Panola College summer courses include tour of France, Italy
This summer Panola College will take the concept of distance learning to a new level by offering four courses with a 10-day field trip to Paris, the Riviera and Rome in July 2007. The field trip portion of the courses will be led by Professors Mike and Teresa Beasley, and accompanied by a multi-lingual tour director employed by the Cultural Heritage Alliance, a professional educational tour organization. CHA has offered educational tour opportunities for almost 40 years.
Professors Mike and Teresa Beasley will teach four online courses in conjunction with the field trip including English 2332 and 2333, World Literature I and II; Communications 1318, Photography I; and Humanities 1302, a survey of film and journalism.
Participants have the option of taking the coursework for college credit, or taking only the field trip portion of the package.
“When I led a course with field trip to Great Britain two years ago, we had mothers and daughters, and another family that included both parents and a grandmother accompanying the college student,” Mike said.
“It’s a great opportunity for families to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime cultural experience together, and would make a great gift for a graduating high school senior,” Teresa added.
Participants wanting college credit may choose one or two of the offered courses to earn up to six hours of college credit. All coursework will be taught via WebCT through the college’s distance learning department. Tuition fees are in addition to the field trip cost.
“Our field trip to Great Britain was a great learning experience and lots of fun,” said Mike. “Now we can enhance the coursework through WebCT before we leave. Students will enjoy the convenience of online courses. They can access the course materials any time, anywhere. Easy accessibility makes the online course especially helpful to students enrolled at Texas A&M, SFA, and other schools on distant campuses. An individual’s questions can be instantly addressed through an email or a phone call. We have designed course content that will be both enjoyable and meaningful. When the participants arrive in Paris and Rome, they will have an English-speaking tour guide.”
Students taking the course for credit will spend half the required hours participating in the online learning, with the field trip comprising the remainder of the coursework.
Students will keep photo and written journals of their field trip, including a critique of a theatrical performance, museum tour or other significant experience.
The 10-day field trip includes the following itinerary:
Day 1: Depart from the U.S.
Day 2: Paris (arrival and walking tour)
Day 3: Paris – (including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum)
Day 4: Paris-Versailles-Overnight Train to Nice
Day 5: Nice-Eze-Monaco-Nice (includes the Royal Palace of Monaco)
Day 6: Nice-Pisa-Florence (includes drive along the Riviera coast, the Leaning Tower, and a walking tour of Florence)
Day 7: Florence (view Italian Renaissance masterworks including Michelangelo’s David)
Day 8: Florence-Rome (travel through Tuscany to Rome for a walking tour)
Day 9: Rome: (Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, the Roman Forum and Colosseum)
Day 10: Depart for the U.S.
Tour price includes round-trip air transportation, seven nights in three and four-star hotels, one overnight train, the full-time services of a multi-lingual tour director, breakfast and dinner daily; all on-tour transportation services, guided city sightseeing and walking tours.
“The cost for the trip is another advantage of going to Europe with an educational tour group,” Mike said. “It would be hard to beat our price, which is under $3,000 and includes two meals a day. Also, CHA allows you to pay in increments.”
Seating is limited to 30 participants. For more information contact Professor Mike Beasley at 903-693-2080, email mbeasley@panola.edu, or Teresa Beasley at 903-693-1117, email tbeasley@panola.edu.
Panola College is an equal opportunity institution that provides educational and employment opportunities on the basis of merit and without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status or disability. Applicants under the age of 18 should be accompanied by an adult guardian or make special arrangements with the instructors.