Overall, the “study” portion of study abroad has greatly enhanced my experience living in the Czech Republic. Anglo-American University in Prague has been an ideal experience for studying abroad because I attend class just Monday through Wednesday, giving me plenty of time to get to know Prague and travel without sacrificing school. The classes have a lot to offer beyond many kinds of education offered in America. Not to say one is better or worse, but it allows you to gain many new perspectives due to having mostly international professors and different subject matter.
I have been taking Elementary Czech Language and Culture, Creative Photography, Human Rights, and Philosophy and Society. Elementary Czech Language and Culture is my favorite class, because it teaches me useful phrases and history to get around the Czech Republic and gain a deeper understanding of the country. We learn the very basics of the Czech language, Czech songs and Christmas carols that we’ll perform at the end of the semester on Charles Bridge, and the history of Czech culture and the Czech experience throughout time. Taking a class field trip to a local cafe and practicing Czech songs in the park every week have been highlights of my time
studying abroad in Prague.
Creative Photography is my most time-consuming class, but it has been an opportunity to force myself to advance my skills with my camera, it can be a great creative outlet, and it guarantees I’ll have endless memories from my abroad experience in the form of photographs. This is an elective class I’m taking for my Web and Digital Media concentration in my Graphic Communication major, and I hope to advance to potentially take digital video courses as well.
Human Rights is one of my favorite general education courses I’ve ever taken. It has been an amazing opportunity to learn more about international politics as well as study the politics of the United States being taught from a completely different, outside perspective. This class has allowed me to expand my world knowledge and understand the depth of human rights so much more.
A philosophy course on knowledge and reality I took back home last year piqued my interest in philosophy, and I was eager to take another course in the subject. Philosophy and Society has been a fascinating experience to learn about a different realm of philosophy and dive deeper into classic as well as more modern philosophers. The lighter workload in this course really gives you the chance to just enjoy philosophy for the subject without too much academic pressure.
