A Blog on McConnell Center Life

Robert Gassman ('18) This past month, I had the privilege of traveling to Oxford and London with the  McConnell Center, on a cross-cultural study experience centered upon the political, philosophical and literary tradition of the United Kingdom, and how that tradition has been inherited by the American people. Of the many famous and grand sights I witnessed, from Christ Church College at Oxford, to the gallery of the House of Commons during question day for Prime Minister May, one of the most moving locations I visited was a small cottage in the remote village of Sulgrave. This sixteenth century charming little farmhouse was the home of George Washington’s ancestor Lawrence Washington, an upper middle-class wool merchant of who was at the height of his career in the 1540s. The home itself was quaint but elegant, restored to resemble the original features of sixteenth and seventeenth century life in England. What struck me the most was not the sections of original floo...

Erica Gaither ('19) Earlier this week in a conversation with my good friend, the word “passion” came up. She shared with me that the word meant “that which drives you to live,” and ever since then I’ve found myself wondering what I consider my passion, in this particular moment of my life, to be. My passion is without a doubt, traveling. The spontaneity of moments, the overwhelming curiosity, the constant searching for more and more to see is everything that I live for. Every single day, even if just a moment, I reflect on my time abroad in Western Europe and hold with me the emotion and awe of wandering through the streets in Barcelona, Sweden, Amsterdam, London, Rome, Dublin and Paris. There is such a distinct feeling in the air that I associate with those particular cities, and I’ve kept them almost hidden within my mind and heart for safe-keeping. However, after that experience, I’ve also tried to separate it in a way that wouldn’t have me expecting the same type of ...

Isaac Feinn ('19) I walk inside, and the only sound I hear is the echo of my step as it reverberates through the colossal corridors of a Catholic Church. The voices of those in our group quiet as they join the hush of others staring down the nave, all wholly overcome by the gravitas of the ancient chapel.   Two rows of statues stare back at us from behind the altar; their gaze elicits Hebrews 12:1, saying to my group that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have stood for hundreds of years -- just like this building. Even beyond the stunning architecture, the history of the place overwhelms me. I am standing where people have worshiped since 1875 – people like J.R.R. Tolkien himself – and this feeling of immersing myself in their world sunk deep into my brain and paralyzed my mental faculties. All I could do was experience.   I could describe to the best of my ability exactly what I saw that day, but my words alone would insufficiently paint the f...

Nicole Fielder ('19) This summer, I’ve had the great fortune to bop all around the world. In the last month alone, I’ve gone from Louisville to Cincinnati to Boston to London to Oxford and back to London then on to Paris so we could make it to Shanghai, Xi’an, and Beijing. We’ve used almost every form of transportation in the process: planes, boats, buses, taxis, subways, and trains. In all this jumping around, I’ve realized I love the act of travel sometimes even more than the destinations themselves. The longer the ride, the better. Our 12-hour flight from Paris to Shanghai was the longest flight I had ever been on and it was definitely the best. That time window is a blank slate with endless possibilities and no expectation of accomplishing real work. On that flight alone, I read half my book, watched two movies and a TV show and slept more than I do on some school nights. Now that’s productivity I can get behind! And how about that airline food, am I right? But long ri...

Claire Gothard ('19) After studying Islamic Art in Morocco, I have been aware of the amazing artistic symbolism that contributes to the calming, focusing quality of historical gardens. I was ecstatic to see that in our first week in China we were not only visiting the Yu Gardens in Shanghai but also visiting Suzhou the home of many exquisite gardens. I was excited to compare the things I had learned and enjoy the beauty of these famous gardens. Yu Garden, Shangai, China The Yu Garden was a private garden, as many in China were. The winding landscape contains many beautiful shaded areas, buildings, walls, doorways, and even a small plaza they now use for traditional concerts. The plants include many trees and bamboo to provide shade and simulate a forest. The water features are large and include fish that you can see and bridges to cross. The importance of rocks in Chinese garden art is something I hope to learn more about. The rock formations, both in the garden and as in...

As part of my studies and preparations for China, I looked deeply into China’s domestic and regional challenges to better understand what kinds of issues inform and affect Chinese Political thought. The following is an analysis of these domestic challenges. While studying these challenges, I learned a lot about the different regions of China and the many different ethnic groups in China. While in Shanghai, I met many students from the various areas if China and surrounding China such as Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions. Meeting these students while having this background knowledge really helped me to connect and understand the Chinese people and culture in a deeper and more meaningful way. I believe that, as an American, understanding these topics can be incredibly helpful when traveling to China because it focuses on China’s domestic culture from an American perspective, both as a traveler and as a political scientist. As China continues to grow and develop at an ...

Sidney Cobb ('19) I will always remember the first time I walked into a medieval English pub–the dark wood, the low ceilings, the ambient lighting. I felt as though I was I stepping backwards through time into a place surrounded by history and magic. As a Kentuckian who had never stepped out of the United States, I had never touched walls that old or stood on a floor where so many of my idols had walked.   I truly felt like a part of history. Therefore, when talking with our host in Oxford, I felt distressed when I learned that pub culture was slowly dying with the newer generations. The younger crowd was more inclined to stay at home and watch movies rather than sit around a table with friends in the snug backroom of a pub. In America, I had never experienced anything quite like a pub, and, even now, I am struggling to adequately describe the experience, as it is not easily compared to anything in the States. When you sit in an old pub, surrounded by old friends or new acqua...

Nicole Fielder ('19) The air feels old in England. In St. Bartholomew’s Church in London, it feels particularly old. Not a mothy, musty old like I imagine the Wardrobe in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe does, but an electrified chill that hangs in the air. St. Bartholomew’s Church was built in the 12th century—older than anything I could encounter back home. It has witnessed over 900 years of history as patrons came to pray for present relief and future hope in its hallowed halls. If you look down, you’ll see that the Church continues to offer rest to its members because so many of them are buried underneath the tile. Many inscriptions and commemorative sculptures on the walls prompt visitors with an admonition: “As I am, you too shall be.” This message didn’t feel intended for me until I came across a person’s stone that shared my surname. That Fielder stone was simple. It did not boast a noble birth. It was at the back of the church, where the commoner...

Evan Clark ('20) Upon returning to the United States after spending nearly two weeks in the United Kingdom, I knew my excursion with the McConnell Scholars' Oxford Society had been one of the greatest of my life.   Two years ago I visited the United Kingdom as a member of an Education First tour group led by a teacher from my high school, but the few days I spent in the country in the spring of 2016 barely scratched the surface of British history and culture.   In contrast, my trip to England with my fellow McConnell Scholars provided me an unparalleled exposure to the history and literature of England through hands-on daytrips throughout the south of England and tours of Oxford and London.   One of the central lessons I took from this extraordinary trip came to my attention during the Oxford Society’s travel to Statford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.   As the McConnell Scholars rode toward the town, Dr. Andrew Rabin stressed the impor...