Course description: HU3120 & HU3261: Required by many majors at Michigan Tech and Technical and Professional highly recommended by others, HU3120 Communication (Technical and Professional Communication) & prepares you for the kinds of professional Communicating Across communication that you will do in your career, although the skills that you learn will be applicable Cultures outside of your professional community as well. HU3261 (Topics in Communicating Across Why Study Abroad? Cultures), examines communication practices and styles across selected cultures—in this course, we Students who travel and study abroad are making Estonia: a wise decision, one that will benefit them in will focus communication practices and challenges numerous ways: in Estonia specifically and in the broader European • Personally, through exposure to new cultures context more generally. HU3261 is on the HAAS and places. distribution list. • Academically, through access to courses not available at Michigan Tech and to different This combined study abroad section of HU3120 perspectives on topics taught at Michigan Tech. and HU3261 is an embedded study abroad course, • Professionally, because companies want to hire meaning that it will be partially offered at Michigan students who have traveled abroad as either Tech and partially abroad, in Estonia. The course graduate or undergraduate students. will not only introduce you to the fundamentals of What Makes Estonia a Great Destination?: technical and professional communication, but will also place communication in an international • Cutting-edge economy and e-government context and emphasize communicating across • Rich with culture, music, art, and architecture cultures. The ability to communicate with • Safe international audiences is very attractive to • Many Estonians speak English Modern employers today due to the global nature of the Communication workplace, so taking this course can give you an Students and Parents edge of the job market. Study abroad is a life-changing opportunity. It is Practices in
also a major step, as it may be the farthest You will gain hands-on experience communicating distance or the longest time away from home a Europe with international audiences as you work in teams student has spent. As we are sure you have to execute communication-related projects for additional questions, please don’t hesitate to (Study Abroad) Estonian clients. While in Estonia, you will have the contact one or all of the following: opportunity to see communication in action in various companies, including Skype (which was International Programs and Services (IPS) partially founded by Estonians), Microsoft Estonia, (906) 487-2160 or [email protected] Track A: May 7 – June 19 and Coca Cola. You will also tour Estonian cities, Summer 2012 Dr. Marika Seigel (trip leader) attend cultural events and museums, visit an island (906) 487-3093 or [email protected] 6 credits that will take you back to the time of thatched roofs and windmills, and even tour a brewery in order to Application & $500 deposit due to IPS: gain a broader familiarity with Estonian, and Thursday, March 1. (Study abroad application is northern European, culture. This course is truly a available online at www.mtu.edu/international) once in a lifetime opportunity for personal and professional development.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
May 7 – May 29 – Houghton (Michigan Tech) Academic content: We will offer the first three weeks of the course at Michigan tech, where you will be introduced to the fundamentals of technical communication, to international technical communication, and to the Estonian clients for whom you will be doing your final projects. You In addition to lectures on technical will also receive orientation to study abroad during these first few weeks. communication, usability, and cross- cultural communication given by Dr. May 30 – June 1 – Tallinn Seigel, The academic program in Estonia Tallinn is a city full of quirky charms, some unexpected, some reassuringly familiar. The indelible marks of Northern, Western and Eastern will consist of seminars and European cultures are present throughout Tallinn, but the city’s 400,000 residents aren’t so interested in living in the past as much as presentations on the following subjects forging a new Tallinn identity. That’s not to say you won’t be greeted by people in medieval garb or regaled with traditional Estonian songs by leading Estonian business people and by a choir. But perhaps you weren’t expecting to dine on nouvelle cuisine at a fashionable restaurant or take in modern art at the city’s academics: museums and galleries? It’s a city where traditionalism and modernism sit side by side, providing the traveler with a dynamic and memorable experience. The centerpiece of the Tallinn experience is undoubtedly the Old Town where the visitor is invited to wander the • The European Union cobblestone streets and climb up Toompea Hill, which provides some stunning views of the city center, the sea, and the steel and glass • Estonian history, society and buildings of the new Tallinn. culture Events will include: A welcome dinner; a city tour; and an orientation to the Estonian portion of the • Information society and E- Program; visit to the European Commission; meetings with Estonian clients Government • Ethics in communication June 2 – June 7 – Tartu • Rhetoric The Hanseatic city of Tartu is a museum-rich university town on the banks of the River Emajõgi. Tartu is • Marketing strategies of small- the capital of southern Estonia, the second largest city in the country, and the oldest in the Baltic States. It and medium-sized companies is a modern city with a rich historical heritage and culture, the cradle of the Estonian Song Festival, • Communication between the Estonian theatre, and the Estonian state. government and the public Events will include: A city tour; a visit to the Estonian National Museum and the A Le Coq Brewery, one • Web design of the largest breweries in Estonia; a visit to and tour of the Technology Institute of the University of Tartu; • The Estonian economic model a meeting with representatives from Tartu City Government to discuss their communication approaches/initiatives, a visit to the Graphic Design Studio and meeting with the artists; a visit to the AHHAA technology center, which has received awards recognizing its innovation in bringing scientific discoveries Costs & Expenses: to the public ; and a meeting with representatives of the Biomedicum to discuss scientific communication
June 8 – June 10 – Saaremaa • 6 credits of Michigan Tech Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, known for its unique natural setting, its local culture and its tuition (3 credits of HU3120 architecture. In the villages there are still stone fences and houses with thatched roofs, where and 3 of HU3261 – Topics in beautiful national costumes are still worn and dialectal languages are still spoken. Junipers, dolomite, Communicating Across windmills and the famous local home-brewed beer are considered the symbols of Saaremaa. Cultures) Program Fee: $2500** Events will include: An introduction to the island and the historic capitol, Kuressaare; a reception that • • Meals: $400 (estimated) includes local food and music at the tourist village
• Airfaire: $1500 (Hancock to June 11 – June 19 – Tallinn Tallinn, estimated) We will return to Tallinn for the last week of the program. • Study Abroad Fee: $50
Events will include: Tour of the Estonian Parliament, visit to Enterprise Estonia, a cultural event organized by University of Tartu students; **the program fee covers expenses while a visit to Microsoft Estonia; a visit to a web design company; a visit to Eesti Ekspress, the largest Estonian weekly newspaper; presentation of in Estonia including lodging, all student projects for Estonian clients; visit to Coca Cola Hellenic; visit to KUMU—the premier Estonian art museum; visits to the KGB breakfasts, a welcome dinner, admission museum, the Museum of Occupation; and the Estonian Open Air Museum; and a reception. Students will return home from Tallinn. to cultural events/institutions, site visits,
academic program provided by University of Tartu, all meals while in Saaremaa, in-country transportation, and access to the library, gym, and other resources for international students.