Professor Ramold Liberates Paris

By Charlotte Slomkowski, MA in History student

Professor Steven Ramold (left) with students at St. Mere Eglise during the Liberation of Paris trip in 2019

This April, students at Eastern Michigan University will travel across the Atlantic to learn how the Allies reclaimed France from the Nazis in 1944. From April 26 to May 4, EMU History Professor Steven Ramold will lead twenty students in a study abroad program focused on World War II. 

Professor Steven Ramold (right) with students at Utah Beach, Normandy, France, during the Liberation of Paris trip in 2019

Titled “The Liberation of Paris,” the class traces Allied troop movement from Normandy to Bayeux to Paris. Students on the trip (me included) will visit a number of historical sites including Utah and Omaha beaches in Normandy and museums like the Liberation Museum in Paris. Along the way, we will visit both the American and German Cemeteries around Omaha Beach, bunker complexes that Germans held during D-Day, and parts of the catacombs of Paris that the resistance fighters of France used during Nazi occupation. We will also have the opportunity to visit additional cultural sites like the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, and other museums around Paris like the Louvre. 

Taken by Professor Steven Ramold, Photo of Omaha Beach during the Liberation of Paris trip in 2017

While in France, Professor Ramold will speak about the importance of the different locations, memorials, and offering insight. Professor Ramold has led many EMU travel courses over the years, both in the United States and various parts of Europe. Along with lecturing on the trip itself Professor Ramold requires all students to attend three lectures prior to the trip itself. These lectures will cover what students should expect on the trip as well as covering the history of World War II, especially Operation Overlord and the reclamation of France. Professor Ramold will serve as our guide as we visit most locations and as we make our way through the cities of Bayeux and Paris. Professor Jesse Kauffman will accompany Professor Ramold and the students on the trip.

One thing I am particularly excited to experience is the D-Day Academy, a hands-on experience that allows visitors to get up close and personal with many of the weapons, vehicles, and munitions used during the war.

The EMU History program has some of the best study abroad programs available. I have had the opportunity to travel to Poland in 2023 as part of a course led by Professor Kauffman. This allowed me to better understand World War II from the Polish perspective. It was a life changing experience that I still think fondly of. If you have the opportunity to travel with an EMU History course, I highly recommend it.