EC EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SUMMER PROGRAMS: A Classroom with a (Venetian) View

Thursday, June 7, 2018

A Classroom with a (Venetian) View - June 7 2018

Today we were fortunate enough to have class on the second story of a harbor-side cafe at the harbor in Chania'a Old City. Chania is a breathtaking city that gushes with history at every possible crevice. As one of Europe's oldest continuously populated settlements, the layers of the port-city's history are literally built on top of one another. We took a tour of the Old City on Sunday which set the stage for what would become today's classroom. As a student of history, naturally I was instantly drawn to this setting. There is something magical about discussing the geopolitical importance of islands while looking out the window and seeing a centuries old port that was instrumental in naval dominance of the Eastern Mediterranean. Venice, a speck at the north of the Adriatic Sea, was a powerhouse with a presence on Crete from the 13th to 17th centuries. Chania and Venetian harbors like it helped the Venetians prosper. The backdrop created an intimate connection to the content, in addition to making it feel all the more real. As someone studying to be an educator, I have found myself drawn to this sort of excursion-based learning. This was a wonderful experience I hope I am able to replicate for my future students. However, I am unsure I will ever be able to provide them with a view as spectacular of that in Chania.

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EC Eastern Security Studies Program

In the summer of 2011, as the "Arab Spring" was unfolding and the "Eurozone Crisis" was entering its second year, the Emmanuel College Eastern Mediterranean Security Studies Program was established in Crete, as a way to make the location the classroom. Beyond the grand theoretical, historical and political understanding that can be achieved through reading and classroom discussion and exchange, a more immediate, intimate and truer appreciation of the complexities can only achieved by experiencing the cultures, languages of personal interaction.

Since 2012 students have been able to combine an intensive curricular study, with the experience of immersion and living in a local setting. The geopolitical and geoeconomic forces that have acted in the region for centuries, can be identified in the classroom, but they can only be understood by being there. This year's EC EMSS Program will add a fourth week of study, experience and exploration and will also travel to the islands of Rhodes, and Cyprus. In Rhodes we will be partnering with the Prefecture of Southern Aegean and the Aegean University, while in Cyprus we will be hosted by the University of Nicosia.