Multi-Country: From Dachau to D-Day: Rhetorics of Remembrance

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 Topography of Terror Museum, and Sachsenhausen concentration camp before moving on to Prague, where we’ll visit the Jewish Quarter and Terezín Ghetto. Then we’ll return to Germany, examining the Dachau concentration camp outside of Munich and the Nuremberg Hall of Justice, where the first war crimes trials were held. We’ll conclude our trip in France by visiting the D-Day beaches, the Caen Memorial Museum, and Memorial to the Victims of the Deportation in Paris. We’ll be visiting several of Europe’s most beautiful cities along the way with plenty of free time to explore other famous sites.

Highlights and Excursions

• Your program begins in Berlin, Germany where you will explore Berlin's sites and museums of historical significance including the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin Mitte, and the Topography of Terror museum.
• Visit Sachsenhausen, Dachau, and Terezín concentration camps.
• Travel to Prague, Czechia for guided tours of its castles, synagogues, cathedral, and Terezin ghetto. Relax and explore the city during a free day.
• Take the train to Munich, site of the Beerhall Putsch and the White Rose Memorial. Visit Nuremberg’s Hall of Justice along with its medieval town square where the world-famous Christkindlesmarkt is held each Christmas.
• Conclude your experience in France with a visit to Normandy, site of the D-Day invasion. Visit the D-Day beaches, the American Cemetery, and the Caen Memorial Museum. Spend your last day exploring Paris. After visiting the Memorial to the Victims of the Deportation, you’re poised to spend the rest of the day at Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, or wandering along the Seine.

Good to Know

• This program requires students to complete a 3-credit hour course in Spring 2025, and a 1-credit hour course in Summer 2025. 
• This program examines challenging and intense subject matter.
• Students should expect a moderate level of physical activity (walking) on this program.
• This program has a maximum of 20 students that can participate. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis with a priority deadline of November 12, 2024. Early application is highly recommended.

Living Arrangements 

Students will be housed in shared hotel rooms (2 or 3 students per room) throughout the trip.

Program Dates 

May 18-June 2, 2025

*Students will need to depart the US on May 17 in order to arrive in Berlin on May 18.

Academics  

This program requires students to complete a 3-credit hour course in Spring 2025, and a 1-credit hour course in Summer 2025. 

Spring 2025: Students choose one 7 week spring semester course:

• ENG 3060J: Writing and Rhetoric II - J-Comp/Advanced Writing (3 credits)
• ENG 3850: Writing about Culture and Society (3 credits)

Summer 2025: Students will also enroll in the following 1 credit hour summer semester course:

• XLRN 2100 - Building Your Story through Study Abroad/Away (Bridge: Learning and Doing)

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.  

Undergraduate Student Budget Worksheet - Spring/Summer 2025 

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. Interested graduate students are encouraged to contact the program directors about the possibility of participating.

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. 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, a meeting 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  

Resources 

• Health and Safety
• Accessibility Requests and Accommodations