Two Students Take Semester To Study In Italy
From Venice in the northeast to Naples in the southwest, TFC students are traversing the beautiful Italian peninsula as they study abroad this semester.
Rachael McDonald is a Counseling Psychology major with Rome With Purpose this entire semester, centered in Rome. Adam Norman is an Outdoor Leadership Education major with Saints Bible Institute in San Lorenzo, north of Venice. All of their credits in this program will apply to their TFC degree. Both Rachael and Adam will visit Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, and Rome, the Eternal City. Her coursework includes trips to Naples and Pompeii, while his includes excursions to Venice. Both will have courses in Italian culture, church history, and art, all of which are delivered with a Christian worldview. Both students will have deep exposure to the sites that make these iconic cities important.
Dr. Brian Shelton was a professor with Rome With Purpose when he visited in January to teach “History of Ideas,” a course integrating history, theology, art, and literature in Western thought and culture. Rachael was in this class. He remarks, “Studying on-site provides a powerful component of seeing and visiting the places that one studies in the classroom. In the morning, we discuss Peter’s crucifixion and the tone of Caravaggio’s art; in the afternoon, we go to Piazza del Popolo and see Caravaggio’s Martyrdom of Peter on its original church wall.” Likewise, Dr. Randy Hollingsworth was a professor at Saints Bible Institute this year. Besides these being great experiences for students, professors have the opportunity to participate in studies abroad with our students. When professors and students unite overseas, the TFC experience is formidable.
Dr. Shelton says further, “These are tremendous programs to help students assimilate their learning into experiences that they will remember for a lifetime. Learning comes easier, clearer, and richer when the ideas can be visited, touched, and seen first-hand.”
For more information on the study abroad programs at TFC, visit https://tfc.edu/academics/study-abroad or contact Jason Jordan at jasonjordan@tfc.edu.
