About the Excursion
Anchored at KSU, the 17-day immersion experience brimmed with a full agenda and long hours (typically 9 am to 7 pm) in a fast-paced program sandwiched between spring term and summer. Daily class meetings with faculty and student presentations in the morning prepared participants for thematically focused excursions. Field trips included museums and sites of Georgia’s history and culture. Tours of Atlanta and surrounding areas, NW Georgia (Native American focus), NE Georgia (Lillian E. Smith Center, Helen, Tallulah Gorge), SW Georgia (FDR’s Little White House), and two weekend trips to Milledgeville and Savannah (focus on plantation culture, Flannery O’Connor, and German heritage in Georgia) rounded out the seminar. Faculty from six disciplines volunteered time and expertise to enrich the participants’ learning experience. UPB and KSU learners partnered to explore content areas and study sites, most of which were unfamiliar to both. In this unprecedented collaboration and course delivery format, the transformative value of the learning experience cannot be overstated, precisely because it drew from such a diverse group and curriculum.