CIEE, Berlin

This course explores Germany’s rich diversity of culinary traditions from an anthropological context. Students gain insights into the cultural, historical, political, and ecological factors leading to the diverse landscape of regional dishes in contemporary German society. By analyzing the complex relationships between food, culture, and society, students analyze how food consumption and production changed historically, including in Germany's turbulent twentieth century, and evaluate Germany’s role in global efforts to develop sustainable and climate-friendly agricultural practices and food production. By exploring Berlin’s food scene and how it reflects the multiethnic traditions of its diverse population, students explore why food is such a powerful symbol of social and cultural identity in today’s contexts of migration and globalization.

This course connects students to the city of Berlin through the study and production of non-fiction writing. In order to understand the rich and complicated past and present of this city, students read non-fiction writing about Berlin from the 1920s to the present. Students also experience the city directly through excursions to important city sites, interviewing locals, and conducting their own research. Students turn these moments of engagement into reflective essays about the sites and people they encounter.

This course explores the impact of demographics, infrastructure, political and public will, global economic conditions, and geopolitical circumstances on healthcare systems. Topics include evidence-based health policy research and the need to carefully assess healthcare delivery systems in individual countries to identify initiatives, patterns, and mechanisms that have most likely contributed to successful reforms and sustainable financing arrangements. Students examine comparisons among European Union and other actors with special reference to the debate on health care in the United States. Students learn about, assess and understand these unique interests, needs, and historical experiences that shape current health care at the national level. Visits to private and public health institutions in all student locations are included and compared for a multinational/multicultural understanding.

This course develops an understanding of the entrepreneurial process by working on a concrete and locally specific project and business plan. This course first examines the entrepreneurial cultures in the host country by comparison with that of the United States. On the basis of this contextual analysis, students reflect on their own values, goals and strengths, pitching ideas, forming teams and developing a business model. Special attention is paid to the results of the customer, market, and industry analysis that are used to develop a viable product. The course also investigates different forms of intellectual property rights and explains the first steps of strategic planning. After completing all the assignments, students pitch an entire business idea based on thorough research.

This course is taught primarily in German, using communicative and task-based approaches, but grammar instruction may be in English. Students learn to read, write, listen, and speak basic German. Additionally, participants in this course gain familiarity with German-speaking cultures through exposure to various media and didactic projects. By the end of the course, students understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance.

This intensive, hands-on course teaches the use of audio as a medium to tell stories that explore the history, places, and people of Berlin. The course covers storytelling through sounds and interviews, with the goal of producing radio stories and podcasts. Students sharpen research and reporting skills, develop interview techniques, and learn or improve their editing and production abilities. Students engage with Berliners to uncover interesting pieces of the local society and tell captivating stories, learn about the role of radio storytelling in contemporary German society, and conduct on-location production experiences to improve audiocollecting skills. Opportunities are available to use equipment available on campus and acquire basic audio editing skills using dedicated software.