A new class at Florida International University will teach students how to be a tourist in the 305.
Beginning this fall, the “Miami in Miami” course will provide the university’s Honors College students a chance to study abroad without leaving greater Miami. The course is led by professor John Bailly, a French-American artist who has been overseeing student summer trips to Europe for the last 10 years.
“In order to have a sense of community, one must understand place and to converse with people,” said Bailly who noted that he was surprised to hear from his students that they had never snorkeled or kayaked through Miami’s mangroves.
“I think as Miamians we often take the uniqueness of our city and the opportunities it presents us for granted. I want all of us to discover the real Miami and to familiarize ourselves with our fellow citizens,” he said.
The course will require students to visit historical and more off-the-beaten-track spots. One activity is taking a hike from the Deering Estate to the Cutler Fossil Site in south Miami-Dade with Deering Estate director Jennifer Tisthammer. Students will also tour Vizcaya Museum and Gardens and Vizcaya Village in Coconut Grove. (For history buffs, Vizcaya’s first owner, businessman James Deering, used the majestic estate as a winter getaway from 1916 to 1925. His brother, industrialist Charles Deering owned the Deering Estate to the south along Biscayne Bay.)
Another project involves canoeing to Chicken Key in Biscayne Bay where students will have to clean up the area by filling boats with trash and returning it to shore. There is also a “Miami Metrorail Day” when students get day passes and ride the light rail as it traverses the county. Part of the assignment requires that they get and off in different neighborhoods and document what they see.
Other assignments include taking a tour through Miami’s internationally famous Wynwood arts district and seeing Martin Margulies’ personal collection of contemporary art at the Margulies Collection. Students will also be able to check out the graffiti-inspired murals splashed on the sides (and in some cases, the tops) of local businesses.
There’s also a tour of the Little Haiti Cultural Complex and its surrounding neighborhood which has been undergoing change with new housing developments. And there are trips to ArtMiami during Miami Art Week and slough slogging at Everglades National Park.
It will be hard to skip class. To prove that they visited the locations, students will have to snap a selfie next to a landmark and share it in the class’s WhatsApp group chat.
And instead of research papers, students will be required to write about their cultural experiences in the Miami As Text blog where they will also post photos of the places they’ve visited.
“I want students to know the authentic Miami. But that is very immediate. There’s a broader lesson of engaging in a permanent quest for a deep understanding of all people, places, and ideas,” Bailly said. “Not only will students learn about Miami, but I hope they learn how to explore and discover the richness and diversity of all places.”
No word yet whether there will be assignments to the beach.
