During Commencement weekend, graduating students and their families are invited to a faculty seminar presentation by Zoë Kontes, NEH Distinguished Teaching Professor of Classics, and Iris Levin, associate professor of biology and environmental studies.
Traveling abroad enriches classroom teaching and learning by engaging with the course material firsthand, sparking curiosity and enthusiasm, and fostering new perspectives. Course-embedded travel is not new at Kenyon, but generous donations enabled a pilot program with two fully-funded spring break trips, each a part of a semester-long course at the college. Offered in the spring semester 2025, two courses spent seven weeks learning in advance of the travel component and seven weeks integrating that travel experience into post-travel learning and reflection. CLAS 121: Greek Archaeology focused on the sites, monuments, artifacts and artisans of ancient Greece, and their context in the modern world. ENVS 291: The Galápagos Islands - Nature, People, Politics, and Conservation explored the intersection of science, culture, and the relationship between people and nature in the islands and at home in Gambier. In their lecture, Professors Kontes (CLAS 121) and Levin (ENVS 291) will share highlights of the teaching and learning experiences from their courses.