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Iowa State Students Travel to Poland

Iowa State students traveled to Poland this summer and captured its essence through their camera lenses as part of the university’s study abroad program.

Led by Dennis Chamberlin, an assistant professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, nine students from several different majors created this visual travelogue to document their experience during their four-week program. The group was based in the Polish resort town Sopot on the Baltic Sea working in cooperation with the Sopot School of Photography. Nightly critique sessions were held between the Polish and American students. In addition to the website the students also exhibited their work in a Sopot Cafe/Gallery.

This travelogue includes week-by-week entries of words, photos and video produced by the students. Stories told through audio slideshows portray life in Poland, including scenes from the suburbs, a local meat shop, life on a tugboat and local entertainment.

Students traveled to the large cities of Gdansk, Krakow and Warsaw, as well as small towns around the country. They stayed with Polish families for nine days to get a grasp on Polish life.

The class was deemed a success by Chamberlin who said: "In addition to creating a website with a fine set of stories the students were able to broaden their horizons by living with Polish families and adapting to the Polish way of life for a few weeks."

The course, Poland Through A Lens, will be offered every other summer.