SDSU School of Communication
Summer in Europe - 2010

Welcome!

Welcome to the website for the 2010 SDSU Summer in Europe Program.  We hope to answer most of your questions in this site.  For additional questions, please contact the Program Director - Dr. Bill Snavely (wsnavely at mail dot sdsu dot edu). Program enrollment will begin in mid-September, 2009.

Your Faculty:

• Dr. Bill Snavely

   Director, School of Communication
    Professor of Communication
    19 Years experience leading study abroad programs, including this one
    Areas of Interest: Corporate & Organizational Communication, Leadership, Interpersonal Communication
   

• Dr. Peter Andersen

   Professor of Communication
    Extensive Travel Experience, including experience as co-leader of this program
    Internationally known scholar and teacher
    Areas of Interest: Nonverbal Communication, Relational Communication, Health Communication

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Our Corporate Partner:

       

        We will meet with Qualcomm executives in San Diego and in Rome and Munich.
 

Blackboard:

We have established a SDSU Blackboard website for the program.  The syllabus and course information will be located there, and program information will be posted there regularly.  Students are responsible for all information posted on this site.  Top of Page
 

Our Base Cities:

We depart the USA onWednesday, May 26th, arriving in our first base city the morning of Thursday, May 27, 2010.

• Rome, Italy
  
  We will begin our program in the ancient city of Rome .  Each day in a base city begins the same way - we have a breakfast buffet (provided in program fees) followed by morning classes.  In the afternoons & evenings, we will have some scheduled events (also included) and a good deal of free time for you to explore your surroundings.  Some of the events in Rome include:
  
  1.    Qualcomm visit
  2.    City and Vatican Tours
  3.    Group Dinner
  
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The program in Rome concludes on the afternoon of Monday, May 31st.  You will then have "free days" to travel where you wish.  A Eurail Pass is included in your program fees. You will arrange to arrive in our next base city, Munich, on the evening of Thursday, June 3rd in time for a group dinner.

• Munich, Germany
  
  Our second base city is Munich, in southeastern Germany - the heart of Bavaria.  Once again following our standard schedule, we will have a number of special events, including:

1.    Qualcomm visit
2.    City tour on bikes
3.    Guided tour of Dachau
4.    Group Dinner

On the morning of Tuesday, June 8th, we will travel together by train to our next base city.

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• Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
  
  Our third base city is a small village in the Swiss Alps, not far from Interlaken (where we change trains).  There is a mile hike from the train (with luggage) to our lodging (remember to pack light!). You will be staying in cabins in a campground in the magical canyon that is Lauterbrunnen's valley.  The snow-covered mountains and cascading waterfalls will be your daily view.  We will follow the standard schedule.  Special events include:

• Train to Mt. Jungfrau - highest train station in Europe.  We will experience Swiss life in the mountains, hike part of the way down the mountain, and visit Wengen, a popular ski village.

 

• Hikes above the canyon - we will visit Murren (pictured to the left), a village that vehicles cannot reach. On our return via gondola we will hike the canyon meadows and see Trammelbach Falls - waterfalls inside the mountain.

  
  

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• Copenhagen, Denmark

The program in Lauterbrunnen concludes the afternoon of Saturday, June 12th.  You then have "free days" to travel where you wish.  Many students may wish to visit Paris during this time. 

You will then arrive in our next base city, the Scandinavian city of Copenhagen, Denmark, on the evening of Tuesday, June 15th, in time for a group dinner.  We will be in Copenhagen during the "white nights" period of summer when darkness is a very short period of the day.  We will have our normal class schedule and several interesting tours of historic sites, including a visit to Tivoli Gardens- a combination of rides, entertainment, restaurants, shopping, and natural beauty that has drawn locals and visitors since 1843. Tivoli Gardens is open from mid-April through mid-September, seven days a week. While we are there, the park stays open till midnight during the week and slightly later on weekends. We will also take a bus tour of the city and a number of walking tours in the afternoons.

On the morning of Saturday, June 19th we will travel by train as a group to our next base city, Luxembourg, the capitol of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

• Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

  
  

Our fourth base city is the capital city of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, one of Europe's smallest countries, but one rich in history and tradition.   Today, Luxembourg is an important city, not only in banking, but also for the European Union.  We will follow the standard schedule. 

Special events include tours of the American cemetery (where General Patton was laid to rest), the German cemetery, the "Battle of the Bulge" museum, and a day trip to the village of Vianden and a tour of the castle, built between the 10th and 14th centuries.  On June 23rd, we will join Luxembourg citizens in the "Grand Duke's Holiday" culminating in a fantastic fireworks show and parties in the streets until the wee hours.

On Thursday, June 24th, we will travel together to our final destination, Frankfurt, Germany.

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    Photo by Julie Thoms

• Frankfurt, Germany
   

On June 24th we will travel together to Frankfurt, Germany.  You will have time for some free exploration, and then we will have our farewell dinner together in the old section of the city.  The next morning, the program is over and you are free to return home, or explore Europe on your own.  Transfers to the Frankfurt airport are provided in your program fees. A main train station is also located at the airport for those wishing to travel in Europe after the program.

Base City Hotels:

• Lauterbrunnen: Schutzenbach Retreat

• Munich: Eden Hotel Wolff Munich
• Our other base city hotels will be listed here as arrangements are finalized

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Travel Date Summary

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Parents - Emergency Contact:

In case of emergency, you should call Dr. Snavely at the hotel (see links above) or leave a message on his cell phone - we will provide students the number prior to our departure.  Because all calls are charged to us, we will return your calls after receiving a message rather than answer calls while in Europe.  If we are not available at the hotel, leave a message for Dr. William Snavely. 

If you desire to send a mobile telephone with your son or daughter, please be sure the phone will operate in Europe (most don't) and also understand the charges (usually very high).  We will provide your student with two packets of information regarding safety and behavioral guidelines - one for parents and one to take along with them to Europe.  Families should take the time to read this information and reinforce its importance to your student.     Top of Page

 

Free Travel Ideas:

Just some thoughts about the free travel days...

• You might want to get a Let's Go Europe or other guide book to find hotel or hostel numbers to call for your free travel days. There are also plenty of websites for hostels in Europe.  You have some time to make these reservations, but you might begin thinking about what you want to do. Then link up with people who want to do the same thing. 
  
  
• We request no solo travel on the free travel days - contact Dr. Snavely if you believe you have an exception.  All travel must be arranged such that you arrive on time in the next base city.
  
  
• Your first travel days take you from Rome to Munich.  There are many possibilities in Italy.  Cinque Terre in Italy (on the northwest coast, south of Genoa) is beautiful and from there you could follow the coast. Alternatively you may want to go to Tuscany, Pisa, Florence, Siena or over to beautiful Venice.
  
  
• Another possibility is Austria - take the Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg and tour Innsbruck or go to Vienna.
   
• For your second free travel days, many students will explore Paris.  Other options might include Brussels or the southern coast of France (Cannes, Nice) or a historic visit to Normandy and the sites of the WWII Allied "D-Day" invasion of Nazi occupied Europe.

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Links:

• International Studies Minor
• Relevant links will be posted here

Courses:

We accept both graduate and undergraduate students of any major.  There are two 3-unit courses in our program - PSFA 501 and 502.  The focus of instruction will be intercultural understanding, nonverbal communication in different cultures, and comparative corporate communication.  These courses are required courses in the PSFA International Studies Minor but are open to anyone.

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Cost of the Program:

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Included in the Program Fees:

• 10-Day Eurail Pass for all intercity travel and free travel ($700 value)

• Lodging in base cities - at 3-4 star hotels in most cities, cabins in Switzerland

• Buffet breakfast every day in each base city

• One group dinner in each base city

• Farewell Dinner in Frankfurt

• Guided Tours in Rome, Luxembourg & Copenhagen

• Guided City Bike tour in Munich

• Swiss Rail & Jungfrau train tickets & admissions

• Guided Tour in Munich/Dachau

• Trip insurance

• Handouts & program T-Shirt
  
  
  

Not Included:

• SDSU Tuition
• Round trip airfare (we will discuss discounted fares)
• Health insurance
• Lodging & meals on free travel days
• Lunches & most dinners
• Souvenirs and shopping
• Misc. spending money
  
  

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Schedule in San Diego:

 

2010 Tentative Schedule in Europe:

How to Enroll   

• Our target is 36 students.  We will accept applications beginning mid-September.  Once the target number has been reached, we will start a waiting list.  We expect most people on the waiting list will be able to go, but we cannot guarantee that for anyone until they are officially on the "GO" list.  Some people on the GO list inevitably change their mind and we move people up in order of receipt of their application.  If we have a substantial number on the waiting list, we will try to expand the program to accommodate as many as we can.  If the program expands, it is possible the program fees will go down somewhat. Last year, everyone who wanted to go ultimately went on the program. 
  
  
• After you have completely reviewed the information on this website, we invite you to pick up an application form in the Communication Office - 237 COM.  You will be added to our wait list in the order we receive your completed application.
  
  
• Deposit: $1,000, due when you get on the "GO" List. $250 is non-refundable if enrollment falls below 30.
  
  
• Partial program fee payments - estimated due dates are January 15, March 1, and April 15.  Tuition payment to SDSU due date will be announced by the College of Extended Studies.

© Copyright 2009 Dr. William B. Snavely