Honors students at Penn State Brandywine have been busy this semester with a slew of different events and projects. Students started off the semester with debates, the launch of the Literary Blog, and traveling the world. A few students took some time to share their experience traveling with Penn State Brandywine.
Becca Brophy, participated in Dr. Greene’s, INART 1/ARTH 100 “Introduction to the Arts in Vienna and Prague” during the summer semester. The course was centered on musical forms present in Vienna and Prague and students were required to conduct research on the musical history of the area. Students looked at influential classical composers like Mozart, Beethoven, Hayden and the like. Of her experience she said:
While abroad, Dr. Greene encouraged us to take in a variety of musical forms, including modern music. Fulfilling the Classical music requirement, I attended a performance by the Vienna Residence Orchestra at the Palais Auersperg that performed the music of Classical composers Mozart and Strauss. Other types of musical experiences I had involved watching a folk band perform outside St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna and attending a local jazz club, called the Ungelt Jazz and Blues Club, where a well-known band performed a variety of compositions using the bass cello, piano, and drums. The Vienna and Prague study abroad program really helped to expand my knowledge of musical forms as well as prove to me that just like I see here in America, certain music is popular worldwide.
Students also traveled to Paris to explore French culture. Damien Melendez, who received a travel grant for this trip, took Professor Cynthia Lightfoot’s “Youth Culture in Paris” which dealt with adolescent psychology and its relation to the Parisian youth culture. Trip courses are blended; students are expected to work both collaboratively with the professor and independently before and after the trip. While in Paris, students explored the city to both immerse themselves in the culture, but also to examine related topics to their course work.
To check out pictures from the debates, see Brandywine Honors Flickr. To see blog posts, check out the Literary Launch Blog. For more information about previous and future trips, check out PSU Brandywine Global Programs.