University of Florida - Berlin 2007 Study-Abroad Photojournalism Program

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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