Interterm is a unique opportunity for students to learn about something new, but some students won’t only be stepping out of their comfort zone. They will also be stepping out of Kansas.
“It’s experiential learning,” Lee Green, professor of business and economics, said about travel Interterms. “I think (students) get a lot more out of it than they would if they were just in a classroom reading a textbook.”
Green will be sponsoring a travel Interterm opportunity for students to go to Washington D.C. to “examine the history of our nation’s capital city.” Students will learn about the history of each place visited and the significance of each site in American history and in modern life in America. Students will also attend the presidential inauguration.
“I think this Interterm will give me a better sense of what our nation is all about; what’s changing, what will change, and where our nation is headed,” freshman Megan Pontius said. “Plus, we get to see the inauguration and that’s a really great opportunity.”
Not only are students able to leave the state for Interterm, there are also a few opportunities for students to get out of the country. Leonard Ortiz, assistant professor of history, will be taking students to the Yucatan Peninsula.
According to his informational packet about the trip, “the cultural lens in which students view their world will be broadened as they will not only marvel at the ancient sites of the Maya but also witness extreme poverty in the villages that are scattered along the Yucatan.”
Professor of Spanish Sandra Schumm will also be taking students on a trip to Madrid, Spain, where they will immerse themselves in the Spanish language and culture. Students will live with Spanish families and attend Spanish classes in the mornings at Hispano Continental. In the evenings, they will see Salamanca, have a tapas party, take some dance lessons and more.
Sophomore Hannah Geenens is excited for the trip because she believes that it will further her education of being a Spanish major.
“I’m most excited for the experience of living in a place with an entirely new language,” Geenens said. “Living in a Spanish-speaking place will teach me more about the language than any classroom in Kansas.”
Robyn Long, assistant professor of psychology, hopes to teach students about living in a society that is not about “packaging experiences for an audience.” For her travel Interterm to London, all students who are going have agreed not to post onto any form of social media for the duration of the trip.
“I think the big focus is tying in concepts related to social narcissism and sort of evaluating the impact of social media on experiences.” Long said.
Long wants students to enjoy their experiences as opposed to editing them to show their followers or friends.
Professors try hard to make travel Interterms not only opportunities to experience new places, but also have a learning aspect as well. For three weeks, the students who opt for travel options will be immersed in and learning about things that would otherwise be unavailable to them.
“This is what I love about Interterm,” Green said. “I think it really offers some unique opportunities. I wish more students would take advantage of these travel Interterm chances. It’s one of those things that it’s that kind of learning that you absorb into your bones and I hope that they’ll remember it for the rest of their lives.”
