After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, Hope College’s Vienna Summer School is back in session!
Dr. Stephen Hemenway and Dr. Marla Lunderberg, both from the English Department, left with their students for Austria on Tuesday. Students will be studying at the Austro-American Institute Vienna and living with host families in the area. Dr. Janis Gibbs from the Hope College History Department will be joining Dr. Hemenway at the end of this month to teach during the June Term session.
About the program
This summer’s two sessions (May, June) offer eight college credits(four each session) in numerous academic fields: Austrian Art and Architecture, Modern Austrian History, Empires of the World and Mind, Vienna’s Musical Traditions, Economic/Business Issues in Europe, and a Senior Seminar (Vienna: Values in Transit). Field trips within Austria and excursions to neighboring countries add a significant dimension to the learning experience. The program, open to qualified applicants of any age who have completed at least one year of college before summer 2022, has a maximum of 40 students per session. Minimum grade point average for acceptance is usually around 3.00. A student on disciplinary probation will need clearance for eligibility.
Vienna features everything from famous choirboys to fabled coffeehouses, from Sachertortes to the Spanish Riding School, from baroque churches to a modern United Nations complex. While in Vienna, art/architecture students explore museums and churches; students in history and “Empires” courses, visit Habsburg residences and World War sites; music students attend operas and concerts; economics students meet with business experts; senior seminar students question distinguished speakers daily. Several of these opportunities are available to all participants, and the cost of required field trips is included. Non-credit German-conversation classes meet a few afternoons each week. Beginners find these survival sessions beneficial, while those with German abilities gain more confidence.
On weekends, Dr. Hemenway, who has led the Vienna Summer School since 1976, arranges and leads excursions to places outside of Vienna. Plans for first session include a three-day orientation in Moerbisch am See (Austria) and three-day weekends in Salzburg (Austria) and Prague (Czech Republic). Second session features a three-day weekend in Budapest (Hungary), an overnight hiking trip in the Austrian Alps, and a weekday in Bratislava (Slovakia). Since weekend trips are considered part of the academic program, costs of transportation, hotels, guides, admissions, breakfasts, and dinners are included in the overall price for the program.
Interested? Please contact the Hope College Off-Campus Study Program for more information.