Throughout the trip, I have been inspired to take up new forms of note taking and studying as the courses on this trip are very unique as to any other class I’ve ever taken. I was able to begin to understand the importance of handwritten notes and class engagement as it pertains to retaining information. I learned that getting off of my computer and putting pen to paper in class allows me to be more active with the material being presented. On a similar note, given that we were studying the renaissance at the time of this discovery and being in Florence, I decided to, simply, walk around. During this, I found the relevant buildings as it pertained to what we were studying as well as the statues of the important people of the renaissance. These were primarily in the Galleria di Uffizi but the buildings and artwork of such important people were spread out throughout the city. On this walk I was able to analyze not only the art behind these sculptures but also the importance of the placement throughout the city and the galley. The most interesting thing that I found when doing this was the head of Lorenzo the Magnificent’ s brother on a pedestal behind him in his statue. From a global leadership perspective the most interesting thing that I learned during this active studying was the importance of using connections in the maintenance of power. Whether it be the reinstatement of the Medici’s as a higher power when Alessandro de Medici became the Duke of the Florentine republic after being overthrown for trying to become a monarchy or even the use of connections to make a Medici a Pope the consolidation of power and respect depends greatly on the use of connections. For a future aggie taking a study abroad in Italy, I highly recommend embracing the city as much as possible. In most all cities in Italy, the architecture and art, while it looks pretty, has so much to offer from a historical perspective.
