Marterm will be kicking off May 15, offering a wide array of opportunities for students interested in studying abroad. Among these options are East Meets West in the Balkans, ornithology in Texas, and art in Europe. Spearheaded by Profs. Meic Pearse, Eli Knapp, and Ted Murphy respectively, each professor is looking forward to embarking on these unique adventures with their students.
Although Professor Pearse describes the East Meets West program as “quite possibly the best honors program in the world,” he says it is equally “horrifying.” Since 2005, Professor Pearse has served as “fascist dictator” of the trip.
The objective of the East Meets West program, he explained, is to steep students in the culture of various civilizations throughout the globe, including the Catholic and Protestant West, the Orthodox East, and the Muslim world. His students study these civilizations through the lens of history, literature, political science, theology, and art history.
According to Pearse, one of the most valuable lessons Houghton students learn is how to blend in with the natives. Teaching the students how to dress and behave in public helps defy the negative stereotypes that foreigners frequently have about American tourists. “It’s great PR for the U.S.,” Pearse explains. “Every year, somebody or other there will tell me: ‘This has improved my view of Americans.’”
Despite the myriad of experiences Pearse hopes his students will take home with them, he did not hesitate to outline the true primary objective of Mayterm. “Survival—it has been known,” he warned. “Take Mary Tyrrell ‘20, for instance…no, I mean seriously: please take her.” He then described the “fundamental misunderstanding among the students’ parents. They think my presence on Mayterm is to protect their little dahhlinks from the scary locals. On the contrary: I am there to protect the locals from the depredations of my students.” By the time the students return home, Pearse trusts the students will know better than to take another Pearse class.
Professor Knapp and his Ornithology students will be “exploring the nooks and crannies” of the Carlsbad caverns, the Rio Grande, and the Texan mountains. Other than “communing with nature,” he believes that “the most rewarding part of my Mayterm is helping students develop an interest in a subject (birds) that they can enjoy the rest of their lives.” He also commented that he enjoys getting to know his students and watch them get “ridiculously excited by the natural world.”
Lastly, art professors Ted Murphy, Gary Baxter, John Rhett, and Associate Professor Ryann Cooely will be travelling with students through Italy and Greece. They will specifically be exploring Athens, Venice, Florence, and Rome.
“Looking at art within a context is critical to understanding the significance of a piece,” explained Murphy. “Many of the works are still in the original setting…Nothing can prepare a student for the works of Michelangelo in the Vatican or the cycle of Frescoes by Raphael in the Stanza della Segnatura.”
Other than supervising daily excursions and arranging plans for lodging and transportation, the art professors will help students plan their time on free days.
Murphy reported his favorite aspects of the trip are getting to know his students, painting the region with the students who bring art supplies, enjoying the cultures of Rome and Tuscany, and having his wife, Nancy, along for the trip.
Additionally, Murphy stressed that the professors receive no extra pay for taking students on Mayterm. Rather, he explained of Mayterms that “we don’t teach them for the money—we teach them because they provide an outstanding opportunity for Houghton students to afford a special trip of life changing potential.” The longest standing study-abroad option at Houghton, the art department has been taking students to Europe since 1992.