By: Emily Delgado
Over the summer, University of Iowa Department of Classics faculty member Debra Trusty led a group of 24 students across Athens as a continued learning experience of her spring semester class and study abroad course titled City of Athens: Bronze Age to Roman World.
“The main goal of this program was to expose students to the unique world of Athens, Greece, and help them experience first-hand how the city has handled both the difficulties and benefits of its long and rich past,” Trusty explains.
The class and the trip focused on the deep history, art, and archaeology of ancient Greece. Prior to the trip, Trusty worked to make sure her students were exposed to and well-informed through photographs, lectures, and scholarly materials that would help bring the ancient city to life for her students.
All of this prepared the students within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for an immersive experience in the culture, while also earning credit for majors in Ancient Civilization, Anthropology, and History.
“Our classroom is Athens, and I show them around, lecture at sites, and give them ample time to explore the city and its culture,” Trusty adds.
Lauren Aoki, a student who participated in the study abroad program, said the course provided valuable insights and information about ancient Athens.
“By immersing myself in the Greek culture, I was able to practice cultural relativism firsthand and keep an open mind,” said Aoki, who graduated in May with a degree in anthropology.
The trip gave Aoki and her fellow classmates a rare opportunity to actually experience what they learned firsthand, while also gaining the confidence to travel alone and explore new places.
“This exhilarating experience allowed me to broaden my knowledge about diverse cultures and ways of life and easily apply my academic knowledge in a practical setting. I confidently explored a foreign city, learned a few phrases of the language, and embraced new cultural practices,” Aoki said.
Trusty says she hoped her students, after weeks of extensive studying, felt at home and at ease in Athens. She says programs like this one are crucial for expanding learning experiences for students.
Throughout the trip, Trusty and her students were continuously greeted with screams of “Go, Hawks!”
“Our students and faculty, past and present, are everywhere,” Trusty says. “It makes our world seem a lot smaller when you realize how connected and impactful the University of Iowa is with the rest of the world.”
