Summer in Prague

Spend a life-changing semester abroad in one of Eastern Europe's most vibrant and historic cultural centers. Study the region's literature where it was born. Trace the steps of Kafka and Kundera as you navigate the narrow cobblestone streets. Write in the midst of Prague's Gothic elegance and contemporary artistic atmosphere.

About the program
The Fiction Writing Department's Summer Sessions in Prague are designed to provide students with the opportunity to live as ex-pats for five weeks, to expand their horizons and world view, to study the work of writers and artists who lived in the historic buildings of one of Europe's most beautiful, complex, and fascinating cities. Excursions, tours, and field trips will complement the work and writing done for the courses, and students will have ample time to explore the city on their own, to further pursue their own stories.

This year, Marketing Communication students may apply for the first session.

Session I
May 19 - June 21, 2008
Filling fast!

Session II
June 23 - July 26, 2008
Spots still available!

Informational Meeting Dates
623 S. Wabash, Hokin Annex:
Thursday, February 21, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

624 S. Michigan:
Tuesday, March 4, 5th Floor Library Conference Room, 12:00 - 12:45 P.M.
Tuesday, March 11. ROOM 1406 5:00 - 5:45 P.M.

Come to any meeting, for all or part of the session.

Credits offered; who is eligible
Courses are open to all Columbia students, and can be arranged for students-at-large and students from other institutions. Undergrads will take eight hours of Fiction Writing Department credit; Grads will take six. Marketing Communication program is undergraduate only and offers up to 8 hours of credit.

Contacts
Fiction Writing: Elizabeth Yokas, eyokas@colum.edu or Mark Davidov, 312-344-7611

Marketing Communication: Tom Hamilton, 312-344-7609 thamilton@colum.edu

Course Descriptions: Fiction Writing
Critical Reading and Writing: Contemporary European Writers
This course researches the writing processes of contemporary European writers, including the ways in which writers' reading and responses to reading play influential roles in the overall fiction writing process. Journals and other writings will be used as examples of how writers develop dimensions of their own fiction and see their work in relation to other writers. The course involves study of the development of diverse techniques and voices of some of the most important European writers whose lives, works, and inspiration are inseparable from Prague, including Kafka, Hacek, Capek, Meyrink, and Kundera.

Critical Reading and Writing: Kafka
Students read and research the complete works of Franz Kafka. Students will visit various sites in Prague where Kafka lived, worked, played, and wrote. The course will focus on Kafka's writing processes, including ways in which Kafka's reading and responses to reading influenced his work. Students use journals and other writings to explore Kafka's work and to examine their own.

Dreams and Fiction Writing
This course helps writers relate the rich, various, and powerful world of dreams to the needs and delights of imaginative prose fiction. Students keep journals of their dreams, read and write dream stories, and study how dreams relate to their fiction writing. Students also research how dreams have influenced work of well-known writers. This is a Fiction Writing Department Specialty Writing course.

Fiction Writing: Advanced
Workshop uses Story Workshop® approach to develop facets of writing short fiction and novels. Students intensively explore new fictional possibilities as well as have the option of continuing to develop strong writing material from previous classes. Workshop may have an emphasis on point of view and/or rewriting.

Creative Nonfiction
Course concentrates on application of fictional and story-writing techniques to non-fiction writing in the non-fiction novel, story, and memoir, as well as in travel, scientific, and anthropological writing. Books such as Norman Mailer's Armies of the Night, Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, and Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi are studied. There may be a particular regional emphasis on Central Europe. Students with a body of nonfiction material who wish to experiment with its nonfiction novelistic development find the course particularly useful.

Playwriting: Advanced
Students will develop a full-length script through a series of writing explorations that aim to develop the material from different points of view. Students will explore the material through prose, parody, character development exercises, point-of-view, genre, and collaborative exercises that deepen the students' understanding of story and situation. Students will also read and discuss plays from a variety of styles and genres to increase their understanding of the range of approaches to writing for performance.

Fiction Seminar
(Open to those who've taken two Fiction Writing: Advanced classes on campus, or one during the 1st Session in Prague). Advanced class in fiction writing begins with technical or craft matters, then proceeds to more artistic aspects of composing fiction of any length. Craft sessions address general nature of communication involving character creation, including both physical and psychological descriptions, dialogue, interior monologue and stream of consciousness, action, pace, point of view, plot, setting, and style. Substantial writing projects are undertaken by students and submitted for class analysis and discussion.

Marketing Communication Department
Global Marketing Workshop: Prague*
Advanced marketing course focusing on case study review and discussion. Students apply basic marketing principles to real-life, problem-solving situations. Six credit hours.

Independent Project*
Students can take on an independent project for two additional credit hours.

*Both courses are offered during the first session only (May 19-June 21), and require permission from Margaret Sullivan, Marketing Communication Dept. Chair, 312.344.7209 or msullivan@colum.edu.

Session Fees
Approximate fees for one session are $2,850**. This includes: airport transfers, daily breakfast, shared occupancy lodging (33 nights), field trips and city tours, final dinner, reading, and celebration, and various course fees. **PLEASE NOTE: Session fees do NOT include tuition, airfare, or daily meals. The total fee may change slightly due to fluctuations in the foreign currency markets.

FAQs
I'm not sure I can go, but what can I do now in case I am able to go?
Whether you're definitely going or unsure right now, the first thing to do NOW is to get a passport if you need one (check your expiration dates!). The Department of Homeland Security is now requiring passports for Canada and the Virgin Islands, so waits for passports have nearly tripled. You'll want to avoid the "Rush" fee upwards of $600. Get a passport now!

How many classes can we miss in a session?
None. It is an intensive study program, and students are expected to attend all sessions.

Does Columbia arrange my travel?
No. Students are responsible for arranging all travel. Be sure to arrange travel so it doesn't overlap during class times, particularly first and last days of class.

Can I come early? Leave late?
Yes, as long as you arrange your accommodations. For the 1st Session, you must check in on May 19 before 4 p.m., and check out by 11 a.m. on June 21. For the 2nd session, you must check in by 4 p.m. on June 23, and check out by 11 a.m. on July 26.

If I've taken Fiction Seminar before on campus, can I take it again in Prague?
No. It is a non-repeatable course. This course is only available to those who've taken two Advanced Fiction courses on campus, or Advanced Fiction in the first session of Prague.

Is there a computer on site?
Yes. All students will have access to free Internet on the hotel computer, though it is strongly recommended that you bring a laptop with you for producing work, and if a printer is unavailable, a memory stick for printing at area Internet cafes.

Will the hotel accommodations be quiet enough to work in at any time of day?
Yes. The hotel will be a quiet zone so people can study and write. No loud talking, music, etc. will be permitted. The hotel accommodates other guests besides our group, so while we are not responsible for the behavior of others, it is imperative that we respect everyone's right to a quiet and peaceful stay.

If cabs aren't recommended, how will I get to and from the airport?
Airport transfers are included in your session fees. Airport transfers to and from our host hotel are valid for the first day of lodging in this hotel, and on the day of checkout only. We will provide you with information regarding pick-up times. If you are already in Prague, you must get to the accommodations on your own.

Do you recommend any Web sites and travel guides for Prague?
Praguepost.com is a good site to visit. Lonely Planet has very good books. Also, Google "Prague travel" and see all the goodies you'll get.

What's the best way to book travel?
First, order your passport, then book your flight as far in advance as possible for the best rates. You can go on-line to arrange your flights (expedia.com, among others). We suggest that you wait until you are in Europe to arrange any rail or other regional travel. First, it's cheaper; second, you'll have a better idea of what your free weekends will be then. As for travel agencies, Mark recommends Olga, at Intourist agency in Wheeling: 1-847-243-2121. E-Mail: intourist@ameritech.net. She has worked with program participants in the past and has been very helpful. Another agency to try: Sunset Travel on Fullerton: 773-929-8155.

What are the approximate flight costs?
Round-trip airfare to Prague can be anywhere from $900 to $1500 (as of October 2007).

What will the total costs be?
Please note that the global currency market is always in flux. All costs (except tuition) are estimations. Session fees are $2,850. This includes airport transfers, daily breakfast, shared occupancy lodging—33 nights, field trips and city tours, final dinner, reading and celebration, and various course fees. Tuition is $461 per credit hour for undergraduates (8 credit hours) $603 per credit hour for graduates (6 credit hours). Daily expenses can run $10 to $60, depending on your tastes and needs. If you intend to travel outside of Prague on your own, please budget for that as well.

Prague is a very inexpensive city: meals can often cost less than five dollars each; public transportation costs considerably less than the CTA. Daily expenses can be kept well within a small budget. Because of its location, Prague is a convenient place from which to reach other countries. Trains leave regularly for Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, and other international cities. You will have at least two long (three-day) weekends during which you can travel.

When and how do I pay?
First Session: The final deadline for the first deposit of $1,000 is March 14, 2008. The balance of session fees will be due no later than April 4.

Second Session: The first $1,000 deposit will be due April 4, 2008. The balance of session fees will be due May 2.

If Attending Both Sessions: We will require a $2,000 deposit for session fees by March 14, another $1850 by April 4, and the final $1850 by May 2.

Deposits are nonrefundable. Please make your check out to Columbia College Chicago, and bring it to Nicole Chakalis, Fiction Writing Department Secretary, in the Fiction Writing Department. The Fiction Writing Department only collects the session fees; tuition is paid directly to the college through your college account.

For further information, contact Elizabeth Yokas (eyokas@colum.edu) or Mark Davidov at the Fiction Writing Department: 312.344.7611. Marketing Communication: Tom Hamilton, 312-344-7609 thamilton@colum.edu.

APPLICATION CHECKLIST
The following must be submitted and on file for you to be cleared to participate in the program:

Completed Interest Sheet/Application
$1,000 Deposit by March 14, balance by April 4 (1st Session)
$1,000 Deposit by April 4, balance by May 2 (2nd Session)
$2,000 Deposit by March 14, $1850 by April 4, balance by May 2 (Both Sessions)
Three completed waiver and permission forms

Do I need Health Insurance?
Yes. All students who participate in Study Abroad Programs with Columbia College are required to have medical/health insurance that is valid overseas. If you have a policy, please check to see if it provides coverage abroad. If you need to get it, there are many affordable options for temporary coverage. Google "Temporary medical insurance for students abroad" and you'll find plenty to look into. To get you started, a division of the insurance company that offers coverage to Columbia College Chicago students also has a policy for studying abroad. Go to: https://studentcare.com and click the "Study Abroad" tab at the top of the page.

Are there any required forms to submit?
Yes. Three waiver and permission forms are required: Student and Parental Permission Form, Affidavit Regarding Illegal Drug Use, and Acknowledgement of Risks. These are available in the Fiction Writing office, or can be requested by e-mail (eyokas@colum.edu). These forms must be completed and on file in order to participate in the program. Failure to provide them will result in not being able to go, and losing all deposits. Please make copies of all forms that you submit for your records.

About Your Accommodations
Residence 4 B&B, an historic and totally renovated five-storey building (with elevators!) is located in Prague 7 (Umelecka 4)—a quiet, safe, yet vibrant residential zone surrounded by the Prague National Art Museum, gorgeous parks, including Letna Park and Stromovka Park, one of the city's largest. Suitable for relaxing, but still close to the center of Prague, this area is within ten minutes from the historical center of Prague. Total capacity of the Residence is 90 beds. Classes will be held in the spacious and bright basement. Included in your session fees is a semi-continental breakfast (meaning that you get slightly more than a standard one), served every morning from 7:30 a.m. till 10:30 a.m. Most apartments have balconies; all apartments have satellite TV, telephone, a "dorm" refrigerator, and a private full bathroom. Also included in your fees is hotel Internet access, maid service and weekly laundry. Residence 4 B&B is a five-minute walk to all major tram stops that run day and night, and is surrounded by numerous canteens, cafes, fast-food eateries, pizzerias and many other restaurants, small and big convenience stores, Internet cafes, grocery stores, and shops.