Experiential blog: #8

Studying abroad is very different from just taking the same class at UC because when you're studying abroad you are visiting all these different places that pertain to the curriculum; for me since I'm a visual learner it's easier for me to comprehend and really understand the Habsburg empire and the effects of empire when I'm able to visit the places that I'm reading about. The class has given me a greater understanding of what empire really was and to what lengths the empire went to to keep control over the people. It taught me the complicated relationship between the church and the empire, and how the empire was able to use this relationship to control the common people. It also taught me how the people responded to oppression by the empire through gothic literature.

Not only has studying abroad taught me about empire, its influence on the people, and how they kept control, it has also taught me about the people and the different cultures of Austria, the Czech Republic and the U.K. It was interesting to visit each place and see how the empire effected each differently. For example in Austria, since it was centered around Hofburg, the people of Austria still act and present themselves as if the empire was still around. In contrast, in Prague, since it was a branch of the empire it was much more relaxed and became a place where people who felt oppressed by the empire could express themselves.