2023 Peace and Conflict on the French-German Border Study Abroad

The Peace & Conflict on the French-German Border study abroad program in Strasbourg, France is designed for students pursuing degrees in Political Science, History, International and Global Studies as well as those studying French, German, and literature. Students will learn about and visit historical and modern locations that tie into Europe’s troubled past, as well as governmental institutions such as the European Parliament. Strasbourg is the capital city of the Alsace region, which has been claimed by both French and German nationalists from the 1850s to the 1950s. Students will be able to explore the city, whose architecture reveals past European concerns and border conflicts, all of which have left multiple layers: Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, French, and German.

Students will also have the opportunity to walk across the open border between France and Germany, to be confronted with two foreign languages, and to witness the many similarities and differences that form the fabric of the European Union.

We will study Europe as the Brexit continues to unfold, along with the ongoing refugee crisis caused by the Syrian War and economic woes in North Africa. Morevoer, the program will be enhanced by excursions and visits. Among the enrichment activities, the program plans to visit Heidelberg and the Heidelberg Castle in Germany; the quaint historic town of Colmar with its half-timbered houses, called “Little Venice” for its location on the beautiful Lauch River canals and the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp. Such historical sites do not exist in the United States and cannot be replicated here. Finally, students will be lodged near the heart of the UNESCO classified World Heritage Site that is the old town of Strasbourg and will be encouraged to take advantage of the many culturally enriching opportunities that such proximity affords!

PROGRAM DATES: May 30 – June 19, 2023

PROGRAM DIRECTOR: D r. Larkin Murphy and Dr. Hanna Kassab

Learn more: https://piratesabroad.ecu.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=10645