2020-21 Academic Catalog

Who is allowed in? Who is refused entry? How is Berlin divided? How does the city come together? From the first city walls shortly after its 1237 founding to its most famous wall erected in 1961 to today’s debate on accepting migrants, Berlin’s borders have always had profound effects on its own residents and the world at large. In this course, we will encounter walls in texts, films, plays, museums, and excursions, as well as the difficulties in crossing these boundaries. We will thereby focus on issues of religious tolerance, immigration, xenophobia, the Cold War, and Berlin as cultural and political capital. Prerequisite: Acceptance to Berlin Program