I have taught study abroad classes in Florence, Italy, and in 2020 I will be taking another group of Eastern Kentucky University students to Salerno, Italy, with side trips to Florence, Naples, Pompeii, Rome, and other locations.
“To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin.” — bell hooks — bell hooks Students from Generation Z yearn for authenticity, can easily spot when they’re considered a monolithic … More Teaching Outside the Binaries
Based on my own travel experiences and those of my students during their study abroad, I’ve put together this list for Summer 2020 students who are studying abroad in Italy with me. Clothing Keep in mind that you’ll have access to a washing machine but not a dryer; the overwhelming majority of Italians hang their … More Ready? Set? Start Packing!
Pardon this interruption in my Florentine routine while I provide a Greek adventure! Through a generous offer by my colleagues in EKU Education Abroad, I traveled to Athens (Hellas), Greece, in October 2016 to perform a site visit and evaluation of Hellenic American University’s offerings geared toward LGBT students. Hellenic American University’s very small campus … More To Hellas and Back
EKU Students! If you talk to anyone who went to Florence with me last summer, you’ll hear variations on the same theme: “THE TIME OF MY LIFE!” I’ve put together a PDF of a presentation about the Summer 2017 trip, and I hope you’ll glance through it and spread the word. If you need funding, … More Come to Florence with Me! June 2017!
Reflections, on this next-to-last day of my month in Italy One of the things my well-traveled manpanion told me last year before I went to Austria and Germany was to interact with locals. Last year, our Salzburg Global Seminar schedule allowed for only minimal interaction with the residents of Salzburg and Munich, but this year has … More Oh, The Places We’ve Gone!
Anywhere in the world, if someone is being harassed or abused, a bystander should do something about it. A bystander who is trained in the Green Dot violence prevention strategy absolutely must step forward, be the one person who speaks up, and do the right thing. Tonight in Florence, Italy, my students and I were standing … More Green Dots in Italy
Back in the last century, I loved camping; I loved the economy of it. Being a minimalist is a welcome lifestyle, even if only temporary. I never went camping for a full month until I came to Italy. Picking a Site “Let’s go camping!” a friend would say, and I’d be ready. Once we’d picked … More Band-Aids, Baby Wipes, and Bug Spray
For the past three weeks, my students and I have heard accents and languages from all over the world. We’ve also felt fortunate when multilingual service industry employees help us when our own stammering, unconjugated attempt at Italian fails us. We haven’t received any mistreatment or disrespect from the people whose country we’ve chosen as … More Incident in Old Italy
If Emily Dickinson had written in Italian, she might have said: L’anima sceglie i suoi compagni e poi chiude la porta; la sua divina maggioranza estranei non sopporta. Impassible, sente il cocchio che si ferma presso il cancello esterno. Impassible, guarda un re prostrarsi sul suo tappeto. So che da tutto il mondo puo scegliare … More The Soul selects her own Society, even in Italy
Last week when Lauren, Stacey, and I were meandering around town before going to our respective temporary homes, we spent a lot of time in the Piazza della Signoria, where magnificent sculptures stand in their passionate and furious Renaissance poses, exposed to weather and tourists. Although we’d visited the Piazza before, we were newly enthralled … More Joy
An American Feminist Teacher 