Winter Semester 2013/14

So the weather this weekend has not been very nice for taking pictures. Therefore, I'll update everyone on what my semester will look like. One major difference between American and European universities is the organization of the semesters. We call them Fall/Spring semesters, and they call them Winter/Summer semesters. My semester begins Oct 1st and ends late-January. That means my exams will all be after Christmas! I have 5 classes this semester. Two of them are lectures (in large halls with lots of students), and the others are smaller seminars geared toward my program. My courses this semester are:

1. Introduction to the Interdisciplinary Approach (a PhD course!??)
2. Human Rights: Minority Protection and Conflict Management
3. Cultures and Societies of South-Eastern Europe
4. The Political History of South-Eastern Europe
5. Constitutional and Political Systems of South-Eastern Europe

For anyone who hasn't been informed, I am pursuing a Joint-Masters degree in South-Eastern European Studies. Officially, I will be receiving ONE degree that is stamped and signed by four separate universities who formed a consortium to organize this program. The four universities are:

1. Karl-Franzens-Universität (Graz)
2. University of Belgrade
3. University of Zagreb
4. Saints Cyril and Methodius University (Skopje)

So, I am in Graz for my first year and my second year will be done at one of the other 3 universities or a few others (Ljubljana, Bologna, Poitiers, Sarajevo, or Novi Sad). I am required to complete a research thesis, and I'm hoping to focus on the role language plays in nationalism and politics. Also, since I promised you pictures (but couldn't take any myself) here are some of Karl-Franzens-Universität here in Graz, who's alum include Erwin Schrödinger and Nikola Tesla. 

This is the main building of the university.

This is an overview of the campus. 

My dormitory is actually the grey building in the top left corner!

This is the RESOWI. It's a very cool building. It is an entire city block in length, and 6-stories in height. 

Nearly all of my courses are in this building, and the name RESOWI is short for...

Rechtsundsozialwissenschaft