German

This course is designed for the beginner student who has no prior knowledge of German and does not major/minor in German. It enables students to get familiarized with the German language and to deal with everyday situations during their stay in Berlin. Students develop basic communicative competences in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The foremost goal is for students to be able to navigate through daily activities in a German-speaking environment, such as ordering food in a restaurant, shopping at the grocery store/supermarket, getting around in the city, and conducting simple conversations about oneself (studies, hobbies, and fields of interest). Textbook: Momente A1 by Sandra Evan, and additional material, which is primarily dealing with everyday situations, helps students develop their individual language skills. One of the foci of the course is placed on Berlin and its surroundings. Therefore, students work with authentic material in class and on course-related excursions.

The course examines the history of Jewish life in Berlin from its beginnings in the sixteenth century, to the literary salons of Rahel Levin and Henriette Herz in the nineteenth century and the descriptions of the musician Konrad Latte, who survived the persecution of the Jews during National Socialism under false identity. The history of German-Jewish life in Berlin did not come to an end in the horrors of the Holocaust, but came to life again after 1989 and has set new cultural accents in the Berlin of the twenty-first century.

This course for foreign students is designed to improve students’ language skills and vocabulary. Areas of focus include grammar, conversation, writing exercises, and listening and reading exercises. In addition, excursions are planned to introduce students to German culture. Students work with cultural and historical topics in everyday situations and broaden their intercultural knowledge. They are introduced to independent learning methods and familiarize themselves with typical learning situations at German universities. In this class at the A1 level according to CEFR, students are introduced to basic grammar points and learn basic vocabulary. All four skills are developed and applied to everyday situations and some study-related situations. The A1 level is split into two courses, the A1.1 course covers the first half of the level and the A1.2 course covers the second half of the level.

In this class on the B1 level according to CEFR, students learn to understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. They deal with most situations likely to arise while traveling to an area where German is spoken. Students learn to produce simple connected texts on topics that are familiar or of personal interest. They acquire skills to describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. The B1 level is split into two courses, the B1.1 course covers the first half of the level and the B1.2 course covers the second half of the level.

This lecture analyzes the three basic factors that have influenced modern Jewish identity: enlightenement, anti-Semitism, and Zionism. It examines the changes of how Jewish identity is understood. A special focus is placed on the differentiation of cultural or national and religious identity with an emphasis on feminism and queerness. Gender relations are examined within their respective religious, cultural, and social contexts. Social history and the history of the common man is discussed and a special focus is placed on the active participation of Jewish women in society as well as the intellectual and artistic life within European nation states.