Eligibility
- 18 years of age or above
- Good academic and disciplinary standing at Penn State
- 2.75 cumulative GPA or better at the time of application review
- Sophomore standing or above at the start of the program
Program Description
At the heart of Europe, Brno is not only an internationally recognized city for industry, innovation and student life, but also an optimum gateway for exploring the beauty and complexities of European culture from its central location between Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Krakow and Prague.
Through a culturally-immersive learning framework, students participating in this program will explore how globalization (as process, practice, and system) intersects evolving conceptions of media, communication, and culture as international phenomena in partnership with Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in a part-time internship worth 3 credits.
Students from all majors are welcome, as the program is specifically designed to both link up with a wide array of disciplinary perspectives related to the subject, as well utilize student diversity regarding backgrounds and majors as a means to mutually enhance their understanding of the topics and perspectives they will engage in the program.
Utilizing directed engagements with the Czech and Central European cultural context (including visits to Prague, Bratislava, Vienna, Budapest, Brno, Telc and Southern Moravia), students will explore the Local as a context for understanding the Global, considering how their own culture, media, and means for communication (language, technology, symbolism, etc.) frame and connect their knowledge and personal experience of the world to broader understandings of their identity and perspective in the world.
Students interested in the CzechMates summer program will choose from 3 different program options within their Penn State application:
- Globalization Perspectives - Media, Communication, Culture Course ONLY
- Students will earn 3 credits
- Standalone Summer 9-week Internship Experience
- Students will earn 3 credits
- 3-credit Globalization Perspectives - Media, Communication, Culture Course AND 9-week Summer Internship Program
- Students will earn 6 credits total
Dates
Summer
- Global Perspectives - Media, Communication, Culture Course: early/mid May - early June
- 9-Week Internship Option: late May - late July
- Course and Internship: early/mid May - late July
Refer to the program website for the specific dates.
Location
Brno, Czech Republic, an internationally recognized hub for industry, culture, and innovation was selected by the NY Times as “a place to go” in 2016 in light of its inviting and compelling local culture. Offering a distinct mix of traditional (Czech) and cosmopolitan (global) experiences, it is an optimum gateway for exploring the beauty and complexities of European culture from its heart, located only hours by train from Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Krakow, and Prague.
Masaryk University is an internationally recognized research and teaching institution whose student population is fully-international in scope through its Erasmus affiliation. With its extensive English language curriculum and active student organizations, the university presents a multitude of experiential learning opportunities as well as support and integration services to both assist and augment students as they adjust and extend the ways they independently learn about the world.
Most of all, this location positions students to engage a truly immersive and rewarding experience with insights and sentiments spanning local to global.
Education Abroad in Countries with a Penn State Restricted Travel Designation
In order to comply with Penn State’s International Travel Policy, students interested in studying abroad in countries that Penn State has designated as “restricted” for travel, a petition for a waiver must be submitted. Once a petition is complete, and if the student is approved for study on the program in question, the student may be asked to meet with the Director of Education Abroad and the petition will be reviewed by the Penn State International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC). The necessary petition will be included in the online application process for this program. To see if your program is taking place in a restricted travel country, please visit the Penn State Global website.