Summer Honors Program 2013
Hosted by
Bloomsburg University
The PASSHE 2013 Summer Honors
Program is offering a TOTALLY FREE, ALL EXPENSE PAID study abroad experience for three weeks to Europe (for six Honors credits). All costs are covered by IUP and PASSHE.
Each school in the State System of
Higher Education chooses two Honors students to participate in this program. Cook Honors
College will select two representatives (and two alternates) who make the best case for
themselves through their application materials. What do we look for? Fit
and understanding of the importance of this experience to your academic
trajectory is most important to our committee.
All Applicants Must Submit:
1. One page resume.
2. A four year plan.
3. A personal statement – Why this trip? Why me? (see Kevin for resources on the personal statement)
Qualified Applicants will be students in good standing in the Cook Honors College before and after selection. Applicants must have a 3.25 or higher. Candidates selected for this trip in December who fall below the minimum at any time will be automatically replaced by the first alternate.
Deadline:
Applicants need to submit all materials by December 3, 2012 to Kevin Berezansky to be considered. Notification of selection will take place within one week of the deadline.
Please contact Kevin Berezansky at kevinb@iup.edu for more information about the trip or the application process.
Tentative Tour Schedule
May 27: Students arrive in Bloomsburg, PA.
Evening social, introductions, expectations.
May 28 – June 1:
Classes meet on the Bloomsburg University Campus.
Presentations and preparation for the field trip
portion of the courses.
June 2 – London: Group is met at Heathrow airport and transferred into the city. Tour London. Attend a concert.
June 3 – London: Tour BBC facilities, Westminster
Abbey, and the Tower of London. See a performance
of Wicked.
June 4 – London: Visit the London Times newspaper headquarters. Attend a production at the
Globe Theatre and a performance of the BBC Philharmonic.
June 5 – Salzburg: Travel to Salzburg
June 6 & 7 – Salzburg: Tour Mirabell Gardens, St. Peter’s Churchyard, and a Sound of Music excursion.
June 8 & 9 – Vienna: Visit Beethoven Pasqualatihaus and attend Vienna Philharmonic performance.
June 10 – Vienna: Visit Haydnhaus and Schubert
Gerburtshaus Museum. Tour the Vienna Opera House.
June 11 – Travel from Vienna to Venice.
June 12 – Venice: Tour St. Mark’s Square and Basilica, Doge’s Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs.
June 13 – Rome: Travel to Rome. Visit the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and the Pantheon.
June 14 – Rome: Visit the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, Radio Vaticana, St. Peter’s Square and Basilica.
June 15 – Rome: Visit the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
June 16 – Depart: Transfer to the airport for flight home.
The program offers a multi-cultural, interdisciplinary experience
throughout major cities in Western Europe including London, Salzburg,
Vienna, Venice, and Rome. We will focus on the rich musical and media
heritage of the region along with various acoustical and communication
features of Europe’s most famous venues. Prior to the trip, students
will receive extensive background information on each site. They will
then see these venues first hand and experience their amazing features.
In London, students will tour the BBC media facilities including their musical offerings and visit the Globe Theatre. Vienna has an incredible musical heritage along with a diverse media history. In Venice, extensive time will be spent at St. Mark’s Cathedral with its unique architectural design. The Catholic Mass is the central emphasis of the visit to Rome. Students will spend a significant time at the Vatican Museum, St. Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel, and the Colosseum.
Study abroad can be one of the most rewarding and exciting educational and cultural experiences in a college student’s career. By visiting several countries, students will become acquainted with each country’s customs, traditions, and values as they enhance their perspective of our global similarities and differences. Experiencing another culture, studying in a new environment, and meeting native people creates a unique Honors experience, very different from a traditional on-campus education. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to make connections for future international travel and/or work, learn new skills, and improve their cross-cultural communication proficiency. The guiding philosophy for this multiple country study abroad proposal is the following; in order to change the world. There is so much to see and encounter. This broad exposure to the arts, humanities, social sciences, and the sciences is the foundation of a Liberal Arts education and an Honors Program.
Description and Course of Study
HONORS 101 (3 cr):
Honors Liberal Arts, Special Topics, Global Media & Society
The course will acquaint the student with a multi-cultural global perspective of a multi-media world. The aim of the course is to create a foundation of media literacy through exposure to international multi-media. The students will interact with various multi-media technologies locally and abroad through hands-on site visits, selected readings, and online resources resulting in a multi-media based product (e.g.. movie, game, website, wireless application, photo journal, etc.). Central to the course is the growing importance of mediated communication in a world whose populace has an increasing need for instant information.
The class will present basic media and communication concepts that are commonly found in most international media systems. The presentation of formats and elements will use the United States as a basis for comparison but the work will be carried out with a global perspective. Western media no longer dictates the form and content of global media structures – globally engaged, transnational media industries now drive the creation, distribution, and consumption of much media content. Ultimately, the course presents global media industries as phenomena bound by similarities and yet uniquely influenced by differing cultural and national settings.
To complete the course, students will be required to keep a daily journal, participate in discussions, create
Honors 101 (3 cr):
Honors Liberal Arts, Special Topics, Topics in Western European Music
Western Europe possesses some of the greatest wealth of musical heritage in the world. Their music shapes the very foundation of American music; therefore, American tastes are closely tied to the “Common Practice” of European music. The course commences with an extensive segment on “Attending a Performance.” During this section, students will be given an overview on what to expect at the various types of performances they will encounter in Europe. That includes everything from a Mass, to an opera, ballet, choral, band, and orchestral performances. Thereafter, topics will be covered as they relate to each specific venue. For London, more emphasis will be placed on attending the planned performances. Composers to be examined for England include Britten, Elgar, and Purcell.
Vienna offers the greatest wealth of offerings from a classical music standpoint. Long time center of culture during the 18th and 19th centuries, the mainstay composers of the Classical Period and early Romantic Period flourished in these centers. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert’s lives and works will be explored in depth. We will look at the 16th century composer Giovanni Gabrieli who was in residence at Venice’s St. Mark’s Basilica. His unique “polychoral” music will be examined. The Catholic Mass is at the centerpiece of the Rome segment. The history of the mass and the two categories of prayers (Ordinary and Proper) will be explained. Thereafter, masses from throughout the various periods of music history will be studied including some of the famous Requiems.
Students will take three exams, each one covering materials learned in each of the venues. They will also write reports on each of the concerts attended.