May 18 - June 2, 2025
Students should apply for the Global Ambassador Scholarship in October 2024 on Academic Works and will find out what/if they received the scholarship before the first payment due date.
Estimated Total Program Cost: $3,500 (subject to change)
First payment due November 8, 2024
Second payment due December 10, 2024
Third payment due January 10, 2025
PAYMENTS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.
Pending financial aid does not cover study abroad payments. Please call Student Accounts for more details at 978.665.4126.
POLS or HIST 2110: Europe Today
3 Credits
Learn more from the info session slideshow
LAS Attributes: AIA, CTW, GDC, HI, or IHIP
Take this 3 credit course that introduces major themes in contemporary European history, politics and economics before traveling to see some of the most significant places in the world. During the program, you will travel to three European countries; the Netherlands, Germany and Poland with Professor Spero and your classmates. You will meet and engage informally with collegial German and Polish university students. Together, we’ll experience incredible cultures and societies with this window into the heart of Europe, as we walk centuries-old cobblestone streets and witness some of the most extraordinary architecture and cities internationally.
Our course and its European program expand our partnership with European and other international students and faculty at Rhine-Waal University, our exchange partner in Germany (Kleve and Kamp Lintfort Campuses), as well as our emerging partnership with the University of Warsaw in Poland. Students from both countries participate in workshops with us on US-European relations and continue advancing our cooperative university-to-university research project to enhance our "US-European Transatlantic Relationship."
We will also decompress a lot with Europe’s wonderful café culture for ample time to relax and sightsee, in addition to our touring such significant, historic, and monumental European sites as:
- Amsterdam and the International Court of Justice/The Hague (both in the Netherlands);
- Rhine-Waal University (RWU) and its Kleve/Kamp Lintfort cities (in Northwest Rhineland / Germany);
- University of Warsaw, its government and palatial architecture, old town and Warsaw Ghetto (in Northern Poland);
- And, finally, via train from Warsaw to Kraków (Southern Poland), the latter with its Wawel Castle, and our excursions to the famous Wieliczka Salt Mine and the important Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum.
Students from all majors and years should apply.
For more information please email Professor Joshua Spero jspero@fitchburgstate.edu or the Office of International Education inthelp@fitchburgstate.edu.
Working Itinerary (subject to change)
| Day | Event |
|---|---|
| Sun. May 18 | Arrive at Boston Logan International Airport at 4 p.m. Depart Boston (KLM 618) at 8:15 p.m. and arrive in Amsterdam at 9:10 a.m. on May 19 |
| Mon. May 19 | Met at airport by Rhine-Waal University (RWU) Faculty, visit The Hague and the International Court of Justice, and the Resistance Museum before having free time around Amsterdam, take a bus to Kleve in late afternoon and check-in to Hotel Zur Post before having free time in Kleve |
| Tues. May 20 | Enjoy a walking tour of Kleve in the morning and have free time to explore during the day |
| Wed. May 21 | Walk to RWU and have discussions on European security and transatlantic ties (EU, NATO) with simulation exercises, see Kleve during evening free time |
| Thurs. May 22 | Join RWU-Fitchburg State Presidential delegations for day together, have lunch and a walking tour with RWU leadership around Kleve and Kamp-Lintfort, take a bus to the NATO Headquarters in Germany before Fitchburg State-RWU student groups relax in Kleve |
| Fri. May 23 | Have morning free time before a signing ceremony between FSU and RWU in the afternoon, visit the Liberation Museum in the Netherlands before returning to enjoy an evening banquet, prepare for early morning departure |
| Sat. May 24 | Depart Germany by bus at 9 a.m. to Amsterdam airport for a 2:30 pm flight to Warsaw (KLM 1315), arrive in Poland at 4:30 p.m., met at airport by API, check in at Oki Doki Old Town hotel before having orientation and evening free time |
| Sun. May 25 | Enjoy a neighborhood walking tour of the Old Town, main streets, and Warsaw Ghetto area, enjoy free time in Warsaw {Recommended places to visit: Warsaw WWII Rising Museum, POLIN Museum, Palace of Culture and Science} |
| Mon. May 26 | Walk to the University of Warsaw to see the campus and meet with faculty and students before the Transfer Articulation Agreement signing ceremony between FSU and UW, explore Warsaw on own |
| Tues. May 27 | Walk to University of Warsaw for discussions on European security, Ukraine, and transatlantic ties with University of Warsaw students, see Warsaw in FSU-UW student groups, prepare for early morning departure |
| Wed. May 28 | Depart Warsaw for Kraków by train (about three hours), check-in at Maly Kraków Aparthotel, enjoy a walking tour of the Main Square, Wawel Castle, Kazimierz District and New Jewish Cemetery before having evening free time |
| Thurs. May 29 | Travel to Nowa Huta for a tour before returning in for free time in the afternoon and evening |
| Fri. May 30 | Travel to Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum |
| Sat. May 31 | Experience a mid-morning tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mine before evening free time |
| Sun. June 1 | Enjoy a free day in Krakow. Pack bags for early morning departure. |
| Mon. June 2 | Depart hotel early at 8 a.m. for 11:50 a.m. flight from Krakow to Amsterdam (KLM 1324), depart Amsterdam for Boston (KLM 617) at 4:55 p.m. to arrive at Logan at 6:20 p.m. |
Hear from our students
Heart of Europe Study Abroad Reflections (2023)
Sean Krieger
Karla Taveras Guerra
