Poland and the Czech Republic are two stops that Quinnipiac students will be traveling to with the help of their QU301 seminar, “The Global Community.” Students will be taking part in an 11-day visit to these two countries in order to expand their knowledge of the political, social, cultural, religious, ecological and economic systems that make up the global community.
Professor Ewa Callahan, assistant professor of communications and native of Poland, will be heading this excursion. The class consists of 15 students that will depart in May and will be visiting places such as Prague and Krakow.
According to Callahan, the two European countries that will be explored were chosen for a specific reason.
“These countries are a great example of the role the free media and religion place in the process of abolishing the communist regime and the transformation of democracy,” she said.
Each location that will be visited will have specific meaning and value in order to teach certain aspects of the community. In Krakow, students will explore a nearby communist utopian worker city as well as the Auschwitz concentration camp.
In Prague, students will take tours of sites related to the popular uprising in 1968. The Museum of Communism is also a stop for these students as they will see exhibits related to censorship and propaganda in the media.
“During the course, we will be discussing other countries where human rights are violated and freedoms oppressed,” Callahan said. “I am hoping that even before the trip, students will gain understanding of the mechanisms that are responsible for those situations.”
Students had a similar opportunity over winter break this past year. Students at that time were allowed to travel to Amsterdam to fulfill their QU301 requirement. Jessie Brown, a junior education major, took part in this opportunity.
“It was an amazing opportunity to see the world and experience a different culture,” Brown said. “You can only learn so much from talking about something, but when you visit you gain a whole different understanding.”
