Program Objectives

In 2010, the Hope College Vienna Summer School celebrates its 54th year! This summer’s two sessions offer college credits in numerous academic fields: German Language 1 and 2, Vienna’s Musical Traditions, Austrian Art and Architecture, Modern Austrian History, Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology, Intercultural Communication, Empires of the World and Mind, a Senior Seminar on “Vienna: Values in Transit,” and Independent Studies. 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, has a maximum of 55 students per session. Minimum grade point average for acceptance varies but is usually around 3.00. Normally, a student on disciplinary probation is ineligible.

Since the pioneer days of 1956 when the late Dr. Paul G. Fried (history professor and director of international education at Hope College) founded the Vienna Summer School, close to 3000 students from more than 185 colleges and universities have discovered how summer study in Vienna can provide them with a meaningful introduction to the rich heritage of European civilization. Dr. Stephen I. Hemenway, current director of the Vienna Summer School and professor of English at Hope, will lead the group in Vienna for his 35th consecutive year. Dr. Janis Gibbs, associate professor of history at Hope, will serve as associate director.

Living in Vienna

Vienna Summer School combines serious academic study with the benefits of living in a culturally rich city.  Students reside with Austrian families, usually in double rooms, where breakfast is provided and clothes are laundered; they receive monetary refunds for daily dinners and are urged to explore local restaurants.  Students from previous summers have contributed 350 restaurant reviews to "Inexpensive Eating in Vienna," a guide distributed to all participants.  Some use kitchen facilities at their residences to prepare light meals.  Students receive weekly transportation passes valid on trams, buses, and subways in Vienna and suburbs.

Weekend Excursions

On weekends, Dr. Hemenway arranges and leads excursions to places outside of Vienna.  Plans for 2010 include two-day weekends in Prague (Czech Republic) and in Salzburg (Austria) during the first session and a two-day weekend in Budapest (Hungary), an overnight hiking trip in the Austrian Alps, and a weekday in Bratislava (Slovakia) during the second session.  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.

Cultural Activities

Vienna features everything from Sacher tortes to the Spanish Riding School, from famous choirboys to fabled coffeehouses, from baroque churches to a modern United Nations complex. While in Vienna, German-language students improve fluency; art/architecture students explore museums and churches; students in history, anthropology, and “Empires” courses visit Habsburg residences and World War sites; music students attend operas and concerts; communication students meet experts from international agencies; “Values in Transit” students question distinguished Austrian speakers daily.  Some of these opportunities are available to all participants, no matter which classes they attend.  Students get weekly reimbursements for cultural events connected with their courses.  Informal, non-credit German-language classes meet a few afternoons each week during both sessions.  These conversation classes cover vocabulary relevant to everyday life in Vienna.  Beginners find these "survival" sessions beneficial, while those at intermediate levels gain confidence in using their German abilities.

Courses and Faculty

Students enroll for either or both of the consecutive sessions.  Each student selects one course per session; each course carries four hours of credit.  Classes may be audited, but full tuition must be paid.  Transcripts for non-Hope students are sent to home colleges for credit transfer.  Enrollment for most courses is limited to 15; a course with low enrollment may be canceled.  German-language courses are taught partly in German with English explanations of grammar.  All other classes are taught in English and require no previous study of German.  Most courses fulfill “general education” requirements for Hope students.  Classes are held at the Austro-American Institute of Education in a building across from the Opera in the heart of Vienna. 

Course Offerings

First Session Orientation and Classes - May 12 to June 2

German I, an introduction to the German language, stresses basic skills necessary to communicate in German.  Students earn credit for German 101, the first component of the Second Language general education requirement.  Prof. Karen Kalser, a free-lance teacher and mother of four, has taught in the program since 1996. 

Empires of the World, Empires of the Mind fulfills the Cultural Heritage II general education requirement (IDS 172).  Incorporating literature, philosophy, and history from the 16th to the 20th centuries, the course examines cultural and intellectual developments of Central Europe from the Holy Roman Empire, through the Austro-Hungarian Empire, to the formation of modern Austria after the fall of the German Empire.  Readings include fiction (Kafka), history (Morton), drama (Harrison), philosophy (Kant, Nietzsche), and cultural criticism (Freud).  Dr. Janis Gibbs, Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and chair of Hope’s History Department, specializes in the interplay of religious, social, and cultural factors in early modern German cities. 

Vienna’s Musical Traditions focuses on Vienna's contributions to classical music and opera (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Bruckner, Strauss, Mahler, Schönberg).  Students may get credit for Music 295 or History 295 or fulfill the Arts I (Music 101) or Cultural Heritage II (History 131) general education requirement.  Dr. Wolfgang Reisinger, a Viennese native with Ph.D. degrees in Music from the Universities of Vienna and Kansas, is Church Music and Organ Consultant of the Archdiocese of Vienna and professor of organ at Vienna’s Church Music Conservatory.  He composed music sung during Pope Benedict XVI’s September 2007 visit to Austria.  Student homework includes attendance at the world’s finest operas and concerts.

Modern Austrian History fulfills the Cultural Heritage II (History 131) general education requirement or is an elective (History 295).  The course focuses on Austria from the decline of the Habsburg Empire, through both World Wars, up to Austria’s entry into the European Union.  Dr. Herberth Czermak--Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire, professor-emeritus at the University of Vienna’s Institute for Translators, and teacher for many American programs overseas--has taught in the Vienna Summer School since 1987.  Museum visits, walking tours, and films make Austrian history come alive in this course. 

Austrian Art and Architecture focuses on the rich treasures of the Baroque and Rococo, for which Vienna provides an ideal classroom and laboratory.  Austrian artifacts from Roman, Medieval, Renaissance, Biedermeier, and Modern periods are also examined.  Most classes are held in Viennese museums, palaces, monasteries, and churches.  Students may earn credit for Art 295 or History 295 or fulfill the Arts I (Art 111) or Cultural Heritage II (History 131) general education requirement.  Dr. Beatrice Ottersböck, noted art historian and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, has taught American students in numerous programs in Vienna since 1968.

Second Session Orientation and Classes - 1 June to 23 June
German II, a continuation of German I with Prof. Karen Kalser, is designed to develop the acquisition of a comfortable communication knowledge of German.  Students earn credit for German 102, the second component of the Second Language general education requirement.  German 101 or its equivalent is a prerequisite.

The Art History course, Austrian Art and Architecture, is offered again during this session by Dr. Beatrice Ottersböck (see description under First Session).

Empires of the World, Empires of the Mind is also offered during the second session by Dr. Janis Gibbs (see description under First Session).

Intercultural Communication (Communication 295) explores how cultural “programming” affects different areas of life, business, and communication.  The course examines immigrant experience, culture shock, language barriers and biases, and cross-cultural competence.  Each student becomes a “cultural detective” preparing a relevant project.  Field trips to the United Nations, Central Bank, etc., supplement lectures and readings.  Prof. Elisabeth Cassels-Brown, M.A., a 20-year resident of Vienna, teaches International Business at Vienna’s Webster University and has taught various courses for the Hope program since 1992.  

German Conversation

Informal, non-credit German-language classes usually meet a few afternoons each week during both sessions.  These conversation classes cover topics of relevance to everyday life in Vienna.  Students with no German-language background find these "survival" sessions beneficial, while students at intermediate levels gain confidence in using their German abilities.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

More than $40,000 is available in scholarship awards for Vienna 2010. One blue scholarship application suffices for a student applying for any of the endowed funds: Jurries Family, Gibbs Family, Fried, Mitsos, Fritz, Hemenway, Snow, and Austrian Faculty Funds. A student applying for any of the first six funds must have the scholarship application signed by someone in his/her Financial Aid Office to verify financial need. Each applicant must also submit a creative essay; see the scholarship application for details. Completed scholarship applications and essays are due at the International Education Office by Monday 21 December. Last year more than 20 students received partial awards ranging from $1000 to $5000. Students in need of financial assistance should also check with financial aid officials about guaranteed student loans.

Flights

For students participating in the full program or first session only, Dr. Hemenway has reserved flights on Tuesday, May 11, from Grand Rapids/Detroit/Amsterdam, with arrival in Vienna on Wednesday, May 12. Students who make other flight arrangements must arrive in Vienna no later than 8:30 a.m. on May 12 for bus rides to Mörbisch (a village near the Austro-Hungarian border) for orientation. For second session students, the reserved flight (same route) departs on Monday, May 31, and arrives on Tuesday, June 1: All students must arrive in Vienna by 8:30 a.m. on June 1 for orientation. Return dates from Vienna (or other cities) are open, but flights from Vienna through Amsterdam/Detroit/Grand Rapids have been reserved on Thursday, June 3, and Thursday, June 24, for students leaving at the end of each session. All participants will receive complete flight information and options in January.

Program Costs

1) Full Six-Week Session with Weekend Trips* = $6,600. Included are tuition costs for eight semester hours of academic credit, German language instruction, housing, breakfast and dinner every day (including weekends), tram-bus-subway passes in Vienna, orientation/farewell festivities, and field trips/excursions required for courses. Also included are transportation, hotels, guides, admissions, and special events for weekends in Salzburg and Prague during first session and for weekends in Budapest and Austrian Alps and day trip to Bratislava in second session. A student enrolled for both sessions saves $400.

2) First Session Only with Weekend Trips* = $3,600. Included are tuition costs for four semester hours of academic credit, etc. (see everything listed in first sentence in #1) plus costs for weekend excursions.

3) Second Session Only with Weekend Trips* = $3,400.  Included are tuition costs for four semester hours of academic credit, etc. (see everything listed in first sentence in #1) plus costs for weekend excursions.

4) Round Trip Flight Estimates:  11 May departure = $1100; 31 May departure = $1400
This flight fee, paid directly to a travel agent, is not part of the Hope College costs.  Return dates are negotiable individually.
*The above cost estimates are based on prices and exchange rates as projected in October 2009.  They may be revised if economic or political conditions change significantly. 

Deposit/Refund Policy

Upon written notification of your acceptance, a deposit of $300 (which will be applied to final balance) must be made by January 22; $200 is nonrefundable.  Half of balance is due by 31 March 2010; final half is due by 30 April 2010.  If you withdraw from the program before classes begin, the unexpended portion of the fee will be returned.  After classes begin, refunds cannot be made except for grave reasons. 

Notice of Nondiscrimination

Hope College admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin, sex, creed, or handicap to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at Hope College.  It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, sex, creed, or handicap in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

Independent Study Projects

Independent Study Projects that make specific use of the Vienna locale are possible during either session, though second session is preferable.  A project, worth four hours of credit, is an alternative to listed courses; fluency in German is an advantage.  Prior approval (with project goals and detailed outline) must be obtained from the appropriate department and from Dr. Hemenway, who arranges meetings with Austrian resource persons and supervises preparation of the project report.  Former students have pursued independent studies in political science, education, sociology, theater, film, music, religion, and German language.

Calendar for 2010

Applications

Application and scholarship forms are available from Ms. Kendra Williams at Fried International Center, 116 Martha Miller Center, 257 Columbia Ave., Hope College, Holland, MI 49423 (phone: 616/395-7605; e-mail: kwilliams@hope.edu), or from  Dr. Stephen Hemenway, English Department, Lubbers 310, Hope College, Holland, MI 49422-9000 (phone: 616/395-7616; e-mail: hemenway@hope.edu).  Pre-Thanksgiving applications are encouraged; some classes fill quickly.  Deadlines are listed in the calendar for 2010.