Written by Jess Ardrey
Students enrolled in international programs are currently in the last legs of free travel, making their way around foreign countries before they head back to the States.
On campus, however, plans are in the works for a brand new international program for summer 2012 – HOT: the Harding Olympic Tour.
HOT is a three-week program offered by International Programs and the Kinesiology Department. The tour is set to follow a course around Europe, detailing some of the biggest moments in the history of the Olympic Games.
HOT will start in Athens, home to the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, as well as the site of the more recent 2004 Games. From there, they will travel to Rome (home of the 1860 Games), Munich (1972), and finally London for the first week of the 2012 summer Olympics.
The program will allow students to visit some of the more iconic places connected to the Games, including Olympia, the site of the ancient games from 776 B.C. to A.D. 395 They will also study the differences between the Greek and Roman cultures of athletics, as well as visit the Colosseum in Rome, Italy.
For the 2012 Games, they have applied for tickets for various venues, including swimming, water polo, archery, gymnastics, volleyball, soccer and others. In May they will find out which events they will actually attend.
Associate professors of kinesiology Dr. J. D. Yingling and Dr. Jessica Moore from the Kinesiology Department are the professors leading the program. Course credits are available for up to six hours from KINS 206, KINS 323 or HUM 273. According to Moore, most of the material will be on-line, giving them the opportunity to focus on the sites while traveling.
The idea for the HOT program came about during the planning of the Honors College’s coffee tour last summer. The proposal got the OK from Dean of International Programs Dr. Jeff Hopper, who, according to Yingling, was instrumental in getting the program approved.
“I think students who attend HOT will gain an appreciation of other cultures from traveling across Europe,” Yingling said. “They will gain an understanding of the huge impact of sports on the ancient and modern culture of the world. Most of all, students will build relationships with others during the trip and experience events that will result in lifelong memories.”
For more information, contact the International Programs Office atinternational@harding.edu, or call at 501-279-4529.
