13 – SIENA
Take 7:52am train from Rome's Tiburtina station to Siena, arrive 10:30am
Palazzo Pubblico town hall on the main square, Duomo, free afternoon to explore streets and shops
Hotel Accommodations: Hotel Duomo $100.62
Monday, 12/29/13 – FLORENCE
Take 75min bus ride from Siena to Florence
Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi, Giotto frescoes in Santa Croce church, Vivoli gelato (ice cream), the Oltrarno
Hotel Accommodations: Hotel Caravaggio $184.11
Tuesday, 12/30/13 – VENICE
Take 8:37am train from Florence to Venice; arrive at 11:30am
Venice's Accademia Gallery, Peggy Guggenheim museum, architecture sight seeing
Hotel Accommodations: Hotel Belvedere $189.25
Wednesday, 12/31/13 – VENICE
San Marco cathedral, sight seeing
Depart 8:55pm Air France 9847 · Rome to Paris
Friday, 1/1/14 – Arrive 2:40pm Air France 8700 · Paris to Cincinnati
2. Connection to Learning Outcomes within the Honors Thematic Area
This experience truly includes study on a global scale. The three Learning Outcomes specifically geared towards this trip include but are not limited to:
Possess global literacy, including knowledge of geography, history, current world issues and similarities and differences among cultures
- As I will be sightseeing and experiencing Italy’s culture and atmosphere first-hand, I will most definitely learn and gain appreciation for their culture, architecture, climate, natural geography, and way of life. Through in-depth research prior to travel, I will gain an understanding about Italy’s history and current world issues so that I can analyze how these elements affect their way of life today along with their development as a country. Applying this knowledge, I will attempt to make connections between the history and the artistic forms of expression I see in the various museums I plan to visit. I hope to gain a better understanding of Italy’s geography by traveling among cities in Italy rather than remaining in one place. Each of these cities has a culture that, while blending in with Italy’s overall culture, offers distinct characteristics worth noting. Upon return, I plan to spend numerous hours organizing all of the data I had gathered and then comparing it to knowledge I already possess about America’s culture and history. As both nations have developed and less-developed sections of the country, it is my hope that I will gain access to these parts that seem to be swept under the rug. At the same time, I also want to compare each country’s best aspects and analyze how they achieved that success.
- This Learning Outcome also ties in with my experience. When drawing comparisons between both countries, it is my hope that I will be able to also see how each other’s success aids the other’s economy, allowing me to see global interdependence at work. I want to learn about what the United States is dependent on Italy for, and vice versa. What political ideologies play a part in the difference between the countries? How do their geography and possession of natural resources affect their economy, and is that effect positive or negative? What advantages does one country have over the other that could create this interdependence between countries? How willing and open are these countries to work with each other and share their assets? All these questions I hope to answer through my research and personal assessment. In regards to the travel experience, I hope to most see this interdependence or interaction between countries in the level of tourism at the various locations, opportunities to exchange currency, accommodations to language barriers, and food pricing. What products are sold in Italy that seem “American” could be another important point to consider when analyzing the interdependence of world economies.
- As I will be in the heart of Italian cities, I will also be experiencing the cuisine, entertainment, and atmosphere that a citizen from Italy would experience. In other words, I hope that I can experience a day in the life of a typical Italian citizen, especially during free periods of my itinerary to simply walk around, explore the retail shops and boutiques, and find very culture-oriented dining. An example of this would include walking over the medieval bridge Ponte Vecchio to look at an artisan’s quarter while sampling Italian-base foods such as gelato. Through my research I will be able to explore past the cultural and societal norms of the typical Italian citizen and see how they financially support their country as well as how they fit into broader society. I feel that, in order to understand my role as a global citizen, I need to first understand and learn to appreciate these citizens, which I have done through the process explained in this section. When we can understand the hardships of other citizens and can understand their relationship with their country, we can better stand to create a world that is beneficial to a broader scope of people. While a difficult task, this is the first step to participating in the global society.
3. Connection to Goals and Academic Theories
- This honors experience is tied very closely with two goals of mine, one concerning my academic goals and the other, my personal goals. As an economics major, global understanding in this day and age is vital to success. No longer can we rely solely on ourselves as a country to keep afloat; individual nation’s economies increasingly rely on the economies of surrounding countries for their own well-being. It is important that I begin to study and understand this concept before graduation so that, upon entering the business world, I can be adequately prepared to handle cultural differences in the work environment as well as be conscious of how my decisions affect others on a variety of scales.
A personal goal that I have set for myself during my collegiate endeavors is to travel the world and gain as much international experience as possible before gaining too may responsibilities that may hinder my travel opportunities. With this trip planned for freshman year, I will gain semi-independent abroad experience that will leverage me for other opportunities of travel throughout college. I will also have a greater understanding about the steps necessary to take to make a trip such as this concrete and successful. After this experience, it will be one less place I am in need of visiting. - This fall semester, I enrolled myself in an Introduction to Sociology (SOC1001) course in order to better understand social relations between individuals, communities, and nations. This course provides an introduction to sociological principles and perspectives for the analysis of the social character of human activities, particularly in contemporary society. As the semester is coming to a close, I have gained a better understanding on the micro- meso- and macro- levels of society and its relations with the global society. I have studied the cultural differences between societies across the world and begun to understand the problems that arise when cultures attempt to mix. This perfectly aligns with my learning outcomes, as it will help me identify and analyze the differences and similarities between the American and Italian cultures and normative behaviors. I am now knowledgeable on various types and forms of societies, which allows for easier classification and documentation of the data I collect on the countries. Similarly, I will be able to have an appreciation for their culture with my new sense of cultural relativism. This course as a whole has certainly prepared me well, because I will be able to bring all of the background knowledge of societies and relationships with me to this experience.
Another source of information I plan to utilize is a collection of articles and materials that focuses solely on Italy: its history, climate, cities, lodging, travel information, and transportation. Cited from their website, Lonely Planet “is a network of connections between travelers. It's also a connection between travelers and Lonely Planet,” and “can steer you straight to independent travel advice, a global community of travelers, and everything you need to make your trip happen, from guidebooks to flights and author-reviewed accommodation.” In other words, this site is the perfect tool for inexperienced travelers to use and gain accurate traveling information and advice to independently plan an international trip. As a new traveler myself, this site is perfect for my situation. Not only will these travel tips ease the planning portion of my trip, but it will also guide me to successfully achieve the first learning outcome stated above. I will possess greater global literacy, specifically concerning Italy’s geography and history. This will enhance my experience because I will have a better understanding and greater appreciation for the history behind the architecture, culture, and museums I will encounter in Italy.
"Italy." Lonely Planet. N.p., 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
4. Initiative, Independence, and/or Creativity
- This trip to Italy will be the first abroad experience in which I have partaken. This will allow me a great deal of personal development in regards to independence as an individual, since I have taken it upon myself to organize and assemble this entire trip. I will be venturing out of Cincinnati – the place I have considered my safe zone – and immersing myself in an entirely new culture with only one familiar person. To assure the success of my efforts, it is imperative that I take the initiative and reach out to others with more experience in either international travel or economic studies. I must do this so that I can maximize the beneficial outcomes of this learning experience. Throughout the experience and its conclusion, a great deal of creativity will need to be utilized so that all forms of information can be properly documented and represented in my final product. For example, a section on architectural comparisons could not possibly be considered complete if there were no photographic or visual images to accompany written observations. To deliver a holistic view of both countries, various and creative types of documentation must be utilized to achieve this goal.
5. Reflection
- After repeated usage of blogs for projects, reflections, or studies, I believe that I have mastered the skills of blogging and web presentation. Because of this, I feel that a blog-based website will prove to be a perfect format for this honors experience reflection. Rather than focusing my attention on the presentation of the material, I can easily maneuver through the site and simultaneously focus on the quality and depth of my reflection and final product.
- Prior to my departure, it is important that the blog’s structure and pages are established and contain an adequate amount of research or facts that I may need or want access to during my experience in Italy. These facts can serve as reflection points themselves, as I analyze how I am witnessing the statistics and information in real-time. For example, there could be a fact about the cuisine or normative behavior concerning meal times of Italians. It would then be my job to personally observe and record my findings concerning this topic so that I can accurately compare my findings with that of other texts. The pre-existing information I placed on my blog would serve as a guide for my own observations, thus keeping me focused on my ultimate goal of comparing economic and cultural aspects of Italy and the U.S.
- Since I am able to edit my blog at any time, I would be able to add any comments, prompts, observations, deeper insights, conclusions, or ideas I may stumble across during my experience. It will allow me to add entries every night of my trip and organize my findings in such a way that I can easily access all information efficiently when I am working on my post-trip analysis. Everything will be in one place, and once organized, will look presentable and easy to follow for not only me but any other curious person.
- I believe I will really enjoy this method of reflection because it will allow me to be versatile in the way I choose to reflect on a given day. If architecture was the focus of study for a given day, a tab for photography is simple to construct. If I am comparing the economic health of both countries, graphs and statistics can easily be incorporated into this website. It is easily accessible and functional so that I can continue to learn far past the conclusion of my experience and apply it to my learning of Economics in the College of Business.
6. Dissemination
- The dissemination of my learning experience was touched on in the previous section but will be elaborated on further. From the description above, it can be inferred that my well-developed blog will be very informative as well as very comprehendible. Therefore, economics majors such as myself may find the analysis that is displayed on my website to be quite interesting due to its subject matter and aesthetically pleasing arrangement of content. For those with this background knowledge, my blog can be used as a personal educational tool. For those who are interested in the global culture and international relations but lack the technical knowledge of economics, I could share my findings with them through a simplified presentation and explanation of my blog. This could take place in UC’s College of Business where I establish a presentation time with the Lindner College of Business Student Action Team to present my findings to interested business students. As it is not the norm to physically travel to any country one finds interesting, it is the responsibility of the few privileged people that can make that journey to share their new knowledge with those equally as interested. I would be willing to discuss with anyone every aspect of my trip to Italy so that they may gain a better understanding our world and our role within that global culture.
7. Project Advisor
- Miller Joyce
Italian Instructor for the University of Cincinnati
[email protected]
8. Budget
- Plane Ticket………………………….$1,331.00
Museums and Sites…………….…..$ 500.00
Travel between cities…………..…...$ 100.00
Food and Drink………………………$ 350.00
Lodging…………………………….…$ 973.03
TOTAL………………………………..$3,254.03 - Hyperlinks for specific tours and lodging have been included in the itinerary to legitimatize costs.
Museum and Food pricing has been determined by educated estimation based on generalized costs