CFAC Study Abroad

Interdisciplinary CFAC Summer Study Abroad in Poland

Propaganda and Protest in Poland: CFAC Study Abroad in Kraków, Warsaw & Gdańsk

Summer Session I, 2027  |  May 22 – June 9, 2027  |  College of Fine Arts and Communication

Spend nineteen days (including travel) exploring how communication, art, design, and music have shaped public memory, cultural identity, and resistance in Poland — from the Solidarity movement to Chopin’s nationalism to contemporary media. Engage directly with the people, institutions, and history that make Poland’s story one of the most compelling case studies in public expression anywhere in the world.

One Interdisciplinary Experience

This isn’t three separate trips happening side by side — it’s one shared experience. Every student travels together, stays in the same hotels, and takes part in the same shared course and excursions. You’ll engage with what you see through the lens of your own discipline, and learn from how your peers see it too.

Take the National Philharmonic concert in Warsaw: music students study the performance itself, while communication students might consider how it’s marketed and covered in the press, and art students take in the concert hall’s design and printed materials. A visit to a museum like POLIN isn’t just a history lesson — it’s a case study in exhibition design, narrative storytelling, and visual communication, all in the same room.

Go in expecting to come home knowing more about your own field — and a great deal about the other two as well.

Program Overview

  • Dates: Depart the U.S. May 22, 2027; arrive Kraków May 23. Formal programming runs May 24–June 8, with departure from Poland on June 8 and return to the U.S. on June 9 (19 days total, including travel).
  • Locations: Kraków, Warsaw, and Gdańsk, Poland.
  • Participating schools: School of Art & Design, School of Communication, and School of Music, College of Fine Arts and Communication (CFAC).

Itinerary Highlights

Kraków (May 23–29)

  • Schindler’s Factory and Wawel Castle
  • Wieliczka Salt Mines and an evening concert at St. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral
  • Hands-on engagement at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music — private lessons, chamber coachings, master classes, and open rehearsals
  • Discipline-specific site visits: the Museum of Photography, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and presentations from Jagiellonian University top communication scholars

Warsaw (May 29 – June 5)

  • POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, the Warsaw Uprising Museum, and the Chopin Museum
  • The Poster Biennale (2027 marks its 30th edition) and a National Philharmonic concert
  • Studio and academic engagement at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music and the Academy of Fine Arts
  • Discipline-specific site visits: the Museum of Modern Art, Zachęta National Gallery, and Polish media/news organizations

Gdańsk (June 5–8)

  • The historic Gdańsk Shipyard and the European Solidarity Centre — birthplace of the Solidarity movement
  • Coastal sites and a tour of the port
  • A farewell dinner marking the close of the program before departure

Earn 6 Credit Hours

Every student takes a shared CFAC course exploring Poland’s history of public expression through site visits, excursions, and a documented reflective journal — the same core experience across all three disciplines. Alongside it, choose a 3-credit discipline-specific course that goes deeper into your own field:

  • Art & Design — photography and visual documentation of public space, protest, and memory, culminating in a photo series and zine.
  • Communication — Poland’s media system, journalism, press freedom, and digital communication in a transitioning democracy.
  • Music — Polish musical traditions as resistance and cultural expression, including private lessons and coachings at partner conservatories in Kraków and Warsaw.

Both undergraduate and graduate sections are available in every discipline.

School Discipline Course Shared Course Faculty Leader Art & Design ART 3500/6500 – Photography and the Politics of Public Space ART 3515/6515 – Visual Narratives of Poland Daniel Kariko Communication COMM 4040/6225 – Media, Culture, and Society / Culture and Communication COMM 3063/6140 – Special Topics Mary Tucker-McGrath Music MUSC 4509/6509 – Topics and Issues in Music MUSC 2248/6466 – Intro. to World Music Cultures / Special Problems in Music History Derek Myler

Program Cost

Estimated program cost: approximately $3,090 per student.

This estimate covers:

  • Lodging in Kraków, Warsaw, and Gdańsk
  • In-country transportation (airport transfers and inter-city trains)
  • Shared and discipline-specific program activities, site visits, and excursions
  • Welcome, farewell, and select group meals
  • Program insurance and academic costs

International airfare is arranged individually by students and is not included in the program cost estimate above.

Eligibility & How to Apply

This program is designed for undergraduate and graduate students in the School of Art & Design, School of Communication, and School of Music. Students interested in the program who are outside these three schools are encouraged to reach out to a faculty leader to discuss eligibility.

Application deadline: January 31, 2027, or when the program fills, whichever comes first.

Applications are submitted through East Carolina University’s Office of Global Affairs study abroad application portal. Contact a faculty leader below or the Office of Global Affairs directly with any questions about eligibility or the application process.

Contacts

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