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Spring 2014 Orientation Preps Students for the Semester Ahead
The Spring 2014 Semester is concluding! After a busy two weeks, UPCES students are now ready for a semester abroad!
Students arrived on Monday and Tuesday, February 3-4, at the Prague Airport, where UPCES staff were waiting to arrange a taxi ride to the hotel. On both Monday and Tuesday evening, there was a pre-Orientation Session to cover the basics, followed by a tour of the UPCES building and facilities.
That very same Tuesday night, UPCES organized a group socializing event designed to introduce the new students to their classmates.
Students registered as students at Charles University on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
After the first Orientation session on Thursday morning (essential info on living and studying in Prague), there was an important safety briefing from from the U.S. Embassy's Vice Consul Andrew R. Lederman.
After doing some apartment hunting on Wednesday and Thursday, students selected their semester flats and began to settle in to their new homes. On Friday we had a walking tour of useful downtown locations in Prague.
Week 2 was filled with lectures by UPCES professors (see topics below) and academic tours of Prague's most important sites, including the Prague Castle and the Jewish Quarter. In the mornings, students took an intenstive Czech Language class to help prepare them with the basics and provide a starting point for the semester's continuted Czech language study.
Orientation wouldn't be complete without some time to relax and enjoy one of Europe's most beautiful cities. With this in mind, UPCES arranged a Welcome Reception at the Grand Cafe Orient, one of Prague's most famous cafes and a masterpiece of Cubist architecture in the Old Town.
And Orientation all finishes with our overnight trip to Cesky Krumlov. This UNESCO listed town is justly considered the "Pearl of Bohemia." This trip introduces students to the history and culture of the region, and is a great opportunity to socialize as well. Join us!
You can view the full Orientation schedule here.
Orientation Lecture Topics:
Prague and its Citizens: Introduction to the Central European Culture. By Professor Lucia Štefánková
Czech Republic: Economic and Social Development. By Professor Vilém Semerák
Film screening of Kawasaki’s Rose, Film Screening by Director Jan Hřebejk)
East Art, West Art: The Case of Bohemia. By Professor Tomas Hribek
Do Europeans Need the European Union? By Professor Lucia Najslova
Jews in the Czech Lands. By Professor Michal Plzak
Understanding the History of the Czech Republic. By Juraj Hvorecky
