Course Enrollment: EE-302 Eastern European: Onsite Research in the Ancestral Homeland

Optional Print Course Material: Eastern European: Onsite Research in the Ancestral Homeland

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

No matter how convenient it may be these days to research ancestors without leaving home, you probably still dream of visiting your family’s homeland. You are yearning to see where your ancestors lived, stand in the church where they were baptized, enjoy traditional cuisine, and understand what life was like for your ancestors before they made the journey to America. With heritage travel, you have an opportunity to go beyond the same old research strategies and discover those details you can’t get from online databases, books, or microfilm. In this course, you will learn about “immersion genealogy”—the process of discovering where and how our ancestors lived, worked, and worshiped, and experiencing first-hand those customs and traditions they passed down through the generations. We will begin with planning your trip (including packing and travel tips). Then, we will cover how to contact relatives and locals (mayors and priests) in advance, what to do when you meet them, and creating an itinerary. Finally, we will review what to do after the trip to document your meetings, travels, and research.

Course Length: 7 weeks