Full Tour

"The empire on which the sun never sets."  London is a fitting place to start a conversation among American students about comparative education policy. We'll visit the British Museum to see the artifacts of 17th century Grand Tourist's travels, stop by some of London's historic universities to do a bit of compare and contrast with our own ideas of what higher education looks like, and begin our thinking about "What makes a Global Scholar?"  (Option to go to Oxford)

Paris has always been synonymous with a cosmopolitan ideal...high art, high fashion, high culture.  We'll walk through the history of student culture in Paris from medieval classes along the walls of Notre Dame to the strikes of 1968 to today's tensions between public and private universities. We'll also talk to some digital nomads...new kinds of global citizens. (Option to go to Brussels)

Our course wraps up in Rome with a final comparison of student life from the age of Aquinas to todays Erasmus Globus scholars.  But this doesn't have to be the end.  Students are strongly encouraged to plan a few more days...either continuing on to Amalfi or heading to other easy-to-get-to-destinations around Europe.  By now you should feel comfortable traveling...true Global Scholars.

Switzerland & Germany were regular stops on the Grand Tour and a tourist destination for generations of elite travelers since.  The Swiss host of dozens of international schools where the elite from around the world send their children.  Taking the train from Paris, we'll travel to Heidelberg or Lake Geneva (TBD) to expand our comparative perspective.

The University of Bologna is arguably the oldest western university. It was also the birthplace of the Bologna Process, a diplomatic initiative to create one European Higher Education Area. In Bologna, we'll visit the Museum of the University Student with artifacts from centuries of student life.  We'll explore the phenomenon of Erasmus and the creating of a European idea through student exchange.  And eat...Bologna's food is legendary. (Option to stop in Florence)

The South...Pompeii, Amalfi, and More