Germany

This course explores philosophical reflections on the structure and purpose of the university and the role of philosophy within that institution as put forward by German philosophers in the 19th century, while also providing a critical perspective on the subsequent history of the university through the 20th century until today. Students read key texts by philosophers such as Kant, Schelling, Fichte, von Humboldt, Schleiermacher, Hegel, Marx, Heine, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and Heidegger, to trace how ideas relating to university reform changed and were implemented in the course of the last two centuries, also in light of the most recent European university reform: the Bologna Process in 1999.

This pre-semester course prepares foreign students for academic study at a German university. The focus is on the improvement of oral and written expression as well as grammar and lexical proficiency. The course covers selected topics on German politics and society within a historical context. In addition, excursions are planned to introduce students to German culture. Students work with cultural 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 B2 level according to CEFR, students consolidate their knowledge of grammar and study complex structures. They systematically expand their vocabulary and include abstract terms and topics. The course includes exercises to improve oral and written communication such as doing research, structuring, presenting, and discussing. Writing skills are enhanced through different types of academic texts and handouts. The B2 level is split into two courses, the B2.1 course covers the first half of the level and the B2.2 course covers the second half of the level.

Over the course of the Cold War, the city of Berlin was frequently at the center of global tensions and a potential front line should the superpower rivalry descend into actual war. This course utilizes the city of Berlin as a laboratory in which to examine the origins, nature, and conclusion of the Cold War that defined international relations between 1945 and 1991. The Allied occupation of the city following the Nazi defeat is analyzed, along with the Berlin blockade and airlift that helped solidify the divisions between East and West. Next, the course examines the workers' uprising of 1953 that provoked a Soviet military response. The following sessions deal with the emigration crisis of the late 1950s that led the Soviets to first threaten a military takeover of the city and eventually to construct the Berlin Wall. Finally, the fall of the wall and the subsequent reunification of Berlin and Germany is analyzed. Field trips to important Cold War sites permit students to gain a deeper appreciation of how the Cold War changed Berlin, and how events in Berlin influenced the wider international struggle. In order to place the interests and goals of the superpowers in context, students also discuss the ways in which the Cold War rivalry affected Europe as a whole, as well as Asia and Latin America. Attention is given to the role of international organizations such as the United Nations in world affairs, and the changes brought about by the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. In this way, the roots of contemporary crises are examined. Students ain an understanding of the recent past, which will help equip them to evaluate the current and emerging international order.

This course explores the representations and topographies of Berlin between the first German reunification and the second. The course focuses on the major events and conflicts that have had lasting presence: the rise of the modern metropolis; economic depression and social unrest; the two world wars; Nazism and the Holocaust; and the Cold War and its aftermath - the most disruptive and defining events of the 20th century. Students examine the conflicting identities, ideologies, and aesthetic theories informing the events that have shaped collective history. Of central concern are the conflicting identities, ideologies, and aesthetic theories informing the events that have shaped the history of Berlin. Part of the course involves developing strategies for reading and walking through this multi-layered and contradictory landscape. In addition to discussing the regular reading assignments, students devote some time to discussing the complex relations between space, text, history, and memory. Relevant films are watched and city excursions are organized outside of regular class times.

This course covers mathematics relating to differential equations. Topics include ordinary differential equations, systems of differential equations, Laplace transformations and applications, partial differential equations separable solutions, plane waves solutions, Bessel's Equation, Legendre's equation, dynamic systems and boundary eigenvalue problems. Techniques for solving differential equations are used in the context of application to fields of engineering.