Immersed in Culture – In Auburn and Abroad

The college of human sciences is home to several areas of study including human development and family studies, nutrition and food sciences, hotel and restaurant management and consumer affairs. Within these schools are even more focused instructional programs.

One of these focuses within consumer affairs is apparel merchandising, design and production management. According to the CHS Web site:

“Students who major in AMDP choose to specialize in one of two options: Apparel Merchandising or Product Design and Production Management. Students take a core of courses providing a foundation for merchandising and/or product design and production management. Students in both options participate in a ten-week professional internship during their senior year.”

Sarah Gruber, a senior majoring in apparel design, hopes to use her degree to become a designer and eventually own her own boutique. Gruber also studied abroad with the college of human sciences last semester.

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“I studied abroad in Ariccia, Italy,” said Gruber. “We studied and traveled all throughout Italy. I recommend that everyone studies abroad because you become a more culturally aware person and you learn about yourself.”

According to the CHS Web site Italy section:

“As early as the 16th century it became fashionable for young noble men, and later women, to embark on a tour of Europe as a culmination of their educational experience. This experience, known as the Grand Tour, typically lasted from a few months to as many as eight years. Italy, with its ancient heritage, became one of the most popular destinations on the Grand Tour as these young men and women visited Rome, Florence, Venice, and Naples and immersed themselves in all facets of the foreign culture including, language, art, architecture, history, literature, food, clothing, and local customs. While abroad, travelers were expected to represent their home county, develop relationships with the people in the host county, and maintain these relationships through correspondence after their return home. Most young adults who participated in the Grand Tour kept diaries or journals describing their experiences and interactions with the local culture. There are many books describing the grand tour including, Jeremy Black’s Italy and the Grand Tour and Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad.”