Associate Professor John Freeman
led this study-abroad course to Berlin May 11 to 24, 2007. It was the third
summer in a row he helped students conduct field research to document
the spirit and vitality of the city where he attended high school as an
"Air Force brat." At the peak of the Cold War, from 1968 to
1971, Freeman lived in West Berlin, surrounded by The Berlin Wall, a barrier
he thought would never fall. The idea of returning to a free and unified
Berlin with a group of students came to him while on sabbatical in the
fall of 2004.
During the two-week
course each summer, 15 students are first introduced to the city through
bicycle and walking tours, followed by meetings with foreign
correspondents. Guests in the past have included writers and
photographers from Agence France Presse, the Los Angeles Times and TIME
magazine. Students are free to find and develop a picture story that
suits their interests, as well as stand-alone photos (see Gallery). A
unique aspect of the 2007 course was that Slideshows were completed and
posted live to the Web from Berlin. The group celebrates its success
each year with a dinner
high atop Berlin's landmark TV Tower on the final night.
Freeman is a tenured
associate professor in the department of journalism at the University of
Florida and is a two-time winner of the College Teacher of the Year
award. He has also been named Educator of the Year by the National
Press Photographer Association. He is a graduate of the Missouri School
of Journalism and has a master's in communication from Wichita State
University, where he taught for 10 years before joining the faculty at
Florida in 1991. Freeman is married and has two children in their 20's.
Links of interest:
Blog of the 2007 trip | 2005
website | 2006 website |
John Freeman homepage |
John Freeman
An earlier visit to the Wall as a
9-year-old |