ADVENTURES AT FRANKLIN

Another incredible Academic Travel period has come to a close, and stories are ready to be shared. There is nothing more rewarding than venturing to a destination that you have been studying for months, and watching the material come to life. Keep reading to find out more about some unique experiences from all over the world! … Name:  Professor Armando Zanecchia Academic Department:  Political Science/Business Academic Travel Course Title:  TVL 298 South Africa/Swaziland Briefly describe the AT course: what is the concept behind the course, where did the course travel to, and how long have you been leading this course? This course explores natural resource conservation, sustainability and cultural understanding in South Africa and Swaziland. I have been leading this course for 10 years. What was your favorite memory from this travel session? Did anything surprise you? Climbing Sibebe Peak in Swaziland, observing the Big 5 i...

Hello! Welcome to a new series called Swiss Cities in Depth . I'm interested in highlighting some of the great places Switzerland has to offer by featuring some of its cities here on the Adventures at Franklin blog. Since the majority of the country is accessible within several hours by train, these cities are also excellent to visit for a day or a weekend.  I thought that the best way to begin would be by writing about the city that Franklin calls home — Lugano. Technically, Franklin is located within a  Comune  (municipality) called Sorengo. However, Sorengo lies within the metropolitan area of Lugano, the largest city in Canton Ticino.  Geneva isn't the only city with a "Jet d'Eau" - Lake Lugano has one too. Ours is located in Paradiso, another Luganese municipality. Lugano has existed, albeit in a less developed form, for over 1000 years. There is proof the area was inhabited dating back at least to the 10th century, and artifacts discovered h...

Hello everyone! The past two weeks encompassed several of the most beautiful moments of my life so far. I had the great fortune to travel to South Africa with 22 seniors who I feel so grateful to know. Professor Zanecchia gave us the gift of a lifetime by sharing his time, energy and love of South Africa with our class. It's really difficult to put into words how incredible of an Academic Travel it was, but I will try! The theme of our travel course was Culture and Resource Conservation  where we focused on the challenges of economic and political development and the ties to wildlife and natural resource conservation. We were lucky enough to partner with a fantastic organization,  Conservation Global  and were led by Franklin alumna, Ellie Leaning '14, around the Cape Town region. Ellie worked in Boston before moving to South Africa to join Conservation Global. The organization was founded in 2011 with the motive to provide students within the facult...

Hello there! I just got back from Fall Academic Travel to Cyprus, and it was absolutely magical. This was my second-to-last Academic Travel  and therefore, very bittersweet. I couldn't help but reflect on my very first Academic Travel while I was there, when I went to London to study the Bloomsbury writers (Virgina Woolf, E.M. Forster, etc.). It was during that trip to London in October of 2012 with Professor Peat when I really began to understand what Franklin was about. I made friends on my freshman travel to London who I still count among my closest friends at Franklin four years later. It seemed very full circle to appreciate and remember how it felt to go on my very first fall travel, and now my very last fall travel.  On this trip, we explored the island of Cyprus, and it was interesting to learn about both the Greek and Turkish influences in the country. We focused on the history, culture, politics, and art of the island, and gained an insight on the mul...

Happy to be in Casablanca! Hi everyone! It's nice to be back here after Spring Academic Travel . Morocco was SO cool, wow, what an adventure! It was very different from any other Academic Travels I've done, and although it couldn't surpass my first and most favorite travel, to London with Professor Peat ; studying music and culture with Professor Saveau all over Morocco was definitely one for the books. We visited so many beautiful places, including Marrakech, Fez, Meknes, Essaouira, and Casablanca. My favorite city was Essaouira  on the coast. It had a very unique feel and a beautiful aesthetic, I had never even heard of the city pre-travel! It was nice to be able to go to the beach and eat the local fish, which was caught that day, right off the coast. Talk about fresh! Goats in a tree! (?) We went to Morocco to study music and were lucky enough to see many performances by all different groups of Moroccan musicians. I was very impressed by our Professo...