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UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA – COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
HIST 4970: Germany Study Tour
Kaisers, Crackpots, and Captains
of Industry
CRN XXXXX
Course Travel Dates: 17 May-1 June 2014
INSTRUCTORS:
(HIST 4970/5970)
Dr. Michael S. Springer
Department of History and Geography
Office: LAR 202C
Phone: 405-974-5453
E-mail: mspringer@uco.edu
Office Hours: TBA
(HUM 4970)
Dr. Mary Brodnax
Department of Humanities and Philosophy
Office: LAR 205F
Phone: 405-974-5630
E-mail: mbrodnax@uco.edu
Office Hours: TBA
(GERM 4970)
Dr. H. R. Nollert
Department of Modern Languages & Cultures
Office: THH 202
Phone: 405-974-5845
E-mail: hnollert@uco.edu
Office Hours: TBA
COURSE INFORMATION
Course Description: Credit for study tours will vary. Subject matter will vary within the department’s
field of study.
This study tour is a field course exploring the history and culture of Germany through two of its
most exciting cities: Munich and Berlin. Germany is Europe’s economic powerhouse and we’ll explore the
Roman, medieval, and modern history that has shaped this country and led it to become one of the
democratic leaders of Europe. We’ll also explore the differences between the two cities and their varied
roles (Munich as Germany’s cultural capital and Berlin as the political hub.) Participants in this course
will develop a much greater understanding of Germany’s rich and varied history and culture and its role
in the world today.
Prerequisites: Instructor permission required. Students may not enroll for this class online—enrollment is
handled by the instructor due to the study abroad aspect of the class.
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Course Rationale: HIST 4970 offers transformative learning opportunities by combining global
experience with in-depth study of western culture and ideas. Student analysis of texts and cultural
artifacts, enhanced by on-site exploration and discussion, promotes deeper understanding of the western
tradition, and gives students knowledge and skills essential for understanding global cultures.
Course objectives: Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
1. Discuss key developments in Germany’s Roman, medieval, and modern history;
2. Identify important economic, artistic, and religious contributions Germans have made to the
modern West;
3. Discuss Germany’s role in World War II and the steps taken to memorialize and remember the
victims of this war;
4. Demonstrate cultural observation and global competency skills through the international travel
and living in a world metropolis.
5. Demonstrate travel skills by researching destinations, reading maps, and navigating public
transportation;
6. And demonstrate skills for analyzing and presenting information related to specific texts, sites,
and artifacts in written and oral form.
Transformative Learning Objectives:
1. This course addresses global competency by requiring students to study multiple aspects of
German culture (artistic and cultural forms of expression, ideas on “the meaning of life,” history
and politics, religion, and the associated value systems). Students consider how German
perspectives on these topics relate to perspectives in the United States. The course also teaches
students to handle interacting with persons from a different cultural background.
2. Students practice leadership skills by organizing and directing small groups at selected class
sites. By organizing such groups, they can learn self-reliance in a challenging, in this case foreign,
environment—a skill that increases confidence and the ability to take responsibility for others.
3. This course addresses wellness by encouraging students to practice a healthy lifestyle by walking
extensively and to evaluate a healthy lifestyle by comparing health and wellness issues on an
international basis.
4. Discipline knowledge is increased through on-site experiences, as well as the course objective
activities listed above.
5. Research and creativity: Students do substantive library research to prepare one or more course
presentations.
Required Readings, Viewings, and Reviews:
1. DK Eyewitness Travel (Munich and the Bavarian Alps, 2012), ISBN-13: 978-0756684181. Bring
this book on the trip.
2. DK Eyewitness Travel (Berlin, 2011), ISBN-13: 978-1465400475. Bring this book on the trip.
3. Other online readings to be assigned by the course instructor. Links to these assigned readings
can be found on the course D2L page.
4. The sites, routes, and features designated on the map list
Other Needed Supplies:
Messenger Bag
Camera
Journal (notebook supplied by instructor), pens
Appropriate clothing for site visits
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(We will discuss the supplies needed during our pre-departure meetings.)
COURSE POLICIES
Expectation of Students:
Students enrolled in the course are expected:
1. To attend all class meetings held at UCO during Spring Semester in preparation for the trip to
Germany;
2. To read all assigned readings by the deadlines indicated by the course instructors;
3. To complete all writing assignments and exams on time;
4. And to behave in a professional and responsible manner.
All students registered in this course are expected to complete and sign the UCO Waiver of Liability and
Hold Harmless Agreement for Trip(s) Including an Overnight Stay before departing for Europe.
Course Assessment:
Course grades will be calculated based on the following assignments and points:
• Pre-Departure Test
50 points (10%)
• On-Site Report
o Oral Report
100 points (20%)
o Site Brochure
50 points (10%)
• Daily Journal
100 points (20%)
• Cultural Scavenger Hunt
25 points (5%)
• Discussion Participation
25 points (5%)
• Map Quiz
50 points (10%)
• Final Paper
100 points (20%)
Guidelines for Reports:
Each student is required to give one oral report lasting 5-10 minutes. Report topics will be selected during
Spring Semester and all research and preparation should be completed before departing on the tour.
Presentations will be made during on-site visits in Munich and Berlin. The following rules should be
observed regarding the reports.
• Each student is to sign up for one report during Spring Semester.
• You will present the report on-site, but a printed copy of the text must be turned in to the course
instructor by Friday, 2 May 2014.
• The report must be written in your own words and be approved by the instructor before
departing for Europe. (Remember, the report must be your own work!)
• You must use at least three printed sources when writing your report. These sources must be
indicated at the end of the typed report submitted to the course instructor for approval.
• Reports should be at least five minutes in length, but not more than ten minutes.
• The reports should contain the following five elements.
1.
An overview: Provide a description of the person or place. For people, this should
include a discussion of who, when he/she lived, what he/she did, and why this person is
important. For buildings, parks, and objects, the presentation should discuss what it is,
who built/created it, when, why, what purpose it served, and what purpose it serves
today.
2.
Significance: Presenters must discuss why they think this person, place or object is
historically significant.
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3.
4.
5.
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Interest: Discuss one thing that you found during your research that you think is
particularly interesting about this person or place. Why?
Course Theme: Relate this person or place to Germany’s role in the modern world. Other
questions to consider: In which era did this person or place exist? Does he/she/it bridge
more than one period? Did he/she/it leave a lasting impact on successive eras?
Handout: You must prepare a handout to pass out to the class at the time of your
presentation. These brochures will serve as a study guide for the other students, so you
should keep this in mind when preparing your handout. The brochures must be a onepage, double-sided brochure. Paper size should be A4 or Letter (8.5x11 in.). The handout
must include the following elements:
i. Your name, course number, and date of presentation;
ii. A clear and coherent synopsis of the information in your presentation;
iii. And visual aids (drawings, pictures, or graphs to support your presentation).
Guidelines for Journals:
The following guidelines should be followed when writing your daily journals.
 Journal entries must be hand-written in the book provided. (Please make sure your writing is
legible).
 You should make at least one journal entry for each day. Be sure to include the date with each
entry.
 Entries should include the following:
1.
an account of sites visited and your reaction to them;
a description of side trips that you made during your free time;
2.
a discussion of how these trips relate to the class theme “Austria and Germany: Two
3.
Empires”;
4.
and your reaction to what you experienced that day. (What new things did you see or
experience? What new foods did you try? Was there anything unexpected? What sights,
sounds, smells, etc. left an impression on you? What did you like/not like?)
 Journals must also include a typed copy of your oral presentation and the brochures from all onsite reports.
 Completed journals are to be turned in at the end of each week. (See schedule below.)
Discussions:
The group will gather for a summative discussion at the end of each week. These discussions will
account for 25 points (5%) of your course grade.
Guidelines for Final Papers:
All students are required to submit a 10-12 page final paper by Friday, 25 July 2014. Instructions for the
assignment will be handed out at the first meeting in March, 2013, and will be posted on our course D2L
page.
OTHER COURSE POLICIES
Late Work Policy: Please observe the posted deadlines. Late work will not be accepted in this course
without a reasonable excuse. No work will be accepted after the final due date of Friday, 25 July 2014.
Attendance Policy: Attendance at class meetings and each day’s activities during the study tour is
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mandatory. Attendance will be taken each day and at each class meeting.
A Note on the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990: ADA compliance cannot be guaranteed
beyond US borders and the bounds of US law. Please be aware that the nature of international travel
means that we will be outside of US legal jurisdiction and cultural practice. Accommodations cannot be
made for all disabilities. Accommodations which you might expect in the United States of America are
not necessarily available in other countries. Some mental disorders, such as agoraphobia, can leave a
traveler frozen in fear in crowded urban situations such as public transport in Asia or Europe. Restrooms
may only be accessible via narrow stairways, which might be difficult for the physically disabled. And
some medications may not be legal in other countries. Full and timely pre-trip disclosure to the professor,
while the student can still make some choices about proceeding with the tour, is recommended for your
safety and the tour’s best interest.
Plagiarism: UCO subscribes to the Turnitin.com plagiarism prevention service. Students agree that by
taking this course, all required assignments may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to
Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted assignments will be included as source
documents in the Turnitin.com restricted access references database for the purpose of detecting
plagiarism of such assignments. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of
Use posted on the Turnitin.com website. Turnitin.com is just one of various plagiarism prevention tools
and methods which may be utilized by your faculty instructor during the terms of the semesters. In the
UCO Student Handbook, there is a process for contesting any plagiarism allegations against you.
Visit the Academic Affairs website (http://www.uco.edu/academic-affairs/) for the current Student
Information Sheet and Syllabus Attachment.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Course Cost: The study tour course costs $3150 per student, which covers airfare, lodging, breakfasts,
ground transportation, site admissions, and materials.
Costs not covered include UCO tuition, lunches and dinners, optional travel on directed learning days,
luggage, cameras, passport fee, souvenirs, and the International Student Identity Card which includes
travel insurance (available from the UCO Centre for Global Competency).
As this budget is planned months in advance, an extreme change in the exchange rate might require the
instructor to address cost differences by charging students an additional fee. This would be done only
when absolutely necessary.
Deposit: Students wishing to enroll in this course must fill out the study tour application and pay a
$200.00 deposit by Friday, 1 March 2013 to reserve their spot in the class.
Making Payments: Payments are made at the UCO Bursar’s window. Students must be careful to have
payments credited to the correct Germany study tour org number (provided by the instructor) and must
bring a receipt to the instructor.
Refunds: The instructor will have to make non-refundable purchases for students, specifically air tickets
and hotel bookings, in order to obtain the most affordable prices. Once made, the non-refundable
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purchases cannot be refunded if a student drops the class. The instructor will alert students to these
purchases before making them. The only possibility for a refund under these circumstances is if the
student dropping is replaced by another student signing up.
Financial Aid: Students paying for the course with financial aid must pay $1500.00 of the trip costs by 4
April 2014. The tour must have cash on hand by that date to book airline tickets and to reserve hotels.
Financial aid money will not be disbursed until May/June. Please consult with your financial aid
counselor if you wish to use financial aid to pay for this class.
SCHEDULE:
The class will meet six times on UCO’s Edmond campus during Spring Semester. All meetings will take
place on Thursdays from 4:00-5:30 p.m. unless otherwise indicated. Please note that attendance at
meetings is compulsory. Meetings will take place in LAR 223.
Pre-departure Class Meetings:
Thursday
March 13
Orientation Meeting
Thursday
April 27
Maps, Foot and Air Travel
Thursday
April 10
Munich and Regensburg, Report Selection
Thursday
May 24
Student Conduct Meeting
Thursday
May 15
Modern Berlin/Map Quiz
You will be issued a reading packet containing journal articles related to our site visits. I recommend you
complete the readings before we depart for Germany. These assigned articles include important
information to prepare you for our site visits and we will discuss them during our discussion group
meetings.
Itinerary
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Depart OKC’s Will Rogers World Airport for Dublin, Ireland.
Arrive in Dublin. Transfer to our hotel. After freshening up, we’ll head out for a
tour of the city and a visit to the Guinness Museum
Depart Dublin to Munich. Transfer to our hotel. After checking into the hotel
we’ll return to city center for a tour and a look at the Ratshaus with its famous
Glockenspiel. Dinner at Hofbräuhaus.
Today we’ll explore Munich’s cultural history and some of the ways this is
commemorated. We’ll start off with a plan tour at one of the best-known
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businesses in BMW automobile plant tour a.m. Alte Pinakothek p.m. Optional
with faculty Neue Pinakothek.
Excursion to Dachau.
Today we will travel to the southern town of Füssen and the Alps to visit King
Ludwig’s famous castle Neuschwanstein. We’ll stop off at Starnberger See on the
way home.
Directed learning day Munich. You will design an itinerary for this day with the
help of the course instructors during the pre-departure meetings. Directed
learning day activities must be approved by the instructor.
Train to Regensburg. Check in to hotel. We’ll visit a number of sites in this
medieval city: the Dom, Steinerne Brücke and Danube River, the Historical
Museum, and the Wurstküche.
Train to Berlin. Transfer to Hotel Konstanz. Return to Zentrum to visit the
Brandenburg Gate, Jewish Museum, and famous Reichstag (where we will climb
the dome).
Excursion to Wittenberg, the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation. We’ll visit
important sites including the Schloßkirche, Lutherhaus, Cranachhaus, and
Cranachhöfe. We’ll have dinner before returning to Berlin.
Today we’ll make an excursion to Potsdam to visit Sanssouci, the home of the
Prussian monarchs, and the town’s Holländisches Viertel.
Count Day—10 things that make Berlin the coolest city in Europe (and we’ll do
them all)!
Berlin East and West: Explore landmarks of Berlin’s past including KaDeWe and
the Berlin Wall.
Directed learning day Berlin. You will design an itinerary for this day with the
help of the course instructors during the pre-departure meetings. Directed
learning day activities must be approved by the instructor.
Depart Berlin to Dublin. Transfer to hotel. Pub night with live music.
Flight Dublin to OKC
Important Post-Trip Dates:
July 1
Post Trip Class Meeting, 6-9 p.m., LAR 223
July 25
Final papers due. Submit final papers using the link on D2L.