A Course in International Business, with Weinershnitzel on the Side

Summer Program in Europe Gives Student a Firsthand Look at European Economic Integration

by Whitney Birge '03

This summer I was privileged to join five other Oberlin students as a participant in the new Oberlin-in-Europe Euro Summer School. The focus of the program was an in-depth examination of the changing economic community in Europe and the impact this change will have on the world. It was a fascinating look at the evolution of independent nations into an interdependent group of countries with an unprecedented single monetary unit.

The entire program lasted six weeks and gave us the opportunity to travel and learn in different parts of Europe. Joining the six of us Obies were two students from Kenyon College and one from Denison University. The program was split into two sections, each lasting three weeks. During the second leg of our journey, we met up with 25 other students from around the world, though most were from the United States and Europe.

Oberlin's own Professor of Economics David Cleeton taught the first segment of the program, which focused on international business, at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. This interesting background look at the formation of the European Union included a visit to Brussels to see NATO and the European Commission, the latter being much more interesting than the former.

While in the gorgeous town of Maastricht, we also took a fantastic class on intercultural communication that proved how necessary understanding the norms and values of other cultures is to business. This three-week introduction to the history and function of the European Union made it possible for anyone, including a history major like me, to take advantage of this program and not feel lost in a sea of economic babble. This period was by far my personal favorite, because we remained stationary long enough to meet people in the town and travel on our own during the weekends.

At the beginning of the fourth week we traveled south to the HEC School of Management in France. Although it advertises itself as located in Paris, I must inform any future student that HEC is to Paris what Oberlin is to Cleveland. France was dull and rainy when we were trapped at the school, but we did manage to make it to Paris on a few wonderful occasions.

At HEC, we began our classes through the European Summer School, which connects three different universities teaching the same class in independent parts. We studied European Affairs, a continuation of what we learned in the Netherlands, and European Business Transformations, which focused on the Internet and its effects on business. HEC took us back to Brussels to visit the European Commission, but this time we had lunch with three of the speakers and had a chance to pepper them with questions for almost two hours.It an excellent opportunity to chat with people who are working on this extraordinary political transformation.

"...a fascinating look at the evolution of independent nations into an interdependent group of countries with an unprecedented single monetary unit"

For our fifth week, we traveled by train to Milan, Italy, where, at the Universita Bocconi, we continued our lessons in European affairs and business transformation. Here we explored the Internet in detail and learned the most effective means of creating a business presence on the Web. Bocconi was much more fun than HEC, as we were located in the middle of the city and had plenty of time to take advantage of the excellent shopping.

Our classes ended in Vienna, Austria, at the Wirtschaftsuniversitat Wien. This was a rather anticlimactic conclusion, as the city of Vienna - while ancient and beautiful - had little to offer a group of young people. However it was still a stunning place to visit, and getting fat on weinershnitzel was a great way to end the summer.

I had an excellent time on this trip and learned quite a bit as well. I hope this program continues to grow in popularity and that other Obies have the chance to experience what I did.

The diary of another participant was published on Oberlin Online in early September. To read it, click here.