The Department of International Education (IE) has led a breakthrough in innovation in teaching and learning at EdUHK: the study tour, “Conflict and Peace in Europe”, led by Professor Mark Mason and Dr Ezechiel Thibaud, formed part of the new Experiential Learning Course (ELC) of the same name. IE has led numerous study tours abroad in the past. Building on that experience, they now offer this ELC as a three-credit elective course to undergraduate students.
The purpose of the course and study tour is to understand the history of World War II and the Cold War; the role of European institutions in supporting peace in Europe; and the role of global institutions in supporting peace and international cooperation. The twenty students in the course visited three cities to explore these purposes: Berlin, Strasbourg and Geneva. Students were assessed through pre-departure group seminar presentations on key sites to be visited, individual and group video logs recording and reflecting on their experiences, and individual essays.
Highlights of the study tour included site visits to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, the (Nazi) Terror Museum, the Holocaust Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and the Berlin Wall; the European Parliament in Strasbourg; and the United Nations in Geneva. By all accounts the study tour was an outstanding success, exceeding everyone’s expectations.
