Gannon University is providing two leadership seminars for the spring semester that incorporate traveling the world.
It’s exciting and a good opportunity for students, Douglas King, Ph.D., an associate professor in the English department, said.
King, who is conducting the leadership seminars, called them an experiment and said this is his first time providing a course that integrates learning and traveling.
King described this class as “leadership in an international fashion.” The two seminar sections are connected to separate trips abroad.
The first trip will be to London during Gannon’s spring break – which is already full – with the Rev. Shawn Clerkin.
Clerkin convinced King to join him on the trip.
King said Clerkin “twisted my arm to go to London.”
The second trip will be on May 24 to Switzerland, Italy, Monaco and France and there is still plenty of room, King said.
Because of the two trips that are now involved, there are two sections to this leadership class – ENGL 240_01 and ENGL 240_02.
“When traveling you get to experience other cultures and see different countries around the world,” Lauren Chounet, a junior criminal justice major, said.
Although students can go on the trip without taking the seminar, the class is designed specifically for the trip, King said.
Students interested in taking the seminar must participate in one of the two trips abroad.
The cost for the May 24 trip is roughly around $3,000.
If students do have the time and money, King said the travel opportunities are a “once in a lifetime experience,” that also gets a seminar requirement out of the way.
This seminar has more exciting ideas behind it than others, Melissa Tackett, a junior physician assistant major, said.
The seminars feature pre- and post-classes that meet weekly before the trips occur to discuss leadership.
King said the fact that students are learning about leadership before they go on the trip makes this class different from other leadership seminars.
“Students have to take on roles as they make their way around an unfamiliar area,” he said.
While on the trips, students will be mainly on their own, with the exception of having breakfast together to discuss leadership roles they will be responsible for during their stay.
“I want them to have the experience of a lifetime and be able to reflect what it means to be a citizen of the United States and a member of the university,” King said.
