CEA Prague, Czech Republic
Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Summer 2009
Program Handbook
Congratulations on being selected to participate in the study abroad program in Prague, Czech Republic through CEA!
This program is offered by International Academic Programs (IAP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in partnership with Cultural Experiences Abroad (CEA). Throughout the course of your study abroad experience you will be communicating with both IAP and CEA staff. It is essential that you pay close attention to all information provided to you from both organizations. This IAP Program Handbook supplements handbook(s) or materials you receive from CEA as well as the IAP Study Abroad Handbook and provides you with the most up-to-date information and advice available at the time of printing. Changes may occur before your departure or while you are abroad.
CEA handles the program’s day-to-day operations. Generally, questions about aspects of your program abroad should be directed to CEA (i.e. housing information, program facilities abroad, extracurricular activities offered as part of the program, etc.) Questions relating to your relationship with UW-Madison or your academics should be addressed to International Academic Programs at UW-Madison (i.e. course credits, equivalents, UW Madison registration, etc.)
This program handbook contains the following information:
Contact Information 1
Program Dates 2
Preparations Before Leaving 3
Travel and Arrival Information 3
The Academic Program 3
Living Abroad 6
CONTACT INFORMATION
CEA On-Site Program Information
Sandra Hamissova, Program Director
CEA Prague Office
C/O The Anglo American University
Lazenska 4, 118 00 Praha 1
Czech Republic
Tel: +(420) 257 530 241
UW-Madison Information
International Academic Programs (IAP)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
250 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Tel: (608) 265-6329 Fax: (608) 262-6998
Web: www.studyabroad.wisc.edu
For Program Advising & Grades:Erin Polnaszek
IAP Study Abroad Advisor
Tel: (608) 262-1446
E-mail: / For Financial Matters:
Judy Humphrey
IAP Financial Specialist
Tel: 608-262-6785
E-mail:
Emergency Contact Information
In case of an emergency, call the main IAP number (608) 265-6329 between 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; after-hours or on weekends call the IAP staff on call at (608) 516-9440.
Embassy Registration
Program participants who are U.S. citizens must register at the U.S. Embassy before departure as this will help in case of a lost passport or other mishap. You can register on-line at https://travelregistration.state.gov. If you are not a U.S. citizen, register at your home country’s embassy or consulate.
U.S. Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic
Trziste 15
118 01 Praha 1
Czech Republic
TEL: +420 257 530 663
FAX: +420 257 530 920
Web: http://www.usembassy.cz
PROGRAM DATES
Summer 2009
Arrive in Prague June 11, 2009
Orientation June 12
Classes Begin June 15
Drop/Add deadline June 19
Holiday, no classes July 6
Final exams July 20 – July 24
Classes end July 24
End of Program July 25, 2009
PREPARATIONS BEFORE LEAVING
Refer to the Pre-Departure Checklist on pages four and five of the IAP Study Abroad Handbook for essential information. In addition, please refer to the student handbook supplied by CEA for a pre-departure checklist and packing checklist.
Immigration Documents
Participants will need a valid passport for this program. Students do not need to secure a visa since they will not be staying in Prague for more then 90 days.
Travel and Arrival Information
Travel and arrival information will be provided by CEA.
THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM
General Information
Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Liberal Arts and Social Sciences courses are offered at the Anglo-American University in Prague. The Anglo-American University is located in the beautiful 18th century Palace of the Knights of Malta, amidst the baroque architecture of Prague's historical Mala Strana quarter. The College is surrounded by the city's main historical attractions and is just a few minutes’ walk from Old Town Square over the famous medieval Charles Bridge.
Small, interactive classes are taught in English by Czech and international faculty to a current student population of 350-400 students. With a diverse student body made up of Czech and international students from more than 25 different countries and a unique small-college environment in the heart of the city, AAVS offers an educational experience that is unique in Prague.
CEA students will have access to all the College facilities including a student ID, computer labs, library, and activities and sports organized by the AAVS Student Council. Since two thirds of students at AAVS are Czech nationals CEA students have ample opportunity to meet and interact with their Czech peers.
Classroom Information
· Czech and international faculty from the Anglo-American University will teach your language courses and electives.
· Periodic exams, homework assignments and final exams will be administered.
· Attendance in all classes is mandatory and monitored by each professor.
· Teaching styles in the Czech Republic are somewhat different from those found in the US or Canada. Be prepared to adapt to the different classroom structures and coursework expectations for your school.
· Class size ranges between 10 and 15 students for language courses and between 20 and 30 students for your electives.
· You will be in class with Czech and international students from the US, Europe, Canada and other parts of the world.
COURSE INFORMATION
Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Track
The Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Program in Prague gives students full access to diverse summer course offerings at Anglo-American University. Depending on your interests, you can choose your courses from a wide variety of subject areas such as Art and Architecture, International Relations and Diplomacy, Finance, History, Literature, Marketing, Political Science, and Psychology. By taking electives in English you can immerse yourself in the Czech culture and earn credits with no previous knowledge of the language. You will have the opportunity to work alongside students from 60 different nationalities and a wide range of academic backgrounds in all classes. Intimate class size and caring highly professional staff at Anglo-American University provide the perfect atmosphere for you to study, socialize and discover the Czech Republic. This program is offered for one, 6-week session. UW-Madison students must enroll in two courses during the summer program.
Registration
Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Track
CEA students enroll as full time AAVS students. Students will be required to submit their course selections and alternates to the CEA headquarter office prior to departure for the Czech Republic. You will receive further information regarding registration deadlines after acceptance to the program.
Equivalents and Course Equivalent Request Form (CERF)
Each course you take abroad must be assigned a UW-Madison “equivalent” course in order for your grades and credits to be recorded on your UW-Madison transcript. In order to establish UW-Madison course equivalents for your study abroad courses, you will submit a Course Equivalent Request Form (CERF). Information on the UW course equivalent process is available in the IAP Study Abroad Handbook.
Credits
Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Students will choose 2 electives from a wide variety of subject areas, earning 6 semester credits in the US system. Most courses meet for a total of 45 contact hours and are generally worth three credits in the US semester system.
For a list of courses that will tentatively be offered during the summer program, students can refer here: http://www.gowithcea.com/programs/czech_republic/prague/2417/courses.html
To see what courses have already been approved by UW-Madison, refer to this link: http://www.studyabroad.wisc.edu/programs/report_courselist.asp?progselect=254&sort=foreign
Pass/Fail/Drop/Audit
Please refer to the IAP Study Abroad Handbook for academic policies.
Grades and Grade Conversions
All final course grades will be reported in the form of a "Letter Grade."
The following is the grade conversion scale being used for courses taken in Prague:
CEA Study Center Grade / UW-Madison Grade Equivalent /A / A
A-/B+ / AB
B / B
B-/C+ / BC
C/C- / C
D+/D / D
F / F
HOUSING
Students on the Liberal Arts and Social Sciences track can choose to live in CEA apartments or find their own housing independently.
CEA Apartments:
CEA students studying in Prague will live in centrally located CEA apartments. All apartments are located approximately 30 minutes by public transportation from the Anglo-American University in nice neighborhoods of Prague. Meals are not included with this option. Many students prefer to cook for themselves in the apartments and experiment with regional ingredients. Please budget additional funds for groceries during the program and bring a cook book with your favorite recipes from home. This option is perfect for students who are looking for independence and at the same time are willing to accept more responsibilities regarding apartment care and conservation. Students should expect to be in an apartment with as little to 4 and as many as 10 other students from the program.
LIVING ABROAD
Educate yourself about your host country. Read the Preparing to Live in Another Culture section of the IAP Study Abroad Handbook. Consult the following resources as well as travel books and program binders in the Study Abroad Resource Room (250 Bascom Hall). Remember- it won't be possible to prepare yourself completely. There will be situations you will not have anticipated and your flexibility will determine in great part the kind of experience you will have while abroad.
Websites of Interest:
UW-Madison International Academic Programs (IAP):
http://www.studyabroad.wisc.edu
CEA website:
http://www.gowithcea.com
Anglo-American University website:
http://www.aauni.edu/
For more general travel information:
http://www.worldwide.edu
U.S. State Department information:
http://studentsabroad.state.gov/
Center for Disease Control (CDC):
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/
Lonely Planet Guidebook:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com
Useful Travel Books:
Fodor’s Guides
Frommer’s Travel Guides
Let’s Go
Lonely Planet
Michelin Guides
Rough Guide
Prague: A Traveller’s Literary Companion, edited by Paul Wilson
International Travel Health Guide by Stuart R. Rose, MD.
COMMUNICATIONS
When making calls, keep in mind time zone differences (www.timeanddate.com/worldclock). To make an international call to the United States, dial the access code for the country from which you are calling plus the United States country code (always “1”) followed by the appropriate U.S. area code and local number. To call internationally from the United States, dial “011”, the country code, city access code (if necessary) and the phone number. Country and city codes can be found online (www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/dialing.html). Some of above steps can vary if you are using a calling card.
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
The testimonials below are from past participants; they reflect various students’ experiences and are included to provide different perspectives. IAP does not endorse any specific view expressed in this section.
Handling Money
Handling money depends on your bank's rules abroad. But because most US banks charge a few either for each transaction or each withdrawal, most of us just take out a lot of cash at once to minimize the fees and use our cards as much as possible. Prague is a cash-friendly city anyway. But you have to be careful A) not to lose all the cash you take and B) not to spend it unwisely, because it's very easy to do that here. Also, keep track of the exchange rate and know the rules of your bank back home.
The easiest, safest and cheapest way to exchange money is by taking it out of ATMs that are abundant in Prague/Europe
BEFORE YOU LEAVE exchange your US dollars for around 100-300 dollars worth of Euros and Czech Korouny - you will be too exhausted when you first get anywhere to figure it out when you are traveling
Bring a back up supply of money - (if you are lucky enough this will be your parents credit card) for emergencies. I haven't had to use it but it makes me feel safer.
When in Prague have enough money on you always for street food, any kind of tram pass and metro pass and museum/ concert entrance but buy groceries and go out for dinner with your credit/debit card.
Always have at least 200 Euros for initial weekend travel. It sucks getting somewhere at 5 am and trying to find the nearest atm.
I would highly recommend for upcoming students to bring a sufficient sum of cash (in Czech Koruna) with them when they go. This allowed me to function and do the things I wanted to do when I got here instead of worrying with how to get money! One of the ATMs ate my debit card because I waited too long so maybe let students know that that happens in the Czech Republic (instead of the machine asking you if you need more time).
I mainly use travelers checks so I don't have to deal with ATM fines which has been working out great because almost all the banks are happy to exchange them and it's easy to monitor how much money I've been using.
I would not recommend using traveler's checks. I did not personally have them, but it seems to me that my friends who do have had a hard time finding places that accept them, therefore they were a huge nuisance. The easiest (and most popular) way of handling money is to use an ATM card and take out enough money to last a few weeks (several thousand Korun), then heading back to the ATM and doing it again. Taking out larger amounts to last a few weeks also saves more money because of ATM fees.
Exchange at ATMs instead of booths. Citi (Citibank) has ATMs all over Prague, so that has worked well for me because that's the bank I use at home.
Communication
Skype is great. Get it. For $2.95 a month you can call any US cell phone or land line. Do that instead of buying Skype minutes. You can also spend $9.95 per month to call any cell phone or landline in Europe. Skype to Skype chatting is free. Get a cell phone but use it sparingly and only within Prague. If you're outside the city or calling outside the city, know the roaming fees; they're high. If you have a Blackberry, worldwide BBM of course is free, but don't feel like you need to buy one before you leave. I don't have one and I'm doing just fine, although I know plenty of people who have them and it is a nice luxury. But Skype is the greatest.
BRING YOUR OWN LAPTOP! All the internet cafes here have wifi instead of actual computers and your school computers can be so-so...BUT also don't spend your entire time talking to your home friends online, so lame.
I also strongly suggest the cell-hire phone if you are going through CEA. Get a czech sim card and an international sim card.