Hungary: Living and Relating in a Former Communist Country

An Exploration Seminar embedded in COM 312 - Interpersonal Communication

What is COM 312?

The course catalog describes COM 312 as "an exploration of the nature and importance of interpersonal communication." The course starts out with a review of the fundamentals, considering how our individual perceptions, biases, and experiences impact our interactions with others through our verbal and nonverbal behaviors. Class meetings then focus on how relationships begin, are maintained, and end, as discussion centers around the complexity of issues involved when endeavoring to engage in any sort of relationship.

Why Hungary?

In COM 312, we learn that a person's experiences and past shapes his or her interactions. Furthermore, family history, as immediately experienced by the individual, as well as passed on through stories from generation to generation, shapes us in ways not always apparent to us. Other contextual clues to understanding our interactions and relationships include the influence of physical environments, cultural traditions, and attitudes toward gender.

Its unique past makes Hungary an ideal spot to study how culture and history influence a people's daily interactions. Having undergone a change from dictatorship to democracy, the Hungarian people live in a world that is simultaneously old and new, traditional and revolutionary. Long considered one of the most progressive of the Eastern European countries while under communist rule, Hungary is in many ways very much like the U.S., yet everything from their buildings (you'll find a McDonald's Restaurant housed in Budapest's first train station, built in 1877) to their language (which does not possess gendered pronouns) provides the student of interpersonal communication with rich evidence that small differences can change a person's life experiences and approach to relating in the world.

What will we do in Hungary?

During our week abroad in Budapest (the capital of Hungary), you will experience a world both unknown and familiar, observing and interacting with the people of Hungary while exploring the sites, sounds, and tastes of Hungarian culture. On our trip we'll tour Statue Park (the resting place of all the public monuments from Hungary's communist rule), interact with university students and professors, and take a ride on the Children's Railroad, just to start. Of course, we'll also visit some of the many spots where people gather–such as churches, markets, museums, restaurants and pastry shops–to get a feel for life and living in the city that has been called the "Paris of the East."

How can I find out more?

Contact me–by e-mail, phone, or an actual visit to my office, and visit my website from time to time. I'm happy to talk any time.

Dr. Aileen Buslig • Communication Studies and Theatre Art Department • Olin 325

ph: 218-299-4236 • e-mail: buslig@cord.edu

For more links related to this trip, go to my homepage: http://www.cord.edu/faculty/buslig/

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