Overview
Eligibility
- 18 years of age or above
- Good academic and disciplinary standing at Penn State
- 2.75 cumulative GPA or better at the time of application
- Rising Sophomore standing or above at the start of the program
Program Description
Ways of Seeing and Being: Culture, Photo and Design, will critically consider how to view, understand, and participate in natural and built environments by investigating and engaging with three distinct and culturally rich regions in Germany: Berlin, Bonn and Munich.
Explore how you can engage with people, practice, and place, and contribute to cultural and visual moments through photography, installation, and design. Investigate your presence and personal impact footprint in places and spaces, and develop a nuanced relationship with the cultural, visual, and designed context of your surroundings. A cross-disciplinary focus is an essential thrust of this program – dive into fundamentals spanning the domains of architecture and landscape architecture, graphic design, communications, history, sociology, anthropology, and psychology, as well as visual and performance arts. This broad-based approach will fundamentally inform and expand your vision and sense of nuance in engaging life, work, and scholarship in the ever-increasingly global environment.
Touch Down in the Rhineland
We will kick-off in Bonn, Germany, with a week of guest lectures, study tours, and preparations for ensuing intensive field studies. As home to the United Nations Campus, Bonn is a vibrant and accessible city in which to explore German and European culture, architecture and history, as well as engage with the first stages of course-related project work. Study tours in the larger Bonn/Cologne region and the Rhineland will create a foundation of important cultural, historic, architectural, design, and environmental topics.
Field Studies and Explorations – Berlin and Munich
At this program's core, you will spend time immersed in the cities of Berlin and Munich, to engage in on-site intensive studies of cultural characteristics and their visual representations. Supported by enthusiastic experts in an array of fields, you will become familiarized with local culture, history, design, art, and other relevant aspects of the locale. Under the guidance of instructors and through the course projects, you will develop a nuanced and layered understanding of the ways in which culture, space, history, design, art, and myriad other factors combine to create the unique character of place. You will explore, document, and re-imagine ways of seeing and being.
Project Wrap-Up and Public Exhibit in Bonn
After travels across Germany, we will return to Bonn where you will synthesize your experiences and field research into a coherent and compelling visual product, to be presented to the class and exhibited publicly in Bonn.
Dates
Summer: This program will not run in summer 2021, but hopes are that program operation will resume in 2022. Contact the faculty leader or check back on this page for information about future travel on this program.
Housing
Generally, housing arrangements include two students per bedroom as the default arrangement. For summer 2021, students will have the option of a single-occupancy bedroom for the duration of the program due to COVID-19 concerns. Students who wish to opt into single occupancy accommodations (single bedroom with private or shared bath) must complete their Supplemental Housing Questionnaire after they have been accepted to the program. Students will be charged an additional fee of $700 per week for single occupancy housing.
Hostel-style Accommodations
Students will stay in shared rooms with shared bathrooms.
Meals
TBD- Details forthcoming!
Program Costs
Summer Costs - Check back soon for details on summer costs for this program!
Program costs are estimates and subject to change up to the program commitment deadline. If Penn State tuition rates are adjusted for summer 2021, then the education abroad program fee would be scaled accordingly to arrive at the same total billable amount listed on the budget sheet.
For more information on program costs, please be sure to review the budget sheet. These budget sheets include information on costs that are billable to the bursar bill, as well as estimated additional costs. Costs vary by program, so it is important to review this information carefully.
Please note that tuition rates may vary depending on major and class standing.
Scholarships
The Education Abroad Office awards a number of grants and scholarships to students who participate in an education abroad program through Global Programs. The application for the scholarships awarded through the Education Abroad Office is included with your program application. Eligibility is based on academic merit and/or financial need. You must have a current FAFSA on file to be awarded. There are additional scholarship opportunities through our partner universities, Penn State Academic Departments, and other sources. To view a full list of scholarships, eligibility requirements, and deadlines visit Funding Study Abroad.
Student Aid
Penn State students who plan to study on a Penn State approved program can use most forms of financial aid towards the cost of the program. Exceptions include work-study awards and some athletic scholarships. If you have specific questions regarding your aid awards, contact the Penn State Office of Student Aid.
Withdrawal & Refund Policy
Withdrawal and refund details are dependent on the timing and reason for your withdrawal from a Penn State Education Abroad Program. For specific details and steps on how to withdraw, read the Education Abroad Policies.
After Commitment
Once a student has committed to a Penn State Education Abroad program, they are financially responsible for any fees incurred on their behalf. Therefore, if a student plans to withdraw from a program it is their responsibility to immediately notify the Education Abroad office, in writing; email is preferred.
Regardless of the timing or reason for the withdrawal, the student will be responsible for paying the Education Abroad Administrative Fees. For faculty-led freestanding programs, there is a specific withdrawal penalty schedule.
Education Abroad makes every attempt at keeping the program and administrative costs to a minimum. However, when you commit to participating in a program, Education Abroad begins to make financial commitments on your behalf. In case of withdrawal, the following fees will be charged to your Bursar account
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Upon Commitment - 90 Days Prior to Departure: 25% Program Fee + EA Admin Fee
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30 - 89 Days Prior to Departure: 50% Program Fee + EA Admin Fee
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29 Days - Departure Date: 100% Program Fee + EA Admin Fee
Following the start of the summer semester, any adjustment of tuition charges will be made according to the Tuition Adjustment Schedule as determined by the Office of the Bursar. More information can be found on the University Senate Policy on Withdrawal and Leave of Absence.
After the Start of the Program
If a student withdraws after the start of a program, any adjustment of Penn State tuition charges will be made according to the Tuition Adjustment Schedule as determined by the Office of the Bursar. Students may be responsible for up to 100% of program costs. In most cases, partial credit cannot be awarded for leaving a program before its successful completion.
For additional information on withdrawal policies, separate and apart from financial consequences, please consult the University Senate Policy on Withdrawal and Leave of Absence.
