Eligibility
You must have achieved sophomore status with a grade point average of at least 2.5. to study in Hungary. Preference is given to juniors and seniors when there are more applicants than spots in the program.
Cost
The Fall 2009 program cost is $17,000. This cost includes:
- Tuition
- Round trip airfare Grand Rapids/Budapest
- Housing (in a KGRU dorm)
- Food allowance
- Program excursions
- Administrative fee
Additional expenses not included in the program fee: passport, residency visa ($100 paid once in Hungary), medical insurance (required), books, some weekend meals, any independent travel and spending money.
Accommodations
You will stay in a dormitory of the Karoli Gaspar Reformed University with a Calvin roommate. You'll have many opportunities here to meet other students, both international and Hungarian.
Courses
The following courses are required:
| STHU 364 - Studies in Modern Europe -- 1989: Origins and Aftermath of a Revolutionary Year |
|
The year 1989 was a milestone for the Hungarians and the other peoples of Eastern Europe. Four decades of communist rule came to an end through negotiations and elections (in Hungary and Poland), non-violent demonstrations (in East Germany and Czechoslovakia), and violent revolution (in Romania). Meanwhile in Yugoslavia, the end of communist rule opened the political system to nationalist parties that broke the country apart and set the stage for civil war. This course will focus on the events of 1989, the decades of communist rule that preceded the revolutions, and the political, economic, and social changes that have followed. It will also address Hungary in the context of the other post-communist states of Eastern Europe. |
3 semester hours |
| STHU 312 - Studies in Central European Culture | |
| This course defines the concept of East Central Europe geographically and linguistically, and presents a topical introduction to the political, religious, artistic, musical and scientific aspects of East Central European culture through guest lectures, readings, and excursions to Croatia and Ukraine. | 4 semester hours, fulfills Global and Historical Studies core |
| STHU 100 - Introduction to the Hungarian Language | |
In this course, students learn vocabulary and basic sentence structures needed to communicate on an elementary level as they live and travel in the city and region. |
2 semester hours, pass/fail, general elective credit |
You must also take two electives, one of which may be the following course:
| STHU 235 - Italian Renaissance Art | |
| A survey of Italian art from the Gothic period to the Late Renaissance, focusing on the artistic production of the main political and cultural centers of Renaissance Italy. The interpretation of the works of art is integrated into the fabric of life in the papal, royal, and ducal courts (Rome, Naples, Milan) and the rich republican cities (Florence, Siena, Venice). **Class size is limited. | 3 semester hours, fulfills The Arts core |
You may take one or both of your elective courses at the following universities. See the Calvin program director for up-to-date course offerings at these institutions.
- Corvinus University of Budapest - see their list of English-language course options.
- Budapest University of Technology and Economics
- Karoli Gaspar Reformed University
Excursions:
As part of the program, students will visit the region of Transylvania in Romania (including the Carpathian Mountains), Krakow, Prague, and Sarajevo.
Since Budapest is a hub for rail travel throughout Hungary and the rest of Central Europe, you'll easily be able to visit major cities like Vienna and Munich, the Tatra Mountains of Slovakia, the Julian Alps in Slovenia, and the Adriatic coast of Croatia.
Apply:
Submit a preliminary application to the the off-campus programs office. Once your eligibility for the program is determined (within 1–2 weeks), you will be sent an application. The final application deadline for this program has been extended to April 15, 2009.
Contact
Program Director, Fall 2009
Prof. Bruce Berglund, History Department
616.526.6194
