Humanities and Western Civilization Up Close
Michael Stoecker participated in the Humanities and Western Civilization Semester in Paris, France and Florence, Italy last Spring. The program consists of four integrated courses taught by KU faculty, including Western Civilization I and II, the Art and Architecture of Florence and Paris, and a course in European Culture and Society. We recently asked Michael about his semester abroad.
Q: Why did you decide to go on the Humanities and Western Civilization program? Did you consider other study abroad programs?
A: The thing that most influenced my decision was that I had participated in the British Summer Institute two years ago. My time on that trip was one of the most amazing periods I've had in college. So in some respects I was searching for that experience again.
Plus, when viewing the details of the places we were going to visit and live, I couldn't help thinking this is as close as you can get without actually moving to Paris and Florence to reside permanently.
Q: What are some advantages to taking Western Civilization I & II through this program, rather than in Wescoe Hall?
A: The advantages are so numerous I wouldn't know where to begin. For the most part, all the material you are learning is there physically in front of you. When you are reading Galileo's works, they were written only blocks from where you study in Florence. You can see all of his instruments that he used to conclude his findings. That kind of proximity to the historical nature is phenomenal.
Q: What fears or uncertainties did you have before you left? How did you deal with them while abroad?
A: Communication was probably the biggest concern. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to adequately interact with the people of the places I was visiting. And patience was the key factor in over coming that.
Q: If you could re-live your experience, what would you do differently?
A: Off-hand I can't think of anything. Of course I would want more money and more time for travel. I didn't plan well financially and set off for Europe with roughly $1000 in cash for the whole semester and that disappeared fairly quickly.
Q: Is your life any different, or do you see things differently now that you are back?
A: Of course, my life changes daily based on just the things I see here in Lawrence, so travelling around Europe is a major defining moment. I believe I understand more about people in general now. So many things are universal between societies.
Santa Croce Square in Florence, Italy, submitted by Michael Stoocker, Humanities and Western Civilization participant.
Q: What did you get out of your program that you value most?
A: My living situation in Florence was very unique. I stayed with 3 other guys outside the city walls and rather far from everything. Our place was also quite barren. At first we complained slightly, but after six weeks, I loved the neighborhood we were in, out on the hill south of town, with the local merchants and citizens. It was so close to be part of the actual community. Everyone from the grocery store merchant to the local bar tender knew who we were.
Q: Is there anything else that you'd like to tell other students about your experience, or about the experience of study abroad as a whole?
A: Unfortunately, I saw so many "Ugly" Americans over there during our stay, and sometimes it occurred even in our own group. I myself probably perpetuated several ugly Americanisms at some point. All I can say is enjoy the places you visit for what makes them unique and try to let ao of what you think they should be by American standards.
Summer Theatre in Greece
by Dennis Christilles, Professor of Theatre and Film
The City of Oiniades was host to the KU Summer Theatre in Greece program in the summer of 2002. The program allows students the opportunity to live for approximately four weeks in Greece while taking classes and rehearsing a play that is performed in the ancient theatre of Oiniades. Students are engaged in classes covering Greek dramatic literature, art, and Modern Greek language. A unique feature of the theatre performance is that it is performed as a bi-lingual
Greece in 1997, again under the direction of Dr. Tsubaki and assisted by Dr. Dennis Christilles, to perform another play by Euripides, "Iphigenia in Tauros." Under the direction of Dr. Christilles the program returned in 2000 and 2002 to perform Aristophanes' "The Birds" and Sophocles' "Women of Trachis." In 2004, the summer of the Olympics, the program will return to produce Aeschylus' final play his Oresteia, "Eumenides." The play tells of the transformation of society from chaos and
2002 Theatre in Grecoce participants recourse Sophocles' Woman of Tuschia.
English/Greek production.
The summer of 2002 was the fourth time for this program. In 1990 the program, under the direction of Dr. Andrew Tsubaki, produced Euripides' "Hippolytus." The program returned to
bloodshed to order and democracy.
The classes and production are a large part of this program, but of even greater value is the interaction between the participants of the two cultures. The people of the City of Oiniades are particularly warm-hearted and welcoming people. At a final banquet, hosted by the generous mayor, Gerasimos Nestoratos, the group received an especially nice surprise. The mayor read the group a poem that he had written after his first trip to the United States and New York City. It was interesting for the group to hear about their own country through fresh eyes. The link between the poet and the politician is especially strong in Greece.
The poem is published here for the first time in the United States. For more information on the
KU Summer Theatre in Greece program, please contact Dr. Dennis Christilles at dchrist@ku.edu. For applications for the program and information on other Study Abroad opportunities contact the office of Study Abroad.
NEW YORK
by Gerasimos Nestoratos
Mysterious, magic, enigmatic
An all alive city, with so much reality
And with no "pretendings."
When you are over there, you don't look
For the dirty sewers of history
Where the supernatural doubts rise,
But you just live.
A city with a special face,
With a unique atmosphere.
A city that transforms our daily routine
Into a unique experience,
A city tour can be a travel through time,
Through the world,
The bright spirits of Sinatra, Dean Martin and Elvis
Fly through its blur and blue nights.
City of dreams through which you try
To know the unknown.
City with use of many colors
City where you find happiness so many times
But you shall never be happy.
A city like married love
Which is full of generous silence.
A city that cries and tries to heal its wounds,
But starts to live again.
I'd like to live in that city
Even if that had to be in a small, wet room
And it would be fine for me to die on a seat of Broadway.
Jayhawks Abroad
5