ADVENTURES AT FRANKLIN

And we are back! Students have returned to campus from exciting international experiences, and are gearing up for final exams and winter break. I have interviewed some students about their memories from Academic Travel, and here is what they have to say: ... Name : Ethan Chong Year : Junior Major : International Management with an emphasis in Marketing Hometown : Denver, Colorado Academic Travel Location : Barcelona, Spain What was the focus of the course? “The focus of the course this year was specific to the current political situation between Catalonia and the greater Spain. We concentrated on what was going on, why it was happening, and if people actually wanted independence.” What was your favorite learning moment? “When we spoke with the dean of one of the universities there. He told us all about his own perspective, because he is from Barcelona. He explained to us that a lot of people feel like they are being treated unf...

This semester has flown by, filled with a myriad of fun events which have been packing Franklin students' schedule tight. Holi: Festival of Colors My absolute favorite Franklin event is Holi, the Indian celebration of colors, meant to ring in spring and celebrate life. This year's festivities were no exception -- it was an incredible event which a majority of the student body turned out for!    Franklin Seniors and best friends, celebrating Holi one last time! Lovely ladies representing Switzerland, Brazil, the U.S., Greece, and Saudi Arabia! TedX Lugano Another recent successful spring event was the third annual TEDx Lugano , which attracted a host of Franklin faces, as well as local Lugano residents. This TEDx event focused was themed "Future Wealth" and some of Franklin's very own professors were speakers at this amazing event on campus. The speakers at the event included medical visionaries, designers, international explorers, in...

Photo courtesy of delapaix.ch Hi everyone! I hope you all had lovely and productive weeks. This past weekend we celebrated Carnevale here in Ticino , which meant Franklin students had the opportunity to dress up and participate in the ample festivities in the region. Rabadan , the carnival which takes place in Bellinzona each February, is one of the largest carnevale celebrations in Switzerland, along with the events that take place in Basel and Luzern around this time. During this time you can find many Franklin students heading to Bellinzona, about 30 minutes away by train, to celebrate. Carnevale in Bellinzona was founded in 1800s, but has gained in popularity immensely in the hundred-plus years since its initiation. This year was the 153rd celebration of Carnevale, which involves local bands performances, children's parades, costumes, and traditional foods and drinks. There is actually even a Rabadan committee - each year a King and Queen are appointed to pre...

Downtown Lugano this weekend Hello everyone and welcome back to the blog! I am so thrilled to be joined this semester by our original Adventures at Franklin blogger, Jessica. She is back after spending a year studying in the United States and we are thrilled to welcome her back. We will be combining our experiences and different backgrounds this spring to publish a series of posts that we hope you will find entertaining, informative, and fun to read, including an alumni feature, a spotlight on the academic resources at Franklin, a post about the Graduate studies program, an Academic Travel post. But we also want to hear about topics you want to learn more about, so tell us more in comments section. Parco Ciani , a 20 minute walk from campus I am looking forward to this spring, but it is so bittersweet. Four years came and went in a blink of an eye and I cannot believe I have finally reached our last semester at Franklin. I am headed to South Africa for Academic Travel...

Hello Lugano! Senior year has been a time of reflection as I navigate through these last months here at Franklin. There are countless lessons I've learned over these past four years, but I thought it would be fun to narrow it down to 10 key lessons to share with prospective students. Exploring Ponte Tresa, a nearby town across the border in 2012 1. Home becomes the people you love-- not a place. I have found more than ever I do not identify as much with Boston being my home, but home is the family that makes me happy, both here and in the United States. Lugano is my second home because of the students and members of the community who make it joyful, comforting, and exciting. 2. Office hours are REALLY important. During my first semester, I was too nervous to visit the office of several of my professors, and man, what a mistake that was. Our professors are such a huge resource Franklin offers, whether it is for academic support or just talking through a bad day, ...

Hi everyone! This is a post I've been wanting to do for a while, as I may have mentioned once or twice, for me, the most amazing part of Franklin is the incredible, and I truly mean incredible, connections between students and faculty. These professors have taught me so much both inside the classroom and outside on Academic Travel over the past three years and I wanted to interview a few of my favorites to hear their Franklin perspectives! So here we go, and I hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed interviewing these professors! Many thanks to all of them for their time and thoughtful answers. It is a pleasure being your student. Professor Patrick Saveau Originally from: Lyon, France Pre-Franklin: PhD at New York University Length of time teaching at Franklin: 15 years Courses he teaches: French + Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies (CLCS) Classes Professor Saveau, what do you enjoy most about the Franklin Community? I enjoy st...