I Finally Have A Blog!!

Thursday, September 10 (in Prague)

So I first would like to apologize to everyone because I said I was going to create a blog for my trip and it's taken me nearly a week to start, but hopefully it's all worth it. Posted below is my schedule for the entire 2 weeks.



My Schedule:

Day 1 – Saturday September 5^th 2009

• Arrivals and Registrations
• 20:00 Welcome dinner and party

Day 2 – Sunday September 6^th 2009

• 11:00 – 13:00 Walking Tour of Prague
  
• 13:00 – 14:30 Lunch
• 14:30 – 15:00 Orientation session
• 15:00 – 17:00 Czech Crash Course
• Evening: Free program

Day 3 – Monday September 7^th 2009

Topic: History until 1989

• 09:30 – 12:45 Overview lecture on the history of Central European region incl. its relation to Germany and Russia
• 12:45 – 14:30 Lunch Break
• 14:30 – 15:45 Workshop 1 – Central Europe and the Sowjet Union (inc. Prague Spring 1968, and „Velvet Revolution 1989“)
• 16:15 – 17:30 Workshop 2 – Focus on Germany (Berlin Wall, RAF and left-terrorism of 1970s, Willy Brandt and Ostpolitik)
• Evening: Opera- Don Giovanni

Day 4 – Tuesday September 8^th 2009

Topic: History since 1989

• 09:30 – 12:45 Overview lecture on the history of Central Europe since the fall od the Iron Curtain
• 12:45 – 14:30 Lunch Break
• 14:30 – 15:45 Workshop 1 – Central Europe and the post-soviet countries
• 16:15 – 17:30 Workshop 2 – reunited Germany and the new democracies
• Evening: Free Program
  

Day 5 – Wednesday September 9^th 2009

Topic: Political systems of Central European Countries

• 09:30 – 12:45 Overview lecture on the political systems in the Central European region
• 12:45 – 14:30 Lunch Break
• 14:30 – 15:45 Workshop 1 – Focus on Central Europe and the new post-soviet states in Europe
• 16:15 – 17:30 Workshop 2 – Focus on Germany and Austria
• Evening: Free Program
  

Day 6 – Thursday September 10^th 2009

Topic: Central European States` Foreign policy

• 09:30 – 12:45 Overview lecture on the Central European States´foreign policies and their priorities
• 12:45 – 14:30 Lunch Break
• 14:30 – 15:45 Workshop 1 – Central Europe and Germany – „Troublesome Past – Bright future?“
• 16:15 – 17:30 Workshop 2 – Central Europe and Russia – „Difficult Partnership“
• Evening: Prague Nightlife and Clubbing (guided tour) :-)
  

Day 7 – Friday September 11^th 2009

Topic: Central Europe and the European Union

• 09:30 – 12:45 Overview lecture on this issues (incl. different stages of European integration process)
• 12:45 – 14:30 Lunch Break
• 14:30 – 15:45 Workshop 1 – Czech Presidency of the EU 2009
• 16:15 – 17:30 Workshop 2 – EU and national interests
• Evening: Free Program

Day 8 – Saturday September 12^th 2009

All-day trip

• Český Krumlov – the most romantic town and an unique architectural jewel (UNESCO List of the World Cultural Heritage)

Day 9 – Sunday September 13^th 2009

Jewish Prague

• 10:00 – 12:00 guided tour showing you Prague`s Jewish past
• 12:00 – 13:00 Luch break
• 13:00 – 18:00 Jewish Museum - discover on your own the Prague`s most visited museum located on 6 different sites (incl. tickets for synagogues and old-jewish cementary)

Day 10 – Monday September 14^th 2009

Topic: Central European States` Domestic policies

• 09:30 – 12:45 Overview lecture on on the Central European States` domestic policies and their priorities
• 12:45 – 14:30 Lunch Break
• 14:30 – 15:45 Workshop 1 – discussion on current domestic politic issues
• 16:15 – 17:30 Workshop 2 – discussion on current domestic politic issues
• Evening: Free program

Day 11 – Tuesday September 15^th 2009

Topic: Central European economy and economic development of the region

• 09:30 – 12:45 Overview lecture on on the development of Central European States`economies 1945 – 1990s, incl. different transformation processes
• 12:45 – 14:30 Lunch Break
• 14:30 – 15:45 Workshop 1 – YES or NO to Euro
• 16:15 – 17:30 Panel Discussion with top-czech businesspeople on current economic issues
• Evening: Film projection

Day 12 – Wednesday September 16^th 2009 (My 22nd Birthday!)

Topic: Global challanges in the time of economic crisis

• 09:30 – 12:45 Overview lecture on the current economic development of the Central European region
• 12:45 – 14:30 Lunch Break
• 14:30 – 15:45 Discussion with business leaders and economic experts from government
• 16:15 – 17:00 Discussion with business leaders and economic experts from government
• Evening: Free Program
  

Day 13 – Thursday September 17^th 2009

Topic: Central European Media since 1990

• 09:30 – 12:45 Overview lecture on the development of the Central European Media landscape since 1990
• 12:45 – 14:30 Lunch Break
• 14:30 – 15:45 Workshop 1 – German media enterprises and their interests in Central European states, esp. Poland and Czech Republic
• 16:15 – 17:30 Workshop 2 – Russia and the Freedom of Speech
• Evening: Free program

Day 14 – Friday September 18^th 2009

Topic: Culture and Arts

• 10:00 – 12:45 Guided tour in the National Gallery of Prague with the focus on the development of Czech and foreign fine art during the course of the last two centuries
• 12:45 – 14:30 Lunch Break
• 14:30 – 15:45 Workshop 1 – Franz Kafka and central Europe
• 16:15 – 17:30 Workshop 2 – Current trends in the Central European art and design
• 18:00 Closing ceremony and reception and boat cruise
  

Day 15/16 – Saturday/Sunday September 19^th/20^th 2009

• Free program
• Departure

I'm leaving Prague on Sunday morning.