Written by: Muhammad Rayhansyah Jasin
Edited by: Rachel Marlinang
In Fall Semester 2022, APU reintroduced its long-awaited field study abroad program after a 2-year break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Applying students were given a chance to choose from the 4 trips offered over an up to 3-week period in return for 2 to 4 academic credits. These programs are supervised by APU professors in accordance with relevant majors ranging from both the College of Asia Pacific and International Management.
I happened to join one of these field studies in February this year with Professor Peter Mantello in exploring various forms of media in Central Europe. Let’s have a closer look and get to know more about this field study!
This two-week program going to Slovakia and Czechia has been conducted by Professor Peter Mantello since 2008. Titled “Experiencing Media, Culture, and Creative: Television, Film, Photography, and Theatre in Central Europe,” the program is held jointly every year with the Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts (BISLA).
Having Slovakia as a primary study destination for a Japanese international university might seem odd at first, but this makes the trip a unique learning experience. “Normally, when students go to Europe, they tend to go to very well-known places like Paris, Rome, and Madrid; so Central Europe might be the place that is least discovered, yet it is actually one of the oldest and most fascinating areas.” Mantello, who joined APU in 2007, explained that Slovakia itself, as a former satellite state of the Soviet Union that became independent in 1993, gives students interesting insights,especially in its relationship to the Cold War.
The general overview of the program mentioned several interesting points, like getting
to know the behind-the-scenes knowledge of the entertainment industries, specifically theaters and arts, understanding Central European politics through their history, and participating in interactive learning sessions with BISLA counterparts. “The field study itself has always been something of a work in progress; for example, this is the first time that it has gone to Prague,” he said. This was done to make the program more culturally interesting.
The program was packed with numerous field study practices for exploring both Bratislava and Prague, starting from visiting art galleries, radio stations, opera houses, national landmarks, and restaurants. The food culture in Central Europe was incredible, and combined with their heavy beer customs, we were indulged with so many social norms of the region.
It was kind of an unusual experience for me because this was not like a typical tourist experience, I mean actual professors guided us during the trip,” said Yuki, a second-year student from Yokohama, sharing her thoughts about the journey . The field study
program was branded as an academic-based tour, yet it felt more like a traveling than a study trip. However, we still learned some theories, histories, and received lectures on the places that we visited. Moreover, the trip also included a couple of workshops like Robot class with the Czech Institute of Technology, Photography Class with renowned Slovak photographer, Miro Svolik, and a sword-making experience in a traditional blacksmith studio run by one of BISLA alumnus.
Mantello said that by having APU students meet and cooperate with BISLA students, it makes them feel more welcomed and more positively engaged with the activities provided. “It’s also very interesting because this year the director of BISLA himself got personally involved in the project,thus bringing greater insight about Central Europe,” said Mantello regarding the involvement of BISLA Rector, Associate Professor Samuel Abraham.
I got a chance to personally interact with the Rector during the lectures and field activities, and I became quite fond of him, especially because of our similar interest in the history and
political developments of Central Europe. However, Abraham stated that aside from the traveling part and learning the photo essays project, which was the primary group assignment we had during the trip, students who joined these field studies could develop the self-skill of organizing themselves in a group setting. “This school of learning, where human interaction from a very diverse group of students is most valuable, allows us to learn to find our similarities which you can only experience by living it,” said Abraham. APU students might have been more familiar with multicultural settings, but the same thing could not be said for BISLA students, who live in a more homogenous environment. “Hopefully we could have an exchange agreement (with APU) and some of our students (BISLA) could come to Beppu,” said Abraham.
Having these cultural exchanges with APU students also helps BISLA appreciate and reflect
reflect on more things in their lives. “APU students usually notice things that we don’t notice anymore because we see them every day and they are oftentimes very thoughtful and enrich us even more,” said Dagmar Kusa, the corresponding faculty member from BISLA that oversees the field study program. It is very crucial for Dagmar that APU students who come to BISLA are normally very curious and eager to learn more different perspectives with varying complexities, and it creates a great contribution to the success of the program itself.
I also talked with some BISLA students about the kind of understanding that this field study has brought to them in perceiving the world outside of Europe and how it truly changes their perceptions about it, especially in Asia. “I learned that Asia can be very diverse, and when we say Asian, (sometimes) they only mean Chinese ethnicities, but we don’t really learn a lot about other regions,” said Daniela Szep, a Slovak nationality first-year student at BISLA who lives in Hungary. She said there are more cultures to be discovered, and the short 12-day engagement had taught her more about nations such as Indonesia, India, and the Philippines. She also thought that Asian teenagers would have somewhat K-op-style fashion, yet in fact they are actually more westerners than previously imagined. “I think the most important thing is to be open-minded and just embrace and respect the new culture; understand that some of our aspects are different but a lot more are similar,” said Daniela.
“The students themselves (who joined our program) are really interested in connecting with people,” said Mantello in describing the types of participants in the field study over the years. Benjamin, a third-year APS student from Myanmar who joined this field study too, said that the people who got involved in the trip were caring and kind. “For people who want to join trips like this, I recommend having an open mind and leaving every preconceived notion and stereotype you might have at APU,” said Benji.
As with every other program, I do believe that the APU field study in general could be improved further, especially the arrangements of the program activities before and during the course, which should be more straightforward. “Sometimes, they (the people arranging the field study) kept changing the schedule and there was this one instance when we went to a newspaper agency, but the person who welcomed us seemed unprepared to have us,” said Yuki on the technical issues about the program. Mantello also gave his take on improving the curriculum for the field study. “APU should stop treating students as children and allow them to travel onwards after the program ends.” He also stressed out that the risk assessment criteria were “over the top”. “Currently, the program is very strict and requires the students to return to Japan, which I think is completely unnecessary.”
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