2008 Woodie Awards
Coffeshop culture pervades summer classes at Vienna campus
By: Megan Connelly
Issue date: 3/30/06 Section: LifeStyle
- Page 1 of 1
What do Mozart, Beethoven, Freud, Klimpt, Wittgenstein and Schubert have in common? All of these prestigious characters called the city of Vienna their home. This raises the question, what is it about Vienna that produces such brilliance and eccentricity?
Several Webster professors will be taking students there this summer to uncover the fascination behind Vienna. The students will be part of Webster's Live and Learn Cultural Immersion Program, an intensive, four-week program of study focused on Vienna. The goal of the program is to offer students a firsthand learning experience.
This concept turns visiting Austria's capital into an interactive learning experience. Imagine earning credit hours alongside the Danube River, at the foothills of the Alps.
Students will take classes and get grades for their work, even though some of the classes will be held in Vienna's excellent coffee shops, said Assistant Professor of Philosophy Don Morse. Serious academic work in a fun environment - that's what the program is about."
If you're fond of learning but looking to explore buildings outside of Sverdrup, Vienna has much to offer. With its revivalist, baroque and art nouveau architecture, strolling through the streets is a lesson in itself. Of course, the buildings and the city's history is only a backdrop for the daily culture that can still be found in the concert halls, opera houses and cafes.
Along with Morse, attending the trip will be Professor Tom Lang from the art department and Professor Warren Rosenblum from history, politics and international relations.
"Tom Lang has taken art students over to Vienna for years," Morse said. "He's done a tremendous job getting students interested in Vienna and offering superb courses of instruction. I will be building on Tom's efforts by bringing over philosophy students as well."
Morse said his courses will concentrate on Ludwig Wittgenstein, one of Vienna's most prominant philosophers of the 20th century. Students will study his work in his source of inspiration, while using his life and thought as a focus for excursions in the city.
To learn what other courses will be offered, visit, http://www.webster.edu/intl/sa/viennasu06.pdf.
Morse loves Vienna because of his deep interest in Germanic cultures, including its philosophy, art, literature and music. He naturally wanted to share the experience with students.
"I have taught there once before and really loved it," Morse said. "I also went back one summer just to hang out in the coffee shops and write. The whole environment is intellectually stimulating."
David Wilson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, has been a leader in the effort to develop the summer program. He is also one of the driving forces behind a related program in modernist studies that is currently being developed. This will be a more extensive program centering on Vienna. It will include a certificate students can earn about the modern world, how it arose, what problems it has and how they might be solved.
So far, there are eight students signed up for the summer program. None of them have gone before, but Morse is confident they are in for a treat. The students will be able to explore Vienna's impressive cathedrals, coffee shops and world-class museums right. After all, the Viennese invented cafe society and there is no better pastime than to linger over a torte, read a newspaper and watch the people.
The program is open for anyone interested in joining. There are no special requirements, just a curiosity for the Viennese culture. Students can contact the Study Abroad Office at ext. 6988 for information.
Several Webster professors will be taking students there this summer to uncover the fascination behind Vienna. The students will be part of Webster's Live and Learn Cultural Immersion Program, an intensive, four-week program of study focused on Vienna. The goal of the program is to offer students a firsthand learning experience.
This concept turns visiting Austria's capital into an interactive learning experience. Imagine earning credit hours alongside the Danube River, at the foothills of the Alps.
Students will take classes and get grades for their work, even though some of the classes will be held in Vienna's excellent coffee shops, said Assistant Professor of Philosophy Don Morse. Serious academic work in a fun environment - that's what the program is about."
If you're fond of learning but looking to explore buildings outside of Sverdrup, Vienna has much to offer. With its revivalist, baroque and art nouveau architecture, strolling through the streets is a lesson in itself. Of course, the buildings and the city's history is only a backdrop for the daily culture that can still be found in the concert halls, opera houses and cafes.
Along with Morse, attending the trip will be Professor Tom Lang from the art department and Professor Warren Rosenblum from history, politics and international relations.
"Tom Lang has taken art students over to Vienna for years," Morse said. "He's done a tremendous job getting students interested in Vienna and offering superb courses of instruction. I will be building on Tom's efforts by bringing over philosophy students as well."
Morse said his courses will concentrate on Ludwig Wittgenstein, one of Vienna's most prominant philosophers of the 20th century. Students will study his work in his source of inspiration, while using his life and thought as a focus for excursions in the city.
To learn what other courses will be offered, visit, http://www.webster.edu/intl/sa/viennasu06.pdf.
Morse loves Vienna because of his deep interest in Germanic cultures, including its philosophy, art, literature and music. He naturally wanted to share the experience with students.
"I have taught there once before and really loved it," Morse said. "I also went back one summer just to hang out in the coffee shops and write. The whole environment is intellectually stimulating."
David Wilson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, has been a leader in the effort to develop the summer program. He is also one of the driving forces behind a related program in modernist studies that is currently being developed. This will be a more extensive program centering on Vienna. It will include a certificate students can earn about the modern world, how it arose, what problems it has and how they might be solved.
So far, there are eight students signed up for the summer program. None of them have gone before, but Morse is confident they are in for a treat. The students will be able to explore Vienna's impressive cathedrals, coffee shops and world-class museums right. After all, the Viennese invented cafe society and there is no better pastime than to linger over a torte, read a newspaper and watch the people.
The program is open for anyone interested in joining. There are no special requirements, just a curiosity for the Viennese culture. Students can contact the Study Abroad Office at ext. 6988 for information.