Foreign
Study Program 2006:
Law, Grace
and Reformation Tour
Many of you have been anxiously awaiting further word on the Reformation Tour previously scheduled for the fall of 2005. Due to an inconveniently scheduled trial, Dean Magnuson was unable to lead the trip in October or November. Consequently, we have now rescheduled the trip for April 2006. The details regarding the trip are below.
Oak Brook has supplemented its curriculum from time to time with special international travel opportunities for study abroad. The first of these was a ten-day trip to London, with lectures by the Dean on the origins of the common law, a comparison of English and American jurisprudence and legal philosophy, and a variety of other topics suitable for the English venue. In March 2004, a number of students took advantage of a special opportunity to go to Rome and hear lectures, again from the Dean, on Roman law and culture, and its influence on the New Testament, while having plenty of time to tour the "eternal city" and see some of the most important historical and archaeological sites in western civilization.
Both of these trips were extremely popular and led to the repeated question, "when are we going to do something like
this again?"
We are pleased to announce that Dean Magnuson will be leading a third trip-the Law, Grace and Reformation Tour-April 18-30, 2006 (dates are tentative). Following is a description of the itinerary:
The trip will begin in London, England. We will spend a day or two exploring the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, John Wesley's house, Bunhill Fields Cemetery, Westminster Abbey, with lectures from the Dean on the English Reformation. The next day we will explore the Oxford colleges and the Martyrs Memorial. Dean Magnuson will give a lecture on Archbishop Cranmer. We will be staying at the Georgian House Hotel while in England.
Next we will travel to Edinburgh, Scotland for a lecture on John Knox and tours of Knox's Church, St. Giles, and Knox's prayer closet. We will spend the night on a ferry traveling to the mainland, after which we will travel to Hamel, Germany, where we will visit the castle of a German baron and have a service at the first protestant church ever built. We will stay at the Hotel zur Post while visiting Hamel.
Next we will begin an examination of the Lutheran wing of the reformation by traveling to Wittenburg. We will see the church where Luther nailed his 95 theses and hear lectures on Luther's central role in the Reformation. Our accommodations will be the Hotel Gruene Tanne while in Wittenburg.
Leipzig is next on the itinerary. We will visit St. Thomas Kirche, the church of Johann Sebastian Bach, and Wartburg Castle, Luther's hideaway where he translated the New Testament into German. We will stay at the Hotel auf der Wartburg.
Next we travel to Rothenburg, where we will spend a day exploring the world's best preserved medieval city. One enlightening stop for our Reformation Tour will be the Mittelalterliches Museum-which houses an extensive collection of instruments of torture. We will stay at the Meistertrunk Hotel while in Rothenburg.
We next take up the Hus wing of the Reformation in Constance. We will visit the site where John Hus was burned and hear a lecture on this early reformer. The Hotel Graf Zeppelin will lodge us while in Constance. Next we are on to Switzerland!
Zurich is next on the itinerary. We will visit the church of Ulrich Zwingli and hear a lecture on this reformer who was a contemporary of Luther and Calvin. We will spend the night at the Hotel Pilatus-Kulm, high atop Mt. Pilatus.
After coming down from our mountaintop experience, we will take a boat tour of Lake Lucerne and drive to Geneva. In Geneva, we will hear a lecture on John Calvin and explore Calvin's church and the Reformer's Wall. The tour will end in Geneva and participants will be free to continue exploring or end their trip here.
Questions and Answers
Relating to the 2006 Law, Grace & Reformation Tour
Q: How much will it cost?
A: Students will be responsible for arranging their own airfare to London and from Geneva. We anticipate the average airfare will be about $500-$800. We anticipate the rest of the trip will cost approximately $1,700. This will cover most breakfasts and a few other meals, but for most meals, students will be on their own. Included in this price are all lodging and group transportation costs.
Q: Who May Attend?
A: Depending on interest level, the trip will be open to current students, graduates, and faculty of Oak Brook College of Law. Depending on how many plan to attend, we may allow one guest per student. We are planning on a group size of 25-30 travelers, including guests. At this point, we are only taking reservations for students, graduates, and faculty.
Q: Will credit be given for the study program?
A: We plan to give 1 credit hour for each student who participates in the program and completes the required assignment(s). Obtaining credit for the study program is optional.
Q: What do I do if I am interested and want to attend?
A: Complete the Law, Grace and Reformation Tour 2006 Application
Form and send it with a $200 deposit to OBCL, Attn: Law, Grace and Reformation Tour, P.O. Box 26870, Fresno, CA 93729. Initially, only applications from students, graduates and faculty will be accepted. If a student, graduate or faculty submits the application to OBCL for receipt on or before December 22, 2005, that student will be guaranteed a space on the trip. After December 22, 2005, we will open the trip up to guests and all applications will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis until the trip is full or until our final deadline for joining the trip. Trip dates will be finalized after the initial registration deadline (December 22).
Q: What if I have questions?
A: E-mail: studyabroad@obcl.edu.
