Day 1

Board your overnight flight across and cross the Atlantic on your way to Poland.

Day 2

Meet Dr. Johnson (founder of Global Next) at the airport in Krakow and enjoy a brief tour of the city as we head back towards our hotel. After we get settled, we will enjoy a walking tour and orient ourselves to Krakow and its unique culture. This is truly a beautiful city that is bursting with creativity following the fall of Communism. Following dinner we will have a brief time of orientation before falling exhaustedly into bed!

Day 3

Our day study of the Holocaust will begin. Our studies will include important laws and principles that can be gleaned from the horrors of the Holocaust. In the afternoon we will visit famous sites in Krakow. For over a thousand years, Krakow has been the center of science, culture and art in Poland. We will begin with a short walk along the streets of the former Jewish district of Kazimierz. Next, Wawel Hill, crowned by Wawel Castle and Wawel Cathedral and the seat of royal power up until the 17th century. The Castle was home to many Polish kings and queens and the royal crypts in the Cathedral their final resting place, along with several other Polish heroes. A walk up Grodzka Street leads you to the heart of Krakow, the Rynek Glwny, or Main Market Square. There the large Gothic Cloth Hall is the perfect place to shop for local souvenirs. The last sightseeing stop is the twin-spires of St Marys Church with its famous medieval altar by Wit Stwosz and where, every hour the brave trumpeter of Krakow still calls out his warning.

Day 4

Again our day will begin with our classes focusing on the Holocaust. After lunch we will head over to Auschwitz and participated in a guided tour. Auschwitz-Birkenau is the most well known cemetery in the world and place of genocide. Started in 1940 as a concentration camp for Polish political prisoners in 1942, it became the center for extermination of European Jews. In the years 1940-45 the Nazis killed about 1.5 million people there, mainly Jews as well as Poles, Gypsies, Russian POWs and members of other nationalities. The experience will break your heart, which is not a bad thing for leaders who want to impact a broken world.

Day 5

Our classes continue in the morning. In the afternoon we will head out for a visit to the Wieliczka salt mines. Legend has it that the salt mines in Wieliczka were part of the dowry of the Hungarian princess, Kinga, when she wed Boleslaw the Shy over 700 years ago, making the Wieliczka Salt Mine one of the oldest in all of Europe. Over the centuries, devout and superstitious miners have carved fabulous figures, monuments and altarpieces out of its salt walls. These amazing works of art, in addition to the historical importance of the mine, have earned the Wieliczka Salt Mine a place on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.

Day 6

Our time of study concludes today! Our afternoon in Krakow will allow us to take it easy, finish up our souvenir shopping and appreciate the culture. We will stroll through the squares, visit the shops, eat the fool and reflect upon our time together in this historic and beautiful city.

Day 7

Depart from Krakow with a lifetime of great memories!

Study Abroad Course: Holocaust Studies: Leadership Lessons from the Horror
This unique course will glean important leadership truths and principles from the horrors of the Jewish Holocaust. We will look at the factors that led to this genocide, the lives of those involved on both sides of this event, the attitudes of global leaders at the time and the influence their leadership had on a generation of people. We will also look at history, truth, propaganda, Holocaust denial, and how historical events can be used to shape people, influence leaders and even change the geopolitical history of millions of people. What is the lasting legacy of this event - and could it have been predicted?