Students Share Prague Experience

Four School of Journalism and Electronic Media students offered memories of their recent trip to Prague to an audience of nearly 30 people at the University Center on March 12.

The group kicked off the program with a photo slideshow led by participant Margaret Menefee and featuring pictures of the country they spent eight days in while participating in an International Correspondence course.

Freshman Eric Gedenk, who had never traveled outside the country before going to Prague, spoke highly of the program and the cultural experience. "This opportunity was larger than life for me," he said.

At first, the culture shock was strong for Gedenk, but he soon discovered comfort in the foreign country.

"It was actually nice to have the language barrier," which afforded him an opportunity to be a fly on the wall; to observe rather than be part of the experience, Gedenk said.

By doing so, he came to see the similarities in U.S. and Prague culture. "It was the same, only different," Gedenk said.

During the session, the students shared stories of their favorite instructors, unforgettable moments and tricks of the trade passed down from world-traveled journalism professionals.

Participant Joel Smithson said he learned the value of a narrowed story topic when he attempted to cover the military's transition to a volunteer service.

"The biggest thing I learned was that the story needs to be a scope you can cover," Smithson said. "I learned a lot about foreign correspondence."

Shannon Winaker, one of the UT participants, discovered the importance of being prepared for anything.

"You really have to plan ahead, and that's one of the biggest things we learned about foreign corresponding, is that once you're on the ground you can only do so much," Winaker said.

After the presentation, the group fielded questions about their experience and future plans from the audience, ranging from undergraduate students to university faculty.

The students also said they are in the process of working with instructors to create models to integrate into classrooms. The models incorporate real world experience, guest lectures and international media law into courses.

JEM director Dr. Peter Gross said he hopes to continue sending students to the International Correspondence course. If funding allows, two JEM students will head to Prague in June and another group will venture to the country in January, he said.