History of the Dept. of Communication's Summer Poland Programs

In the summer of 1997 Appalachian State University embarked on a journey to Poland that changed the life of faculty and students for years to come! The program began as a faculty experience and over the past three summers has evolved into a student Summer Study Abroad program, coupled with the continued faculty program at the University of Gdansk.

The summer of 1997 saw six faculty members, Drs. Dorgan, Cole, Reighard, Gates, Spiceland and Moore, travel to the University of Gdansk, Poland where they taught in a two week long summer school program for Polish students. The faculty members were paired with another faculty member and each person taught a course from their concentration in our discipline. Courses lasted for half a day for each faculty member, and students were in classes for the entire day. The first year the courses were: Persuasion & Intercultural Communication Public Speaking & Interpersonal Communication Ethics and Political Communication.

The courses are taught in English by our professors and are translated to Polish for the Polish students. The faculty members live in a small hotel which is a part of the University of Gdansk, and teach their classes in the same building. Since they are free of teaching duties for one-half of the day, they are able to explore the surrounding areas of Gdansk quite nicely! In addition to enjoying the teaching experience immensely, the faculty members also travelled some around Poland, learning a new appreciation for our Polish friends. Cities such as Warsaw, Krakow, Leba, and Torun were favorites of these faculty members. Castles were visited, as were museums, and even Auschwitz.

In the summer of 1998, four faculty members returned to continue the program at the University of Gdansk. This year Drs. Pope, Gates, Spiceland and Moore participated. The model for the program was the same as the previous year, although only 4 courses were offered: Ethics and Political Communication Interpersonal Communication and Public Relations As in the previous year, the faculty was able to travel and learn more about the country of Poland. In addition, it was on this trip that we were able to further establish our relationship with The Warsaw College of Communication and Media, since all four faculty members had the opportunity to visit their campus and spend time with their faculty and administrators.

The third year of the program, 1999, saw us adding an Appalachian State University Student Summer Study Abroad component to our summer school program at the University of Gdansk. This year Dr. Moore led 8 students (7 COM majors and 1 Education major) to experience Poland and to participate in the summer school program at the University of Gdansk. The students travelled to Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Ostroda, and Kolobrzeg as part of their program. They were enrolled in a two week long course at the University of Gdansk that used the same model as the courses our faculty members teach in this program. They were taught by Polish professors (with a translator) about the economic changes in Poland since the fall of Communism in 1990 and about the communication and cultural changes. In addition, they were able to experience the culture of Poland by visiting castles, the opera, art museums, Auschwitz, the mountain resort where Pope John Paul II learned to ski (Zakopane), seaside beaches and resorts, Wolf's Lair (where Hitler had his bunker for 3 1/2 years of World War II), and were even invited to a reception given by the officers of the U.S.S.Vicksburg while on NATO exercises in the Baltic Sea. Many other sites and events were attended, but these are just a few of the highlights.

The ASU students returned changed human beings. Many said they would not even tell people they were going to Poland before they went; they were afraid of being made fun of because the stereotype we, in the U.S., have of Poland. Their eyes were opened to a beautiful, friendly, open culture - and one where the people are just as intelligent as they are (if not more so!) It's hard to tell people that, but when you get to experience it, you know that it is far more than one can adequately describe.

Four faculty members also returned to teach in the summer school program at the University of Gdansk in the summer of 1999. Drs. Gates, DeHart, Spiceland and Moore all taught in the same model we had been using for the past two years. This year the courses were: Political Communication and Organizational Communication Intercultural Communication & Interpersonal Communication Again, it was another rewarding experience for both faculty members and students, and we are hopeful that the program will continue to be supported by Appalachian State, our college, and our department. Being able to open the eyes of both students and faculty members is a desirable outcome of this program, and we hope for its continued success.

Dr. Nina-Jo Moore
Dept. of Communication
E-mail: moorenj@appstate.edu

Site last updated: 8/31/99
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