Overview

Program Type: Faculty-Led Summer Program (UT Program code: 353005)
Dates: First Summer Session (End of May to beginning of July)
Application Deadline: December 1 is the priority deadline. The secondary deadline is February 15, on a space available basis.
Language(s) of instruction: English
UT instructor: Professor Dennis Darling
Information Session Schedule

The ancient city of Prague is the Capital of the Czech Republic. This “once again” new nation is one of the most recent members of the European Union. Prague has been a European intellectual capital since the 14th century and a major learning center with one of the first universities founded in Europe where international students studied Latin. Prague has been an inspiring and stimulating place to study for more than 600 years. This year should prove to be no exception.

Prague is also lavishly beautiful city with its architecture and city plan. It is an architectural Disneyland with 1000 years of architectural styles crammed into a relatively compressed piece of real estate. Prague was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992. The city’s historic center is unparalleled in Europe. Within the city limits you can experience Romanesque rotundas from 900 A.D., Gothic cathedrals, Renaissance palaces, Baroque churches, magnificent collections of Cubist and Art Nouveau structures and, thrown in for good measure, the contemporary architecture of American master Frank Geary, many within a stones thrown of one another. Although the photographs made for this course will not be primarily concerned with simply architecture, this superb amalgam of structures will serve as unique visual anchors to many of the activities you will be documenting photographically during the course of the semester.

Eligibility

Open to undergraduate and graduate students (all majors) of The University of Texas at Austin who are in good academic standing. Students with all levels of photography experience are welcome, from beginners to advanced. There are no course prerequisites.

Courses and Credit

Students enroll in two courses for 6 hours of UT-Austin in-residence credit:

Documentary Photography: A contemporary Lens on the Historical City of Prague (J f370K/ J f395)

The Documentary Photography course will consist of lectures on documentary techniques and aesthetic principles as well as practical work on locations. For the more advanced students there may be an opportunity to work as interns for The Prague Post, an English language Weekly newspaper based in Prague. Weekly assignment will be given along with deadlines and students are expected to do photographic coverage the stories and submit their work to the paper in a timely fashion. Images will then be reviewed by the photo editor an possibly be used in either the print edition of the paper of on the publications web site.

There will be a number of fieldtrips and gallery shows that you will be required to attend. During the lectures, your photographs will be analyzed and critiques will offer direct feedback on content, storytelling, and creativity. Technical problems will be diagnosed and hopefully corrected. Although the images for class will be made digitally, you are welcome to shoot film -based images as well as long as you can convert the film images to digital for the critique sessions. The principal aim of the course is to build your visual storytelling skills and to create a photographic portfolio that shows your own unique view of Prague.

Czech Studies: Tumultuous Century, 1880-1980* (CZ f324)

One of the most dramatic and accessible periods of Czech history is the century-long period that encompasses the cultural and political happenings between the parameters of the1880’s and 1980’s. During this roughly 100-year period Czech politics and achievements in literature, art, architecture, music and cinema have a truly unique stamp. The goal of this course is to introduce you to this fascinating cavalcade of Czech events and personalities of this unique time period through a combination of lectures, each by a Czech authority in that particular week’s topic, and with field excursions to actual sites link to those weekly topics.

*Graduate students interested in taking this course should contact their Graduate Coordinator about the applicability of an upper division undergraduate course in their program of study.

Accommodations

Accommodation arrangements are made in advance and are included in the program fee. More information will be available soon. Breakfast is served and included in the program fee. Restaurant facilities and public transportation are easily accessible from the dorm. One overnight excursion is included with this program.

Student Expenses

Application fee: $50
Program fee (includes deposit): Approximately $4,300
UT Tuition: $2,210 (TX Resident)
Roundtrip airfare $900-1,200
Additional meals and misc. expenses $900
Local transportation $100
Books and supplies $50
Passport and ISIC card $130
Emergencies: $500
Total estimated expenses: $9,140 - $9,440

Tuition rates vary by student status.

The Program fee includes onsite orientation, accommodations, breakfast, study abroad health insurance, onsite student services (24/7), metro/bus pass for city transport and one overnight excursion. Students will be lent a cell phone at no cost but will pay for their calls with prepaid cards. Miscellaneous expenses may include, but are not limited to immunizations, city travel, extra meals, and personal entertainment. Miscellaneous expenses will vary by student.

Cameras will be available to students who require them, through the UT Study Abroad Office.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Learn more about funding for study abroad.

In addition, the College of Liberal Arts may offer scholarships that are specific to this program. Information will be forwarded to applicants in December.