Marcotte Study Abroad Report
THE FOLLOWING EMAIL IS SENT ON BEHALF OF KAREN MARCOTTE, WHO IS HEADING A TEAM OF 36 STUDENTS AND FACULTY MEMBERS ON A TWO WEEK STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM FOCUSING ON THE HOLOCAUST:
The PAC Study Abroad program on the Holocaust is off to a fantastic start. The 36 faculty and students have embraked on a two week study of the Holocaust in Europe in Berlin and Munich, Germany; Warsaw and Krakow in Poland and Prague in the Czech Republic. We have been in Europe for four days and this is my first chance to write. We flew in two different groups through Chicago to Berlin, Germany where we spent our first three days. After that first day of being tired from jet lag, the group began to focus on various aspects of the Holocaust in earnest.
Among our study points were the Jewish Museum, an orientation to the city of Berlin both past and present and a stop at the remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall. Students were impressed and in some cases highly moved by the sites. Our stop at a Jewish cemetery which had been desecrated brought into sharp focus the extent of the human suffering. We also spent time at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe which is very near the Brandenburg gate. Again it was a somber group that boarded our bus.
A special visit to the Wannsee Conefernce House complete with a tour and presentation by a Professor of History was a sobering experience. The Wannsee Conference was where the Nazis decided on the Final Solution to the Jewish problem - they would be eliminated.
We have balanced the difficult topic of the Holocaust with visits to museums and other cultural sites. It was so good to see the statue of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti as she awaits the completion of her new museum. She still looks good after 3500 years.
We all enjoyed a panel discussion by professors of history on the East/West division of both Berlin and Germany. Two of the professors were born and raised in East Germany and one in West Germany. Our students are now more knowledgeable on this topic and understand the value of primary resources.
Today, May 21, we took the train from Berlin to Warsaw, Poland. This is my first trip to Poland. We watched the landscape change throughout our journey and enjoyed a walking orientation of the city center. Tomorrow we will vist the site of the Warsaw Ghetto and Uprising as well as the Jewish Synagogue. We will also have an orientation to the city as a whole.
For more information on the program and to read about some of the student impressions so far, look for an email from Rob Hines, History Professor.
This is Karen Marcotte, Professor of History and Humanities, Palo Alto College
The PAC Study Abroad program on the Holocaust is off to a fantastic start. The 36 faculty and students have embraked on a two week study of the Holocaust in Europe in Berlin and Munich, Germany; Warsaw and Krakow in Poland and Prague in the Czech Republic. We have been in Europe for four days and this is my first chance to write. We flew in two different groups through Chicago to Berlin, Germany where we spent our first three days. After that first day of being tired from jet lag, the group began to focus on various aspects of the Holocaust in earnest.
Among our study points were the Jewish Museum, an orientation to the city of Berlin both past and present and a stop at the remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall. Students were impressed and in some cases highly moved by the sites. Our stop at a Jewish cemetery which had been desecrated brought into sharp focus the extent of the human suffering. We also spent time at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe which is very near the Brandenburg gate. Again it was a somber group that boarded our bus.
A special visit to the Wannsee Conefernce House complete with a tour and presentation by a Professor of History was a sobering experience. The Wannsee Conference was where the Nazis decided on the Final Solution to the Jewish problem - they would be eliminated.
We have balanced the difficult topic of the Holocaust with visits to museums and other cultural sites. It was so good to see the statue of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti as she awaits the completion of her new museum. She still looks good after 3500 years.
We all enjoyed a panel discussion by professors of history on the East/West division of both Berlin and Germany. Two of the professors were born and raised in East Germany and one in West Germany. Our students are now more knowledgeable on this topic and understand the value of primary resources.
Today, May 21, we took the train from Berlin to Warsaw, Poland. This is my first trip to Poland. We watched the landscape change throughout our journey and enjoyed a walking orientation of the city center. Tomorrow we will vist the site of the Warsaw Ghetto and Uprising as well as the Jewish Synagogue. We will also have an orientation to the city as a whole.
For more information on the program and to read about some of the student impressions so far, look for an email from Rob Hines, History Professor.
This is Karen Marcotte, Professor of History and Humanities, Palo Alto College
posted by PAC PR at 7:42 AM
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