Multi-Country: From the Berlin Wall to Terezin: Rhetorics of Remembering

This program will tentatively be offered next Summer 2025.

Overview 

When a culture builds a monument or dedicates a historic site, how do their decisions shape the way we understand those events? What gets emphasized? What gets ignored? How do these acts of public remembering create cultural change?

This program takes you on a tour of famous sites and cities in Europe to first deepen your understanding of events like the Holocaust and WWII and then deepen your analysis of the arguments that public remembering makes. In Berlin we’ll visit the Berlin wall, the German Bundestag, and Sachsenhausen concentration camp before moving on to Munich, where we’ll visit the Dachau concentration camp, one of the most important sites for Holocaust remembrance. From there we’ll explore Nuremberg, including the Hall of Justice where the first war crimes trials were held and its beautiful medieval town center. We’ll conclude in Prague where we’ll visit the Josefov, Old Town Prague, and the Terezin concentration camp.

Earn Junior Composition (ENG 3060J) or English credit (ENG 3850).

Highlights and Excursions

• Your program begins in Berlin, Germany where you will spend 4 days exploring Berlin's sites and museums of historical significance including the Memorial of Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin Mitte, the Bundestag Building, and the Topography of Terror open air museum.
• Visit Sachsenhausen, Dachau, and Terezin concentration camps.
• Take the train to Munich, site of the Beerhall Putsch. On your free day you might travel to the Eagle’s Nest on the Austrian border, to Neuschwanstein, Germany’s most famous castle, or visit charming German villages.
• From Munich, take a day trip to Nuremberg and visit the Hall of Justice where the Nuremberg trials were held and visit its medieval town square where its world-famous Christkindlesmarkt is held each Christmas.
• Travel to Prague, Czech Republic for a guided tours of castles, the cathedral, and Terezin concentation camp. Relax and explore the city during a free day.

Good to Know

• Students should expect a moderate level of physical activity (walking) on this program.
• This program examines challenging and intense subject matter.
• This program has a maximum of 18 students that can participate. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Early application is highly recommended. 

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy. 

Our onsite partner, API requires students to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus unless exempt because of (1) sincerely held religious beliefs; or (2) the need for a disability-based reasonable accommodation. If any student wishes to seek an exemption from API's vaccination requirement, then they should reach out to ogoriskmanagement@ohio.edu who will provide support through this process.

Please be advised that OGO and API cannot guarantee eligibility to participate in any program, as eligibility may be subject to another authority's vaccine mandate.

Study Away and COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, participation in study away and abroad involves real and potential personal, financial, and academic risk. The CDC advises that you should delay travel until you are vaccinated. Note that entry to some countries and participation in local program and free-time activities, including in the U.S., may be severely restricted or potentially unavailable to unvaccinated individuals. Unvaccinated travelers should additionally expect to incur extra expenses and onsite logistical challenges due to onsite testing requirements. For further information, contact ogoriskmanagement@ohio.edu. 

Living Arrangements 

Students will be housed in shared hotel rooms (2 or 3 students per room) in Berlin, Krakow, and Prague.

Program Dates 

May 14-26, 2023

*Students will need to depart the US on May 13 in order to arrive in Berlin on May 14.

Academics  

Students will choose one of the following courses to earn a total of 3 credit hours. 

• ENG 3060J: Writing and Rhetoric II (J-Comp/Advanced Writing)
• ENG 3850: Writing about Culture and Society

Cost  

The program fee for this program includes: Accommodations, breakfast daily, some additional meals, welcome/farewell dinners, airport transfers, transportation to all program related activities, excursions, and international health insurance.

In addition to the program fee, students should plan for 3 credit hours of tuition*, administrative fee, and out-of-pocket costs. Below is the student budget worksheet for this program, which outlines these costs.  

Student Budget Worksheet - Summer 2023

Items that are not related to the program (ie. additional entertainment, souvenirs, extra travel, contingency funds) are not included in the cost estimates provided and should be budgeted for separately.  

*Note: 

• Non-resident surcharge waived for the credit hours associated with this program. 
• If you are nominated to this program, you will be required to pay a deposit to confirm your participation. The deposit is a down payment on the total costs to be billed by OHIO and is determined by the total cost of the program. 

Funding Opportunities

More information on financial aid and scholarships can be found on our funding pages.

Eligibility

This program is open to all undergraduate Ohio University students with a sophomore, junior or senior class standing that have successfully completed ENG 1510.

The minimum GPA for admission consideration is 3.0, but students not meeting this requirement may petition the directors to obtain permission to apply.

Students who will be on probation at any point during the program for a conduct offense that took place less than a calendar year from the program start date may not study abroad.  Click here to read the entire conduct policy.  

Participants must have a at least a high school diploma or the equivalent (e.g. GED) by the start date of the program to be considered for eligibility.  Students enrolled in College Credit Plus (CC+) are not eligible for study away programs.

Application Requirements 

This program requires applicants to submit:

• Personal Statement - "Why are you interested in this experience and what do you hope to gain by participating?"
• DARS
• Contact Information for 2 References, who may be contacted regarding your application.

Additionally an interview with the directors is required.

Entry and Exit Requirements 

U.S. citizens are required to have a valid U.S. passport when traveling outside of the United States. If you plan to study or travel abroad in the next year,  apply for your passport  now.

U.S. citizens  will not  need a visa or other special document to enter the country for the length of this program. Please also note that visa requirements may vary if you plan to stay in the country longer than the program dates or travel to other countries during or after the program. Please familiarize yourself with these recommendations and requirements prior to applying to this program. 

For more specific visa related information, please visit OGO’s  Visa Information Page 

Information for  Non-U.S. citizens  can be found  here. 

Resources 

• Health and Safety
• Additional Information on Country 
• Accessibility Requests and Accommodations