Programs

Poland & Germany: The Holocaust and Europe Today

A group of Honors students and their trip leaders pose in front of a historic building in Berlin, Germany.

Program Introduction

Program Leader: Thomas Smith

Poland and Germany: The Holocaust and Europe Today immerses students in the historical landscapes that historian Timothy Snyder has called the 鈥渂loodlands鈥� of Eastern Europe. Through on-site learning at key locations, students will confront the realities of the Holocaust and reflect on its lasting impact on Europe and the world today.

The trip and its associated Honors course marries location and content to bring concreteness and depth to our understanding of one of the darkest times in human history. Students will visit the spot where the Final Solution was conceived, tour Treblinka and Auschwitz, and experience a wide variety of museums and memorials in Warsaw, Krakow, and Berlin that help us remember the past, but also point the way to a more humane future.

This study abroad program acts as a vehicle through which students will grapple with the nearly inconceivable violence and inhumanity of the Holocaust, but also to weigh its broader normative impact. What are the lessons of the Holocaust with regard to genocide and human rights today? Why has the promise of 鈥渘ever again鈥� been so elusive? How do we explain the rise of Holocaust denial and distortion in Europe today?

Coursework

Summer A | May 18 - June 26, 2026

IDH 3600 Seminar in Ethics: The Holocaust and Europe Today is the Honors course associated with this study abroad trip. The course will focus on topics like:

  • Ethical inquiry
  • Responsible relationship between the individual and the community
  • Discrimination and dehumanization 
  • Systematic violence
  • Envisioning a better future

Assessments range from a pre-trip writing assignment about a Holocaust-related film, photo journals, field notes, and a reflective writing exercise.

Program Details

Program Dates

Eastern European town with a river running alongside buildings

Summer A | June 1 鈥� June 14, 2026

  • Applications open: July 1, 2025
  • Applications close: Oct. 15, 2025
  • Course dates: May 18 - June 26, 2026
  • Travel dates: June 1鈥� June 14, 2026

Program Cost

  • 2026 Program Cost: TBD
  • 2023 Program Cost: $3,526.00
Included
  • Hotel accommodation with private bathrooms, free wi-fi access, and breakfast included
  • All city transportation
  • Welcome and farewell dinners
    Honors students listen to a guide speak about historical sites.
  • All excursions
  • Arrival day orientation by on-site coordinator including health and safety information
  • On-site coordinator to accompany your group during all planned visits and excursions while in Warsaw, Krakow, and Berlin
  • International medical and evacuation insurance
  • 24/7 emergency assistance
Not Included
  • International airfare
  • Transit to/from the airport upon arrival and departure
  • Additional meals
  • Spending money
  • Travel passport or other travel documentation

Accessibility

This program will involve significant walking in urban and perhaps rural terrains. Terrains could include uneven paving and hills.

What Students Have to Say

Taylor Herman sitting in a stone alcove, surrounded by green ivy.

"It was the most impactful experience I've had in my academic career. There are a lot of unknowns when planning to go abroad, but what we unpacked in Poland and Germany completely changed my perspectives on violence, conflict, and humanity." - Taylor Herman