Roxanna Curto, an associate professor of French and Spanish at the University of Iowa , has transformed her classroom into a gateway to French-speaking Europe. With support from the International Programs’ Global Curriculum Development Award, Curto traveled abroad in summer 2025 to design a course that immerses students as “imaginary tourists” in French-speaking countries.
The introductory course, FREN:1500 Trip to Belgium, France, and Switzerland, guides students through history, cultures, and languages of various French-speaking regions in Europe through an imaginary journey that students undergo with their instructor.
“At each 'stop,' we discuss not only the local culture and major attractions, but contemporary political or social issues relevant to the area,” Curto said.
The course aims to spark curiosity about Francophone culture among students of all majors, making French-speaking Europe accessible without leaving Iowa.
“I wanted it to be a course that drew in students who wouldn’t necessarily be taking French courses otherwise—to get them interested in French and Francophone culture,” Curto said.
Curto credits the International Programs’ Global Curriculum Development Award for enabling her to spend three weeks abroad conducting research that shaped the content and structure of her new course.
“There was something about recording the videos and working on the textbook that gave me this sense of purpose."
“The award gave me the opportunity to see the cities and regions I wanted to teach about firsthand,” Curto said. “It was essential for designing a course that could transport students to French-speaking Europe from Iowa.”
During her trip, Curto visited Paris; regions of France; Belgium; Luxembourg; and Switzerland, spending each day exploring sites, filming videos, interviewing locals, and gathering other materials that would bring the class to life.
“I would get up in the morning, go visit a site, make a video … and in the evening I would prepare for the next day,” Curto said. “I felt like I had more fun doing that than I would have if I had just been on vacation. It was some of the best workdays I’ve ever had.
In addition to funding her travel, the award—combined with support from OpenHawks, a campuswide program promoting Open Educational Resources (OER)—helped Curto develop an open-access textbook designed specifically for the course.
“Once it’s finished, it will be accessible to professors and instructors everywhere,” Curto said. “It’s where the photos and videos will live, so students and professors can access it from other institutions. There was something about recording the videos and working on the textbook that gave me this sense of purpose.”
Curto also emphasized the importance of highlighting locations beyond France to showcase the cultural differences among French-speaking regions.
“We could have done an entire course on Paris,” Curto said. “But I decided that that’s not what I wanted to do. With Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, I wanted us to be able to talk about how they’re each unique and very different from the U.S. entirely.”
Students taking the course during the fall 2025 semester have already shared positive feedback.
“A couple of students are traveling to Europe over winter break, and they’re really excited to apply their knowledge to their trip,” Curto said.
Curto plans to offer more sections of the class next semester and hopes to inspire more students to continue learning the language.
“Even if they don’t ever make it to France, they learn a lot about the history and the culture,” Curto said. “Hopefully, in some cases, they will actually make it abroad—maybe go study abroad—and be able to use their knowledge on a practical level.”
Through the course, Curto hopes students gain not only language exposure but also encouragement to continue taking more classes or to travel abroad.
“This class gives them another perspective on their own culture and a better perspective on the world.”
The Global Curriculum Development Awards support faculty members who create a new undergraduate or graduate course, or substantially revise an existing course, integrating international or global perspectives into an undergraduate or graduate major.
Learn more about the Global Curriculum Development Awards
International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement. IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.