Summer Studies in the Czech Republic
July 1 - July 31, 2006
GENERAL INFORMATIONFor the second year in a row, the University System of Georgia is offering a summer study abroad program, “Summer Studies in the Czech Republic”, in partnership with the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic. This program will offer courses at both the core and major level that focus on the academic disciplines of biology, geography, music, international studies, and political science. Students from any of the colleges and universities within the University System of Georgia are eligible for enrollment in the program. Faculty members from the University System of Georgia will teach the classes. Faculty from the University of South Bohemia will serve as guest lecturers and will help with excursions to places including the local hospital, the European Union Center, neighboring towns and villages, and the famous city of Prague. A list of the participating institutions, with campus representatives for each, is included at the end of this brochure. Contact these persons for more information. Participants depart for the Czech Republic from the U.S. on July 1, 2006, and return on July 31, 2006. Students will be able to enroll for up to nine hours of academic credit in biology, geography, music, international studies, and political science. Classes will begin on July 4 and will be taught (on the University of South Bohemia campus) Monday through Thursday, leaving Friday free for students wishing to travel over the weekend to other parts of Europe. Many program courses will focus on new members to the European Union such as the Czech Republic and the kinds of challenges faced by those nations, thus offering a new perspective on the EU itself. Each course is described below. Field excursions will be integrated into the curriculum to enhance classroom instruction and can be offered in the afternoons or on alternate days with classroom instruction. Classes requiring laboratories will use some afternoons for labs and others for excursions. All classes will be designed so as to take advantage of the geographical location of the University of South Bohemia and its historical, political, and socioeconomic significance to Europe. PROGRAM LOCATIONThe site for the four-week program is the University of South Bohemia (USB) campus which is located in České Budĕjovice, a town of approximately 100,000 inhabitants about 150 kilometers south of Prague in the Czech Republic. Founded in the 13th century, České Budĕjovice has become the largest city in South Bohemia and is the political and commercial capital of the region. Its old square dominated by the Black Tower is Bohemia's oldest medieval square of rectangular shape. Students will enjoy the cobble stoned alleys, outdoor cafes, and cozy nightlife of the city center located only a short walk from the USB campus. A major advantage to the program's Central European location is the excellent rail service between České Budĕjovice and other areas of Europe. Students will be able to travel easily throughout the region and the rest of Europe during their stay in South Bohemia. ACCOMMODATIONS, MEALS, AND FACILITIES The University of South Bohemia has residence facilities and a cafeteria so students on the study abroad program can live and eat on-campus. The university cafeteria will serve three meals a day. The price for both housing and meals is extremely economical, thus ensuring that the overall program costs are very reasonable and within reach of most students, even those without financial aid or scholarship support. Classroom facilities, laundry rooms, computer labs, and a fitness center are also available for use on-campus during the program. APPLICATION AND ADMISSION TO THE PROGRAMAny full-time or part-time USG student is eligible to participate in the program. Students from other institutions, in good academic standing, that are not part of the University System of Georgia are admitted on a space-available basis and must enroll as transient students at a participating institution. You may fill out the online application form or pick up a copy of the form from your campus representatives listed in the back of the brochure. Completed applications should be submitted to the campus representatives, along with a required application fee of $100 and four passport-size photographs. Campus representatives will forward the completed applications to the lead institution, Georgia Southern University, only when the application fee has been paid. Because of space limitations, acceptance is on a first come, first served basis, according to the date of receipt of the application and application fee. Students are encouraged to apply well in advance of the application deadline to assure them a place in the program. The application deadline for the 2005 program is March 3, 2006. PROGRAM COSTSThe package costs $2,850 for the four-week program. This cost includes the following items:
The package cost does not include tuition, textbooks, excluded meals, passport and related expenses, spending money, ground transportation to and from the U.S. airport through which flights will be scheduled, or any other costs beyond those listed above. Students should plan to budget a minimum of $400 to $600 for extra meals, theater tickets, entrance fees, and evening entertainment. If students plan extended travel or major shopping, additional funds should be budgeted. Some course excursions might involve additional fees; course instructors will inform students if such fees apply. Instructors will do their best to keep course excursion costs to a minimum. Students should plan on spending $5-$10 per field trip. *Please note: All costs are subject to change because of unanticipated increases in airfares or other program elements or fluctuations in monetary exchange rates. We will make every effort to keep program costs as advertised and will inform prospective participants of any changes as they occur. FINANCIAL AIDCourses in the 2005 Summer Studies in the Czech Republic Program are part of the regular offerings of member institutions; therefore, students may apply for loans or grants for which they would normally be eligible. Students should apply for financial aid at the campus where they are registering for courses. Campus representatives will assist students in obtaining information about financial aid. Students must meet all campus requirements in applying for financial aid. PAYMENT SCHEDULEA $150 application fee is due at the time of application. The application fee is part of the total program cost of $2,850. Please note: after the $100 deposit no checks will be accepted. All payments after the deposit must be made by credit card, money order, or cashier’s check. Payment deadlines are as follows: March 3, 2006 First payment of $1,350 plus $150 application fee to cover airfare, travel passes, and facility deposits in the Czech Republic April 28, 2006 Final payment of $1,350 REFUNDSStudents’ application fees and other payments are applied towards required advances, purchase of airline tickets, and other costs related to the program. Note that $75 of the $150 application fee is non-refundable and covers processing and reservation fees. Participants who withdraw from the program after the application deadline will receive a refund according to the following schedule:
Note: All withdrawals must be made in writing to the Center for International Studies at Georgia Southern University in order for refunds to be processed. REGISTRATIONIn most cases, institutions in the University System of Georgia identify courses and course numbers of their own that for the courses being offered by faculty members from other institutions. This enables most students to register for courses at their home institutions. Students from institutions that do not permit registration for certain courses should contact the Center for International Studies at Georgia Southern University for assistance. Students can earn up to nine semester hours of credit in standard courses offering one to four hours of credit each. Students are expected to enroll for at least seven hours of credit. Students who need to maintain a full-time status for financial aid eligibility may enroll prior to departure for the Czech Republic in May or early summer sessions at their home campuses. Some professors may also offer directed study options during the four-week program in the Czech Republic. Please enquire with the Program Coordinator for more information. Note that the program package does NOT include tuition fees. Tuition is paid directly to the college or university where you are registering. HEALTH MATTERS AND INSURANCEParticipants are provided with health care insurance that covers them while they are abroad. Copies of the coverage plan will be provided at orientation. Students with special medical problems may be required to provide a physician’s assurance of their ability to undertake foreign travel and study. It is not possible for the University System of Georgia to guarantee accessible facilities abroad for students with special needs. Participants should bring medications they regularly depend upon and should have copies of prescriptions in generic form in case they need to acquire additional medications. No special immunizations are needed to enter the Czech Republic and the International Immunization Certificate is not required. PASSPORTS AND VISASEveryone who travels to the Czech Republic must have a valid passport. Participants with expired passports should have them renewed. Participants who have never had a passport should begin the process of obtaining one immediately. It sometimes takes six to eight weeks to get a passport. Inquire at your local post office for instructions on obtaining a passport. Holders of U.S. passports do not need visas to enter the Czech Republic for summer study. Participants traveling on passports of other countries should contact their campus representative for assistance in determining whether they need a visa. COURSE OFFERINGSStudents will be able to enroll for up to nine hours of academic credit in biology, geography, music, international studies, and political science. Classes will begin on July 4 and will be taught (on the University of South Bohemia campus) Monday through Thursday. Half of the courses are taught in the morning and half in the afternoon. Morning courses meet from 9:30-11:30 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and have required whole-day field trips on Tuesdays. Afternoon courses meet from 1:00-3:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, with Thursdays reserved for required field trips. Students must select one morning course and one afternoon course in order to avoid a conflict in class scheduling. In addition, a mandatory Introduction to Czech Culture course will meet from 4:00-5:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Each course is described later in this brochure. Note that all courses are designated as lower division (LD) or upper division (UD) courses. LD courses are normally 1000 or 2000 level courses; UD courses are 3000 or 4000 level courses. (Upper division courses may be taken for graduate credit through special arrangement with the faculty members teaching the courses.) The exact numbers assigned to courses will differ slightly from institution to institution. Check at the college or university where you plan to register to find out what course numbers will be assigned to the courses you want to take. All courses are dependent upon sufficient enrollment; courses with inadequate enrollment will be canceled. Students will be kept informed of courses at risk of cancellation. Field excursions will be integrated into the curriculum to enhance classroom instruction. Classes requiring laboratories will use some afternoons for labs and others for excursions. All classes will be designed so as to take advantage of the geographical location of the University of South Bohemia and its historical, political, and socioeconomic significance to Europe. In addition to these classes, there will be a mandatory one-hour class on the Czech culture. This will be an ongoing, experiential-based orientation program to the Czech Republic, its people, and its culture. Students will meet and interact with students from the University of South Bohemia, participate in directed field excursions to sites of cultural and historical significance, and attend presentations by University of South Bohemia faculty about the Czech society. The suggested curriculum is as follows. Course equivalents will need to be developed on individual campuses: Biology Morning Class, Tuesday Field Trip General Biology (3 credit hours): LD An introductory course covering the concepts and applications of biological diversity. In this course, cell organization, genetics, diversity, plant and animal structure and function, ecology, evolution, and our impact on the environment will be discussed in class. Instructor: Dr. Michelle Zjhra, Georgia Southern University. Afternoon Class, Thursday Field Trip Speciation (3 credit hours): UD Focuses on the process of speciation to understand the complexities of the process of evolution. Course goals: To 1) examine what comprises a species; and 2) to develop an understanding of how species arise and are maintained. In this course, students will actively focus on the scientific process through reading, problem-based investigation, writing, and field trips. Instructor: Dr. Michelle Zjhra, Georgia Southern University. Geography Morning Class, Tuesday Field Trip Conservation (3 credit hours): UD Geographers examine the interactions between human beings and the natural stuff - seeds, trees, soil, air, water, sun, and rivers- e.g., natural resources. Geographers ask: What portions of the earth's whole have value? And why? How do these values arise? However, different groups of people value resources differently. The factors that influence our cognition of resources include: (1) cultural background; (2) view of nature; (3) social class; (4) scarcity; and (5) technological and economic factors. We will review these factors and look at the availability, scarcity and abundance of natural resources and discuss how we exploit, conserve, or preserve these resources. Instructor: Dr. Mark Welford, Georgia Southern University. Music Morning Class, Tuesday Field Trip Music Appreciation: Special focus on Eastern European Nationalist Composers and Folk Music (3 credit hours): LD Study music in the Cities of Mozart! While Mozart was born and lived in Salzburg, Austria, his work was quite popular in Prague, and the city and composer maintained a strong connection. You will also explore the music of Eastern European classical composers as well as folk music of the Slavic peoples. Field trips could include visits to the Traditional Puppet Theater, the Czech National Conservatory, and the Prague State Opera. Excursions to Vienna and Salzburg are also possible. Instructor: Dr. Carolyn Bryan, Georgia Southern University. Afternoon Class, Thursday Field Trip Music and Art of the Holocaust (3 credit hours): UD This course will examine Jewish artistic life under the Third Reich, musical activities within the ghettos and prison camps, and commemorative compositions as well as government regulation of composition and performance by Germans. You will explore music, art and poetry in historical contexts (performance skills or musical knowledge are not a prerequisite). Potential field trips could include visits to the Jewish Museum of Prague, Terezin, and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Instructor: Dr. Carolyn Bryan, Georgia Southern University. International Studies – Political Science Morning Class, Tuesday Field Trip Social Movements and Democratization in Eastern Europe (3 credit hours): UD Invasion! Revolution! Divorce! This is Czech history since 1968. Read the papers of dissidents, whom were jailed for their thoughts. Visit places where mass demonstrations ushered the overthrow of the communist government in Czechoslovakia. Observe newly established democratic institutions. We will examine the events in the Czech Republic through historical, sociological, and political lenses. Why did demonstrations in 1989 lead to democracy when modest reforms in 1968 led to invasion? What challenges face post-communist societies? Can democracy meet these challenges? Instructor: Dr. Barbara King, Georgia Southern University. Afternoon Class, Tuesday Field Trip Introduction to International Studies (3 credit hours): LD/UD A course intended to provide students with a set of intellectual tools to identify and address the most pressing contemporary global events which are making headlines throughout the world today. In doing so, this course will introduce the concepts of "global" issues, the study of conflict from a regional/cultural perspective, and the study of contemporary events using a "level of analysis" perspective. Instructor: Dr. Barbara King, Georgia Southern University. Czech Culture Evening Class (Mandatory) Introduction to Czech Culture (1 credit hour): LD Learning about your new home is integral to any study abroad experience. This course introduces students to the culture of the Czech Republic, a culture unfamiliar to most Americans but full of fascinating art, architecture, film history, literature, music, and philosophy. Students will also be taught basic communication skills in the Czech language, both written and spoken, to further aid their adjustment to life in České Budĕjovice. CAMPUS REPRESENTATIVESThe list that follows contains the representatives of the collaborating institutions for this study abroad program. Any of them should be able to provide more information on the Summer Studies in the Czech Republic Study Program. If you do not have a campus contact or are unable to obtain information that you need, please write or call the Center for International Studies at Georgia Southern University, the lead institution of this program, at the following address: Center for International Studies You may also obtain more information on this program at the following website: http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/international/study_abroad/
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