German

This class focuses on Hitler's Germany, and begins with the essential nineteenth century background. Students consider how political anti-Semitism grew during that time and what factors shaped the social and political life. The course covers the broad political currents and the popular literature that Hitler and many of his supporters read and absorbed. In the climate of uncertainty and despair following the First World War, Hitler and the Nazi Party grew from a small group on the radical fringe in Munich to a national force. Those traits of Hitler, crucial to his success, particularly his charisma, are defined and analyzed within the broader political context of Weimar political life. Much attention is paid to how Hitler, the two other Nazis in his cabinet, and supporters on the streets were able to consolidate the control over the state and society within a matter of months. How the regime solidified its control over society and political life is examined and discussed at length in this session. The course examines and analyzes how Hitler's concentration camp system, a vast chain of prisons and centers of oppression and death, came to be. Hitler's ambitions, the conquest of “living space” in Eastern Europe and the annihilation of the Jews, motivated his foreign ambitions and led directly to World War II, the most destructive conflict in human history. A central element of the war was the Holocaust, the all-out program to destroy the Jews of Europe. The session closely examines these developments, the nature of the war, how the Holocaust was implemented, and the role that terror played in sustaining Nazi rule. Also discussed are the measures taken against the handicapped, homosexuals, Sinti, and Roma. In Germany and later in occupied Europe, opposition and resistance emerged and challenged Nazi rule. Opponents were motivated by a variety of reasons, some personal, some political, and these too are discussed. Lastly, the class examines the end of the war, the so-called “zero hour” in Germany, the destruction and collapse of Germany, and then how this nation has dealt with the legacy of Hitler and Nazi rule. The course includes visits to local museums, historical sites and locations that reveal the operations of Nazi rule. These visits are a key element of the class and the experience of studying in Berlin.

This course teaches linguistic and intercultural skills, contemporary cultural issues that present a societal challenge in its linguistic context, and metacognitive skills and strategies in the German language.

This course explores the contemporary utilization of typical Berlin discourses in the context of tourism and city marketing, such as Berlin-specific subcultures, economic developments a la Smart City, political activism, and environmental concerns for tourism. By testing different approaches to experiencing and sensing the city, the course examines the basis of diverse ways of “knowing Berlin.” The course discusses questions including: what makes the tourist perspective so intriguing and specific? Who profits from this way of experiencing a city? How is cultural diversity and complexity practically channeled into profitable tourism sites and activities? In small groups and workshop-based, the course develops and analyzes contents and methods of explorative walking performances based on specific contemporary Berlin discourses and urban projects. In an application of the seminar's findings and self-produced material, students go on tours of Berlin addressing contemporary urban discourses centering on smart city, participation, touristification, and urban activism.

This course is designed for students who have successfully completed the intermediate level of German and who have a sound knowledge of German. This course is intensive and is intended for dedicated, highly self-motivated students who will take responsibility for their learning. The course deepens students competence in speaking and writing and to expands and refines their vocabulary usage. Through this course students are able to express and discuss ideas, opinions and information at the academic level. Special attention is given to the consistent use of self-correction. Furthermore, the course helps students to develop effective reading and listening strategies and deepen their knowledge of grammar structures. In addition, students analyze and interpret cultural, political, and historical topics in German-speaking countries and compare them with their own cultural background. Students develop and regularly use new strategies for language acquisition and improve their ability to choose the right linguistic register for different situations, topics and communication partners. At the completion of the course students are able to lead and participate in academic discussions about certain course-related topics. In addition, students expand and refine their essay writing skills and are able to write, revise and proofread essays that meet the standards of academic writing.

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 B1 level according to CEFR, students consolidate and systematically build further basic grammar points and vocabulary. They expand their proficiency in all four skills. 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.

Where do we pick up after the complete moral, physical, and psychological devastation brought on by World War II? How do we compose poetry in the shadow of the Holocaust, a genocide beyond imagination? How do we write poetry in a language that was used by the Nazis to justify an unjust war and the murder of millions? What forms can suffering and trauma take in literary texts? Young German writers asked themselves these questions starting in 1945 and proposed a number of solutions – or produced a number of attempts – that today are known as "Kahlschlagliteratur" (the literature of clear-cutting) or Zero Hour Literature. This course reviews texts of various genres in translation, considers them in their historical and literary contexts, and identifies common properties and tendencies. The course also questions the validity of the label "Zero Hour," along with its implicit assumption of a complete reset. The focus is on better-known writers (whose texts are available in English), such as Wolfgang Borchert and the Nobel-prize winning Heinrich Böll.