Olivia Koselansky to Broaden Experiences by Trip to France with William Woods University

2012 Mar 6

Spring break is fast approaching, and a group from William Woods University is making final preparations for the 2012 Woods Around the World trip to France.

Olivia Koselansky of Sterling Heights, Mich., is one of the students making the trip. Koselansky is a senior, majoring in business administration.

Jane Mudd, assistant professor of art, and Travis Tamerius, university chaplain and director of the Center for Ethics and Global Studies, will accompany six students to Paris, Brittany and Normany as part of their French experience March 10-18.

"At William Woods University, we view education as a journey of discovery ... we believe the very best journeys are fed by curiosity in the world around us," Tamerius said. "Woods Around the World (WATW) is a unique approach to education that takes the student beyond the classroom and the textbook and into the real world of another culture."

"I'm excited to see the Eiffel Tower and just absorb and observe the culture as much as I can," said Alicia Delaney of St. Charles, Mo.

In preparation for their tour, the students have been meeting weekly to discuss different aspects of France and its history, including the French Revolution, the art collection in Louvre and architecture of the great cathedrals.

The main focus, however, has been on the events that took place on June 6, 1944 - the infamous day in history known as D-Day - and the legacy that was left behind.

"To prepare for this trip's particular itinerary, we have been learning about what happened at Normandy during World War II. We are also meeting with veterans of World War II to hear their individual stories," said Tamerius.

Along with visiting the American cemetery in Normandy, the WWU group will see Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, Chartres Cathedral and Monet's Giverny Gardens.

"I am just excited to finally be going to France," said Olivia Koselansky of Sterling Heights, Mich.. "I have wanted to take this trip ever since I began taking French classes in high school."

Woods around the World is in its sixth year of the program. Previous trips have included Peru, the American Civil Rights trail, a Holocaust tour, Italy and an Indian reservation in South Dakota. The location of the trip changes every year, but the reasoning behind each tour remains unchanged.

"We try to move around the globe looking for meaningful and educational trips that take into consideration a host of factors including student interest, affordability, our own resources and safety concerns," Tamerius said.

"Some of the trips are aimed at a cultural immersion experience. Some of them are focused on service-learning. All of them are attempts at fetching a good story, the kind of story that supports our academic mission at William Woods."

For more information about this and other Woods Around the World trips, check out the "Woods Around the World-William Woods University" YouTube slideshow at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht_9Cx3txoI and the Woods Around the World 2012 blog at http://watw2012.wordpress.com.