One student wrote "Our class' trip to Greece was an amazing experience. I never thought I would be able to see so many beautiful sights and learn so much in just one week!"
Kaley Carr's impression of the monuments "I don't think anything could have prepared for how breathtaking the ruins actually were! I underestimated their size."
Another student said "I thought the course was a great way to experience the history of psychology, actually seeing where the science was born was incredible and a once in a lifetime chance. I would suggest this type of course in any psychology student. I learned so much and had a blast while doing it."
Doga Karyaldiz impression at Socrates' cave was "It's mind-blowing to be in the presence of such a historical site where one of the greatest minds in the history of the entire world stood/was held prisoner. The impact Socrates had is immense. I still can't believe I had the opportunity to stand where he once stood"
One of the many highlights for the instructor was to talk about Aristotle's Lyceum at such historical site.
Kaila Nix impression of the Epidaurus Theater "This theater shows how truly beyond their time the ancient Greeks were in understanding engineering aspects of architecture. This astounding theater was not only old and beautiful but also shared astounding acoustics. I dropped a coin in the middle of the theater and the people at the very top were able to hear it crisply and loudly. To this day they still use this theater for concerts and festivals because the acoustics of the theater work just as well as the electronics amplifiers that we use today."
Seriously, Greece is more than just historic sites!
As one of the instructors of the course my expectations were exceeded, not only did the students have an exciting learning experience but they also established life long relationships.
For some of the students this was their first international travel experience. Here you see a group of students cooling off in the Aegean Sea.
Jonathan Sofian's comments: "I thought the country was beautiful and the weather was perfect every day. What I liked the most: Greek Food! Overall, I couldn’t have been happier with the outcome of the trip." He also added "Greece was incredible but there is no place like home (USA)."
Spring 2012 -Athens, Greece
The first travel course was offered in the spring 2012. A group of 13 students a long with the instructors visited Athens, Greece. Prior to flying into Athens we held several class sessions. These sessions were devoted to the Greek contributions to psychology, general history, and the “ins and outs” of international travel. For many of the 13 students, this was their first international experience. During the seven day trip the students visited many of the sites of importance to psychology and western civilization. These include the Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike, The Propylaia, The Theatre of Dionysos, The Odeum of Herodes Atticus, The Roman and Greek Agoras, The Library of Hadrian, and The Tower of the Wind (Horologion). Of special interest were the visits to Aristotle’s “Lyceum” which rivaled for a short time the Academy of Plato, the prison where Socrates was held, the Olympic Stadium which was the site of the first modern Olympics, and Constitution Square (Syntagma) where we saw the changing of the guards.
In addition to Athens, we spent time visiting ancient Corinth located about three hours from Athens. In Hellenistic times Corinth was a populous city and commercial center. A highlight of our visit to Corinth was the “Diolkos.” The Diolkos was a paved road where ships were dragged between the Saronic and Corinthian Gulf. This road was replaced by a rather impressive canal built by the French linking the Aegean and Ionian seas. Another site was Mycenae located near Corinth. Although we spent only a short time there, it was thrilling to see the home of Agamemnon. We also spent time at an ancient monastery, also located near Corinth.
Seeing the sites associated with psychology and western civilization was exciting for all of us. Equally exciting was the opportunity to interact with the Greeks, try exotic food, and shop. The Greeks we met were all friendly and the food excellent. Some of the students even tried Greek dancing. Although the dollar is not worth much anymore, students were able to find bargains including rugs and various souvenirs.
