Honors Romania - Scars on Romanian Culture: Dracula & Ceausescu (Exploration Seminar)
The program will present Romania's past and present, with an emphasis on how much communist remnants are still part of the everyday life and to what extent history plays an important role in justifying the present. During the Spring quarter, the three orientation sessions will offer students background information about Romanian history and geography, cuisine and mentality, culture and life, as a way of introduction to our exploration on the site.
In Bucharest, Brasov, Sibiu, and Suceava, the major stops of our journey in Romania, students will attend lectures offered by Romanian scholars and will also directly encounter artifacts, edifices, monuments, and artwork previewed in class. Lectures will address topics from medieval history to the 19th century transformation into a nation-state and 20th century literature (Blandiana, Cartarescu, Popescu, Manea), as well as the struggles of artists under communist censorship. In Bucharest, students will have the opportunity to meet award-winning directors (Cristi Puiu and Cristian Mungiu) and watch some of their internationally acclaimed movies.
Film screenings, city walks, filed trips to Sighisoara and Bran, and museum tours will complete our experience and, at the same time, will offer students the opportunity to make connections with Romanian students and professors.
More information about this Exploration Seminar is available at the UW Honors Exploration Seminar page.
Application deadline extended to March 15th!