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A Semester Living, Learning, and Researching in Exeter
ExeterA SEMESTER LIVING, LEARNING AND RESEARCHING IN
N THE SPRING OF 2020, 15 Honors students travelled to the University of Exeter for a semester abroad with Judy Genshaft Honors College Associate
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Dean, Dr. Lindy Davidson and Honors instructor, Dr. Adam Davidson. Located approximately three hours west of London, the university was founded in 1855 and is ranked among the top 10 universities in Europe. It is also a member of the Russell Group, a consortium of elite universities in the United Kingdom, similar to the American Association of Universities (AAU). While in Exeter, the USF students took courses with both their Honors instructors and with Exeter faculty. This allowed them to bond with their cohort while also experiencing British campus life and forging friendships with scholars from all over the world. They joined “guilds” (i.e. clubs), played on the university’s sports teams, and participated fully in the campus and city communities. Although their time abroad was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the students were able to make important connections while in country and complete the semester virtually.
IPartners at the University of Exeter were impressed by the Honors students in both the 2019 and 2020 trip cohorts and formed additional partnership opportunities through their Wellcome Center. The Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health is a research group at the University of Exeter in England comprising graduate students, research fellows, and faculty. Focusing on an interdisciplinary, communityoriented view of health and wellness, the Wellcome Centre engages in research combining physical, mental, social, cultural, and policy-related aspects of health. The Centre is sponsored by the Wellcome Trust, a charitable foundation focused on health research and based in London. During the 2020 Semester in Exeter exchange program, Dr. Lindy Davidson initiated a collaboration between the Wellcome Centre and the students of her “Creative Community Collaborations in Health: Interdisciplinary Research in Medical Humanities” class. After the first gathering of the two groups, many Honors students identified research topics of interest and began their own partnerships with
Photos: Right, Cultural Pathways class in Topsham.
Opposite page: Top, The Quay; bottom left, along the bridleways; bottom right, the train to Topsham.
– Dean Charles Adams
After her return home and as a culmination of knowledge gained through her collaboration with Wellcome Center PhD student Veronica Heney, Honors student Laila Schulz wrote a children’s book depicting self-harm in a sympathetic way to reach children before they are exposed to social stigma and teach them the importance of seeking help when they are hurting.
PhD students and research fellows. Despite the early end to the study abroad experience, the Honors students still found success in their collaborations with the Wellcome Centre team.
A successful collaboration from the interaction between USF Honors student Laila Schulz and Wellcome Centre PhD student Veronica Heney resulted in a studentauthored book. Focusing on Heney’s research regarding the limited and uninformed representations of self-harm in the media, the two began their collaboration with a friendly connection and meetings over coffee. During the course of the semester, the two continued to meet, with Laila ultimately participating in an event Veronica was hosting on the subject. Laila said of her experience: “I looked forward to our meetings every time. It didn’t feel like work at all.” After her unplanned return home and as a culmination of what she learned throughout their collaboration, Laila wrote a children’s book depicting self-harm in a sympathetic way to reach children before they are exposed to social stigma and teach them the importance of seeking help when they are hurting.
While not all partnerships culminated in the completion of a project, Honors students reported significant benefits from the mentorship of Wellcome Centre PhD students and research fellows.
In describing their time abroad, the Spring 2020 Exeter students – and Wellcome Centre collaborators – expressed profound appreciation for the Wellcome Centre, particularly its interdisciplinary approach to health, the warmth and passion of the researchers, and the real impact they are making on the local communities.
In Spring 2022, another group of USF Honors students will be traveling to Exeter, and once again, will engage in meaningful collaboration with the Wellcome Centre. “I look forward to continued meaningful partnerships between our students and faculty and the researchers at the Centre” said Charles Adams, Judy Genshaft Endowed Honors Dean. “This opportunity ties together all three of our Honors educational pillars – research, global engagement, and community service – in a way that allows students to collaborate to truly make a difference in the lives of others. I am grateful to the Centre’s director Dr. Mark Jackson and his remarkable staff for making this collaboration possible.”
– Honors student, Emily Fendrick, who participated in the 2020 Semester in Exeter program, contributed to this story
Photos: Pg. 24 - Honors students participating in the Semester in Exeter program had the opportunity to enjoy dinner abroad with Dean Adams and his wife, Rhonda.
