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Professor John
Freeman led this study-abroad course to Berlin from May 18
to May 31, 2012. It was the eighth 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, 1968 to 1971, Freeman lived in West Berlin, surrounded by
the Wall, a barrier he thought would never fall. The idea of
returning to a free and unified Berlin with students came to him while on
sabbatical from UF in the fall of 2004.
During the
two-week course, 12 to 15 students are introduced to the city
through bicycle and walking tours, followed by meetings with foreign
correspondents. This year we met with international illustrator
Christoph
Niemann and photojournalist
Timothy Fadek. Both are super-talented and
inspirational. During the two weeks in Berlin, 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 course is that slideshows are completed in Berlin. Special thanks to Joe Weiss, developer
of "Soundslides,” who provided complimentary
software. The group celebrated its success with a farewell dinner atop
Berlin's landmark
TV Tower.
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. Publications he has worked for include The
New York Times, U.S. News and World Report, Getty Images, The
Los Angeles Times, The Wichita Eagle and The Bergen Co.
(N.J.) Record. He was a faculty fellowship at National Geographic in
summer 1996. Freeman is married and has two children in their 20s.
Links of interest:
2005 site |
2006 site |
2007
site |
2008
site |
2009
site |
John Freeman homepage
Fat
Tire Bike Tours |
Original
Berlin Walks Tour |
Transit-Loft
Hotel |
Official
Berlin City Tourism Site
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John Freeman
An earlier visit to the Wall as a
9-year-old.
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