Adventures in Europe: Students explore tourism from inside a top destination
It was a simple task for students in ECO 252: Economics of Tourism: be tourists.
还有什么地方比法国更好呢. 1 tourist destination in the world — for students to learn about the economics of tourism?
Blazer Professor of Economics and Business David Anderson recently led a group of 12 students to study abroad in Strasbourg, 法国, where he applied a simple adage for the group to consider while they explored historical sites and landmarks.
“生活是一种挑战, and one of the greatest hacks we have is to go to other places and see how people are navigating these issues that we all face,他说.
Anderson said the summer course is a great opportunity to study abroad. Whether it’s for athletes or pre-med majors who struggle to get away for a full semester, 夏季课程提供了一个很好的组合.
“我认为，如果你担心出国, 和这样的班级一起上课很棒, because it’s planned for you — you're there with friends and leadership,安德森说. “Unlike a lot of colleges where they farm out teaching to study abroad companies, your Centre professor that you might've already had or know is with you. 你从一开始就有了一群朋友.”
还有参观历史遗迹, 比如埃菲尔铁塔和欧洲议会, students observed on a local level how tourism impacts people and places.
即将升学的大三学生泰勒·肯尼(Ashcamp), Kentucky) said that he took note of how global travel was embraced with multilingual displays and gift shop offerings throughout tourist destinations.
“We also saw how cities made efforts to preserve or restore their historical settings to draw in tourists and how the economies catered to tourists,他说.
Kinney opted for the course partly because of his major of economics and finance. But he’s also curious how the world looks through different cultures — he’s studied abroad in Japan and is currently continuing his summer European adventure with a course in Austria.
“I can say that understanding the world from simply a domestic perspective is not enough,他说. “To understand other countries is to understand the world around you. You understand how to approach people of different cultures in a respectful way that allows you to work together.”
It was a particularly special trip for rising sophomore Chaney Garrison (Mount Sterling, Kentucky). 她之前曾和家人去过斯特拉斯堡, 今年夏天是她母亲去世30周年纪念日, 克里斯蒂·安·史密斯，95年, 作为bwin体育学生在斯特拉斯堡留学.
“当课程公布时，我很兴奋, 因为这是一个完整的循环时刻,加里森说. “I didn't tell (mom) when I applied to the course, I waited till I got accepted. 我告诉了她，她哑口无言.”
Garrison said she enjoyed diving deeper into the museums and landmarks — more than what you’d typically see as a tourist.
“We got to learn more about what we were seeing, more than just surface level,” she said.
An example of that was what students learned about the intersection of public policy and the economy of tourism in regard to sustainability and efforts to keep landmarks and natural attractions intact.
“I was very inspired by 法国's sustainable practices,” Kinney said. “他们根本不用塑料袋. 法国 and Strasbourg are very advanced in their recycling techniques, 这座城市自称是一座绿色城市.”
即将升入高年级的艾比·贾米森(floyd Knobs饰), Indiana) said the class was the perfect blend of coursework and adventure, 因为学生们可以在周末自由探索当地社区. 这些经历导致了一些现实世界的学习经历, including a trip to Switzerland hampered by a delayed train and a stressful return to Strasbourg.
“It was one of those experiences that challenged us to get out of our comfort zones a little bit,贾米森说. “我们意识到他们在欧洲旅行的方式是如此不同. 我们都没有经历过这样的事情. 现在回想起来，我想，‘那很有趣.'”
贾米森补充说，她知道一些学生可能会担心, because friends might not be joining them on the journey — she had those same reservations. 但是这个夏天改变了她的观点.
“I think that's a really unique thing you see in study abroad,” she said. “You're doing those daily things that bring you together, like going to the grocery or traveling. I think a big apprehension for a lot of students is 'I don't know anyone' or 'none of my friends will do it.' Having gone through it now — you're going to meet people and make friends.”
This article is featured as part of the Centre Summer Adventure series, highlighting experiential learning through study abroad and away opportunities across the globe.
