With two weeks now under their belts, the summer session students have just about settled into life in Luxembourg. The Grand Hall is proving to be a dynamic classroom space, and the students are enjoying exploring three very different fields of study through a European lens.
The day begins with Professor Elena Albarrán’s History class. During week one, the class took a walking tour through Differdange with the goal of understanding the layers of history present in the city. “I learned a lot from Dr. Albarrán’s walking tour because she’s really knowledgeable about local history,” said Grace Seifert, a junior studying Diplomacy & Global Politics and Comparative Religion. “I also think it’s really cool learning about youth hostels and how they contributed to the building of ideologies.”
Next up: Global and Intercultural Studies with Professor Juan Carlos Albarrán. In this class, the focus is on cultural representations of immigration and displacement. Eli Petho, a junior studying Human Capital Management and German, said: “I think it’s really interesting to see the refugee crises from the European perspective instead of the United States perspective, which is what we’ve seen our whole life.”
Finally, after lunch comes Media and Culture with Professor Hongmei Li. “The class has already taught me a lot about consumerism and the power companies have over society and our decisions as consumers,” said Paula Silva, a senior studying Environmental & Earth Sciences and Sustainability. “It’s also showing us a lot about the difference in consumerism in Europe versus the United States, especially in the context of advertising,” added Cassidy Gebhart, a senior in Communication Design and Interactive Media Studies.
The past few days have been dedicated to field trips. Last Wednesday, MUDEC was warmly invited to attend the inauguration of a Peace Pole at the University of Luxembourg. On Thursday, the students hiked up to the Fond-de-Gras mining village for a walking tour of the open-air museum and a ride on one of the historic trains. The rain mercifully held off and we were treated to a beautiful day out. More field trips to come - stay tuned!
