PRAGUE
April 29 - May 11, 2012
and
May 13 - 25, 2012
GEOG 340.3 The European Heritage of Our Built Environment.
A seminar/field class in architecture, urban design and planning in Central Europe, offered in separate sections in the Spring Intersession. The field class involves an historical review and actual observation of architectural styles preserved at Prague, with critical assessment of their incorporation within contemporary urban form. This class includes also side trips to southern Czech Republic, to Vienna and to Lower Austria.The field class emphasizes comparative observation of the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles, and their integration within the streetscape and architecture of the 20th century. The field study is over a period of eleven working days, with approximately 4 hours per day of class contact, to the total of 45 hours of class-contact. Extramural activities consist of visits to local theatres, concerts or the opera, as well as some of the open-air markets. Some of Prague pubs date to the late middle ages, and Bohemian beer, such as the Budweiser or the Pilsner, has been brewed here for the last seven centuries. Accommodation in Prague will be at university dormitories. The field class is listed as GEOG 340.3, and like all other University of Saskatchewan Intersession classes, GEOG 340.3 too is a regular credit class in Geography. This field class has been offered since 1999, and it carries three credit units. To enrol in this class you must receive permission from the instructor to register.
In the academic year 2011/12 GEOG340.3 will be given in two Sections, April 29 - May 11, 2012, and -- subject to sufficient enrollment -- also in the period May 13 - 25, 2012. To students interested in the history of their respective scholarly discipline we almost always point to sites in Prague, Vienna, or in between, where some major scientists, artists or writers have worked or lived. In Prague we will see the house where the astronomer John Kepler discovered his First and Second Law of Planetary Motion, as well as the house in the Jewish Town where Franz Kafka, one of 20th century's leading novelists, grew up. In Vienna we can see the houses of Siegmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, or of the philosopher and mathematician Ludwig Wittgenstein, and in the charming, picturesque countryside between Prague and Vienna we will see the school where the geneticist Gregor Mendel taught, at the town of Znaim, or the world-renown brewery, at Budweis. Other opportunities will exist, such as going to a ballet performance or visiting the Parliaments in Prague or Vienna. This, of course, aside of the regular syllabus as outlined below.
Many students in the past have found GEOG340 useful for its location in central Europe, since they can easily access the rest of Europe at the end of class.
Costs and Financial Assistance
Estimated cost of up to CAD$2,500 includes airfare, accommodation, food and excursions. Tuition fees are extra. Full time students at the University of Saskatchewan are eligible to apply for a travel bursary from U of S International (Global Commons, Lower Place Riel), and full time students at the College of Arts and Science may enter in a competition for additional support from the College of Arts and Science Study Abroad Award.
Admission
A prerequisite for any student to participate in the Prague field trip is the completion of 12 credit units in social sciences/humanities (or 6 credit units in Geography), or permission granted to the student by the instructor. Students from other institutions wishing to participate in the field trip may apply for admission if their home institution allows for a transfer of credit from the University of Saskatchewan. The space on the Prague field trip is limited, and all applicants must obtain prior approval from the instructor to participate. All participants must fill out a University of Saskatchewan Release of Liability form and complete the required pre-departure orientation program. All participants must be registered in GEOG 340.3 prior to departure for Prague.Course outline
Day 1. Arrive at Prague. A brief review of the history of architecture in Bohemia, and in Prague in particular. A short tour to familiarize students with the overall layout of the Old Town of Prague.
