Inside Student Blogs

After an absolutely fantastic fieldtrip with IES – which I can’t recommend enough – it was time to actually get to the ‘study’ part of study abroad as classes finally kicked into session.  Before I go into my class details, I would like to honestly say that the weeklong IES trip was planned out perfectly and went on without a hitch!  It was a fantastic way to meet your fellow classmates as well, so I would definitely suggest you take this little adventure with all of them.  Nothing says ‘bonding’ like a 9 hour bus ride home, after all!

Now to the class information, which I’m sure you’re dying to hear about.  I mean, clearly class is the entire reason you’re abroad right?  Well, I’ve developed a quick little peak of my class schedule so far with my initial thoughts – but do keep in mind that this is only a tiny sampling of what’s offered in Vienna.

Fin de Siècle

A history class that focuses on culture in Vienna up around the turn of the century, this class also has a prominent feature in that it hosts a ton of field trips to places relevant to what you’re learning.  The professor is very knowledgeable and kind, which is a huge bonus.  So history, fieldtrips, and a good natured professor make this out to be a promising course if you can fit it into your schedule!

The Political Geography of New Europe

I originally took this so learn more about the EU.  I think remembered all too late that I despise politics, so honestly this class doesn’t seem too promising for me – but I’ll stick it out to try to widen my political knowledge with the EU.  While the professor is highly intelligent, he only sits at his desk and lectures for an hour and a half – so if this isn’t your kind of learning style I’d run, run as fast as you can!

Teaching Internship

While the class itself can be a little fragmented and confusing, the experience of the teaching internship thus far has been one of the highlights of my stay here!  Being able to speak with Austrian students and learn about their culture through them directly is proving to be an incredibly fascinating experience.

Comparative Literature

This class’s list of texts looks promising, and the professor is incredibly knowledgeable and charismatic.  He’s from Hungary, and actually offers a field trip to Budapest later in the semester for students in his courses – so if you’re up for a little Eastern European literature and a professor-guided tour later in the year I would sign up for this class!

There you go!  There’s my sampling of classes beyond German for the rest of the semester.  While I’m mostly pleased with how my schedule is shaping up – I have to hope I can keep up the enthusiasm because while it’s a good course load, I can already tell it’ll be a very busy semester!

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