Center For Global Education

GALA Spring 2010

Butler Semester in Europe

Butler students in Paris

 

It's one thing to learn from books about the history of Paris, the discovery of genetics, and the English Lake District landscape that inspired so many artists and poets - and quite another to study those subjects on site. That's why GALA (Global Adventures in the Liberal Arts) was created. The new program from Butler University's Center for Global Education will allow 20 students to spend the 2010 spring semester (Jan. 16-April 19) studying with Butler professors in Italy, France, Scotland, and England.

The Butler Semester in Europe (GALA) program will begin in Florence in mid-January. Faculty Director and Biology Professor Emeritus Richard Miller will travel with the group throughout the semester. He will begin his course, Genetics and Evolution, during the group's two weeks in Florence.

The program will then move to Paris, where Professor of History Paul Hanson will join the group to teach his course, Paris: The City as Text, over a two-week period. The course will involve daily excursions throughout various parts of the city.

The next six weeks will be spent in London, where Dr. Miller will continue the Genetics and Evolution course. Students will be able to delve deeper into topics such as Watson and Crick's structure of DNA and Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection by visiting some of the sites where their work was completed.

Students will have a week-long spring break near the end of the London stay to travel on their own or just relax and enjoy the sights around London.

Anthropology Professor Elise Edwards will join the group for two weeks in Preston, England and Edinburgh, Scotland to teach Sport, Empire, and Identity. Students will explore topics related to the cultural and social importance of sport in England and Scotland.

Finally, the group will travel to England's Lake District for the final two weeks of the program where English Professor Jason Goldsmith will join the group to teach Seeing the World, Seeing the Self in Art and Nature. Students will have an opportunity to see the world through the eyes of an artist by focusing on the natural world in the beautiful setting of mountains, lakes, and picturesque towns.