With any student experience that takes place in a different country, there are multiple opportunities that can be captured for the students to grow and learn from. Depending on where one goes and for what reason, the possibilities of what can be explored are vast.

For Associate Professor of Religion Dr. David Aune, he led his students in an exploration of the history, culture and religion that comprises of ancient Greece. Furthermore, Aune and his students learned about Greece closely enough that they got to stand where all of it took place.

This past spring break, Aune and the students in his religion course, “Paul in the Greco-Roman World,” travelled to Greece to study the life and missionary work of St. Paul, as well as the Greek communities described in the New Testaments, according to Aune.

“The trip had an educational value at so many different levels,” Aune said. “Prior to going on the trip, every student developed a ‘learning covenant’ to identify specific academic and social objectives that fit within the course.”

Along with the New Testament locations and Paul’s letters, Aune said his students also studied Greco-Roman background information about families, social life, political institutions, philosophy and religion.

After an exam, two major papers on the Pauline communities and one shorter paper dealing with cultural issues in Greece, Aune’s class reached spring break and travelled to Greece, where their education was further enhanced.

“The educational value for the trip cannot be overstated,” junior Kyle Gould said. “To learn about the ancient Greeks and Romans at the sites we were discussing was nothing short of incredible. Learning about Greek culture, not only by reading about it, but also by interacting with the Greek people should prove to be more lasting than simply reading a textbook.”

According to Aune, the class focused on visiting the New Testament communities in Philippi, Thessaloniki and Corinth, gaining greater information about St. Paul’s writings as a result.

“Our days included lectures on site at the locations, touring of the sites and student presentations at the sites, connecting background information with the religious significance,” Aune said. “There were also frequent occasional lectures and informational talks given during our bus rides between the locations.”

Aune said that the class’s first three days in Greece were spent in Thessaloniki, where they took a day trip to Philippi and visited churches, archaeological sites and museums. Evenings typically included a group dinner, a lecture about St. Paul and his significance and some free time to explore the city.

The fourth and fifth days involved travelling through central Greece to see other archaeological sites, monasteries and one of the centers of ancient Greek religion, Delphi. The final three days were in Athens to see the main sites and to take a day trip to Corinth.

“We were ‘in class’ for most of the day (from around 8 or 9 a.m. usually) until just before dinner, if not earlier,” Gould said. “This allowed for plenty of time to get to know our group members better and to interact with Greeks and explore the cities we were staying in.”

The students’ experiences posed new challenges and new opportunities for them to take part in.

“We got to see the way other people lived and although it was drastically different from the way we live…we learned to embrace and appreciate it,” junior Damaris Salas said.

Aune, Gould and junior Addie Runkle noted that other prominent Greek locations were also visited.

Such notable locales as Mt. Olympus, the Parthenon, and the tomb of Philip the II (Alexander the Great’s father) were explored to see where Christianity was first proclaimed in the ancient world.

“It sounds like a whirlwind of a trip,” Gould said, “but it was worth every last cent.”

Runkle said that for her, the trip was both educational and spiritual.

“I knew it was a religion class, but I didn’t think I would grow so much in my faith,” Runkle said.

“I consider myself a pretty strong Christian, so I thought this was a great opportunity to learn something new and travel. I think Dr. Aune did a fantastic job of preparing us for the trip and it was awesome to see the places the Bible talks about.”

Runkle also noted that different students read several of Paul’s letters at the locations that were described in those letters.

“It was awesome to visualize what Paul wrote about 2500 years ago!” she said.

Aune said that his students have since submitted a cultural reflection paper, a journal that was required for the trip, and they will finish a final research paper on a topic chosen in a consultation with him.

He also noted another study tour/humanities course planned for Spring 2012: REL 3SGI “Legacy of Paul and Peter in Italy,” with a similar program about the development of the Catholic church in Italy that will include visits to Florence, Assisi and Rome during next year’s spring break.