Welcome to the Blog!

At Maryville College, experiential education, especially through travel, is a vital part of what it means to become a well-rounded student of the liberal arts. To pursue this experience, we, sophomores Caroline Redmond and Elizabeth Newman, along with 15 other students, psychology professor Dr. Lori Schmied and biology professor Dr. Paul Threadgill, are embarking on a travel adventure to Wales and Northern Ireland during January 2009. In the SOC 200 "Celtic Connections with Appalachia" class, the group hopes to appreciate the rich Celtic culture, understand the effects of oppression by outside groups, recognize connections between the Celtic world and Appalachia, explore the natural history of the Celtic region and finally engage with actual people living in another culture. (Image above: Our group is posing for photographer Angela White after a December meeting. Notice the black t-shirts; we bought them custom-made!)

It will doubtlessly be an incredible journey! The following is our group's tentatively packed itinerary between flying out from and returning to Knoxville on Jan. 6 and 22, respectively:

For seven days in Wrexham, Wales, we plan to take a Celtic studies course at Glyndwr Univeristy and visit the Conwy and Caernarvon Castles.
For seven days in Belfast, Northern Ireland, we plan to take a city tour, visit the Ulster-American Folk Museum, see the Giant's Causeway, attend a social event with the Ulster-Scots agency and visit the Jackson home place and castle.
Finally, we plan to pass our last three days in Dublin, Ireland. (For your information, this is where our time is set on the blog.)

We, your hosts, want to send out a warm welcome! We hope to provide you with incredible descriptions and photos (from the group's photographers, Marissa Pullins and Angela White) throughout our experience. Keep checking for posts! We promise to write whenever we spot an Internet cafe nearby!