The ART and SCIENCE of the ORGANIZATION
 Contact Information

2008 International Courses Abroad

Page updated April 10, 2008. This page will be updated frequently as arrangements are firmed up for these courses, so visit the website often.

Summer 2008 ICAs

DYNM 766: Transformed Central Europe: Lessons, Challenges, Expectations

DYNM 783: European Approaches to Large Project Management and Strategic and Creative Leadership Note: as of March 21, 2008, this course has reached maximum enrollment. No further registrations being accepted.

DYNM 784: A Berlin-Warsaw Axis? New Perspectives on the Old Fractures in a Changing Europe

Complete Summer 2008 Course List

ENROLLMENT

The maximum enrollment for each course is 23 students. A student may register for as many ICA programs as can be managed logistically.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of each ICA program are to:

~expose participants to the cultural, political and organizational environments of each region

~directly interact with academics, government officials, and other regional or national leaders

~enhance intercultural awareness and communication skills

~describe (in a final written report/paper) the global nature of organizational dynamics

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

Class Attendance and Requirements

Since each ICA program is a Penn graduate course, attendance in classes held before, during, and after travel, unless the course professor provides an exception, is required. In addition, each ICA requires one or more written paper(s) to be delivered on the date(s) set in the course syllabus.

On-Campus Meetings

All ICA on-campus classes meet on Monday evenings. Organizational Dynamics teaching faculty set the curriculum, readings, topics, and course evaluation requirements. In some cases, international faculty cooperating with the Penn ICA faculty may visit the campus to deliver lectures prior to travel.

Prior to departure, registered students are provided with information that will minimize the culture shock that is inevitable when traveling with a group and in an unfamiliar environment. Topics include business etiquette, language, cultural expectations, personal security and safety, and group travel tips. Information about necessary immunizations and other health issues is also provided before departure.

Traditional Academics

Organizational Dynamics arranges for experts at partner educational institutions abroad to provide lectures about important issues facing the region's business, cultural, educational, legal, and political communities. These lectures provide participants with direct information, the opportunity for question and answer periods, and, when appropriate, follow-up meetings.

Organizations/Government

These lectures and presentations bring students face-to-face with leaders of the region. Through meetings (held at their facilities and agencies) with company executives, public service diplomats, and senior administrators, students can observe how organizations operate abroad, how global market forces are perceived in the region visited, and what the organizational lecturers perceive as current and future problems.

Culture

Throughout the ICA, there are many opportunities to learn about the host country's culture and its influence on local society. These include planned group events such as city tours or excursions to significant historical areas; receptions with other students abroad; and interview assignments with an established network of contacts. As well, each ICA provides free time where one can explore the area without an academic agenda.

Role of Faculty and Staff

Leading each ICA program is a member of the Organizational Dynamics teaching faculty. Coordinating the course and participating while abroad is a member of an academic institution in the region visited. Most ICA programs also have a logistics coordinator from the Organizational Dynamics Program Office. Logistics coordinators and faculty have extensive experience and can provide important assistance as interpreters of the local language and/or culture.

The role of faculty is to plan and lead the academic components of the program and to help coordinate the travel itinerary in cooperation with local faculty and speakers. The role of the logistics coordinator is to manage the details of travel and accommodations and to support faculty and, where appropriate, student needs.

Tuition

The tuition for an International Course Abroad program takes into account the within-country travel and accommodations costs, academic costs while abroad, and the number of anticipated students in each section.

Tuition includes:

~academic course tuition
~academic course materials (books and other educational resources)
~academic-required group transits within regions (including airline, ground transportation, and transfers while with the class)
~academic-required overnight (business class) accommodations (including breakfasts)
~some group meals (lunches and dinners) connected to academic activities

Tuition does not include:

~air travel to and from the primary cities abroad
~non-group, non-academic meals
~personal phone, fax, laundry or other discretionary interests
~travel documents (passports, visas, photos, etc.)
~health insurance and immunizations
~travel insurance
~individual excursions/side trips

Tuition for Penn Graduate Students

The per-person tuition for ICA programs for 2008 is as follows:

  • PRAGUE (DYNM 766) $ 7833.00 (1 CUs)
  • FRANCE (DYNM 783): $ 7833.00 (1 CU)
  • BERLIN-WARSAW (DYNM 784): $7833.00 (1 CU)

NOTE: Grants that will offset/reduce ICA tuition by up to $1300.00 for each course are available only to students taking the course(s) for credit. Students must APPLY for the grant PRIOR to departure for the course: no grant applications will be accepted after the course abroad has begun. Grant applications may be submitted at the same time as the reservation or registration form is submitted..

Tuition for Members of the Organizational Dynamics Exchange Network (ODEN) and Non-O.D. Penn Faculty

Members of ODEN and non-Organizational Dynamics Penn faculty may attend ICA programs as non-credit, non-degree workshop participants at reduced rates of $3500.00 for each course.

Registration and Billing Information

Students interested in an ICA must complete three steps.

(1) Complete and submit to the Program office an ICA Reservation Form for each ICA program of interest. Reservations may be submitted after February 8.

(2) Send a deposit of $200.00 for each ICA program of interest. Make your check payable to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and mail it to the Program Office along with your Reservation Form.

(3) Register for each ICA course using the Organizational Dynamics online Registration Form during Open Registration beginning March 3, 2008.

Confirmation of receipt of each ICA Reservation Form and $200.00 deposit will be sent by email. AFTER we receive the ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM, final confirmation of course enrollment will be sent by US mail. Tuition (less the $200.00 deposit) will be billed as a standard University tuition bill.

Any student who fails to complete all 3 requirements by April 18, 2008 (see below) will not be formally registered and will have their deposit(s) returned.

Registration of ODEN Members and Faculty

Members of ODEN and non-Organizational Dynamics Penn faculty interested in attending an ICA as a non-credit/non degree participant must register by completing an ICA Reservation Form and sending a $200 deposit check (payable to Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania) to the Program Office for each ICA program of interest, anytime after February 8, 2008. Reservation forms received prior to March 14 will be given priority. After March 14, Reservations will be accepted on a standby basis. Confirmation of registration will be sent by US mail. Tuition will be billed approximately 60 days prior to departure.

Deadline and Critical Dates

i

Reservations/registrations will continue to be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis for Prague and Berlin-Warsaw until April 18, 2008. Students taking the course(s) for credit should submit regular course registration forms, in addition to reservation forms, after the opening of the Open Registration period.

Open Registration begins March 3, 2008.

If the participant cancels an ICA reservation/registration prior to April 1, 2008, the $200 deposit will be refunded.

If the participant cancels the ICA reservation/registration on or after May 1, 2008, the $200 deposit is non-refundable, unless a substitute participant (not previously registered) is found to take the canceled space. If the participant cancels the ICA reservation/registration so close to travel time (this date will vary, depending on the course registered for) that hotel, meals, and/or intra-country transportation costs have already been charged to Organizational Dynamics, the participant will be responsible for these charges, in addition to the $200.00 deposit.

Travel Policy and Logistics

Airline Tickets

Acquisition of international airline tickets (from the U.S. to the arrival city and from the departure city to the U.S.) is the responsibility of each participant. Individual routing, including arrival before a program begins or extended stays after a program ends are permitted but must be arranged by the participant. Be sure to ask your airline about passport validity requirements (see "Documents," below).

All students are expected to be present once a program begins, and to remain until a program ends.

Depending on the domestic itinerary worked out for each group, transportation while abroad may be by air, train, chartered motor coach, or public transit. All within-country and between-country transportation, except for transport from the airport to the hotel upon first arrival for the course is included in the tuition. Transportation from the hotel to the airport for the return trip to the US will be provided at ONE TIME AND ON ONE DATE ONLY. Students are not required to avail themselves of this transportation but will not be reimbursed for their expenses, if they make their own arrangements to get to the airport.

Accommodations

Hotel accommodations differ from country to country, and may vary within each country, depending on the locale. Previous groups have stayed at a combination of moderately-priced (4-star or better) hotels and corporate training facilities, and efforts will be made to make similar arrangements this year. Rooms are single occupancy (double occupancy may be available in special cases). Breakfasts are included as part of the hotel package.

Documents

A valid passport is necessary for international travel. A passport should be applied for as far in advance of travel as possible to allow time for processing. If you already have a valid passport, be sure to check the expiration date, and, if your passport expires by December 2008, consider renewing it now. More and more countries are requiring that passports be valid for six months AFTER the intended visit (the Czech Republic currently requires three months), and consequently some airlines will not permit travel without extended validity. It is better to be safe than sorry! Penalties for late withdrawal from classes, as described on this webpage, will not be waived for participants who cancel close to departure time because of passport problems.

Insurance

Registered students must show proof of current health insurance coverage before departing and should be aware of their individual insurance company's policies regarding international travel. NOTE: Health insurance offered through the University of Pennsylvania is valid overseas.

Side Trips

Personal side trips during the course - when free time is scheduled - are at the participant's risk and should be undertaken only with the knowledge of the academic and logistics directors. No reductions in fare and/or partial refunds can be granted to participants who voluntarily deviate from the group itinerary or who depart the program prematurely. For persons who depart early due to medical or bereavement reasons, every effort will be made to recover any remaining accommodation and travel expenses.

Spouses

As each ICA is a graduate course, spouses or significant others are not permitted to participate unless they themselves are registered as Penn graduate students, members of the Penn faculty, or members of the Organizational Dynamics Exchange Network (ODEN).

Cancellations

The Organizational Dynamics Program reserves the right to cancel any study program for any reason before the date of departure. If the Organizational Dynamics Program cancels any ICA for any reason before the date of departure, all monies received are refunded. ICA programs also may be canceled due to lack of enrollment. Participants will then be notified 30 days prior to departure. In such cases, the Organizational Dynamics Program cannot assume the cost of individual travel arrangements made by participants prior to 30 days before departure. For this reason, it is recommended that personal airline tickets not be issued prior to 30 days, or that trip cancellation insurance be purchased.

If the participant cancels an ICA reservation/registration prior to April 1, 2008, the $200 deposit will be refunded.

If the participant cancels the ICA reservation/registration on or after May 1, 2008, the $200 deposit is non-refundable, unless a substitute participant (not previously registered) is found to take the canceled space. If the participant cancels the ICA reservation/registration so close to travel time (this date will vary, depending on the course registered for) that hotel, meals, and/or intra-country transportation costs have already been charged to Organizational Dynamics, the participant will be responsible for these charges, in addition to the $200.00 deposit.

Group Expectations

The International Courses Abroad Program is not a vacation; it is an academic program offered as part of a Penn Master's Degree Program in the Graduate Division, School of Arts and Sciences. Sessions prior to departure and upon return are designed to fulfill the academic and programmatic requirements of students, faculty, and staff. During the ICA experience, except in the case of family crisis or medical emergency, students are required to participate in the entire program. Keep in mind that much of the synthesis and integration of this course will take place during the final days. Do not consider participating in this program if you cannot commit to the entire experience and the on-campus sessions. Students who do not actively participate in the entire program may not receive credit for the course.

Group Dynamics

Traveling abroad with a group of people demands appreciation of group dynamics. Special care should be given to balancing the demands of the individual and the needs of the group. This is especially pertinent when traveling in an unfamiliar environment. Your willingness to participate constructively in group decisions will enhance the quality of the program for everyone. Those participants who do not participate in this process may be asked to leave the group.

Studying and traveling can be physically and mentally demanding. Students should consider their overall health and stamina when selecting an international travel course.

The Organizational Dynamics program, through its authorized representatives, reserves the right to expel from any study tour any participant whose conduct is detrimental to the group, to the good name of the University of Pennsylvania, or to the Organizational Dynamics graduate program.

If you have further questions about the 2008 International Courses Abroad Program, please contact Christopher Angelucci (cba@sas.upenn.edu), Special Projects Coordinator - ICA Programs, via telephone (215-898-4259), or visit the Organizational Dynamics Program Office at 3401 Walnut Street, Suite 328A.

3401 Walnut Street
Suite 328A
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Campus Map • MapQuest

T: 215-898-6967
F: 215-898-8934

dynamics@sas.upenn.edu