German Studies in Berlin

PROGRAM DATES

September – November, 2009

FACULTY

Director

Kai Herklotz, Visiting Assistant Professor of German

Professor Kai Herklotz is a native German; he has studied in Marburg, Germany, at Vienna University in Austria, at Penn State University, and at the University of California, Irvine, where he earned his Ph.D. He has lived in the U.S. and worked at American universities and colleges since 1998. Areas of interest are East and West German film and literature, and German-Jewish history.

Instructor

David Tompkins, Assistant Professor of History

Professor David Tompkins received his B.A. in History and French from Rice University, and his Ph.D. in Modern Central European History from Columbia University. He has lived and conducted research for extended periods in various cities in France, Austria, Germany, and Poland, including two years in Berlin. His academic work focuses on culture and everyday life under socialism.

PREREQUISITES

German 103 or exemption (based on the German placement examination or AP credit). Please contact the director if there are any questions.

LOCATION

The city of Berlin is one of the most fascinating places in Europe, both for its history and for its status as a cultural metropolis. Like no other German city, it bears the scars of recent German history and carries the hopes and promises of a united Germany. With its important role in the Weimar Republic, its sites of political decisions and destruction during the last World War, and the fact that for over forty years it served as the symbol for Germany’s division, it is an excellent place for anyone who wants to become familiar with German and European history.

As a consequence of Berlin’s symbolic function during the post-war era, government subsidies made possible a rich intellectual and artistic culture which the recent unification has intensified. Thus, Berlin impresses the visitor with dozens of theaters, a number of major orchestras, three opera houses, and countless internationally renowned museums. An excellent transportation system facilitates an acquaintance with Berlin’s cultural and intellectual riches. The many public parks and waterways increase the attraction of Berlin for those who like the outdoors.

COURSE OF STUDY, 18 CREDITS

Students will be asked to meet the requirements for the following courses, which meet on a MWTh schedule to accommodate occasional travel on the weekends. Successful completion of the German language course will satisfy the College language requirement. All courses, including the history course, count towards the German major and the Certificate of Advanced Study in German.

GERMAN 205-07: INTERMEDIATE COMPOSITON AND CONVERSATION (6 CREDITS)

This course, taught by a native speaker, will focus on students’ reading, writing, and speaking abilities. The class format will feature mainly discussions with grammar exercises interspersed as needed. Students will write frequent papers and correct these papers themselves.
Instructor: Local faculty

GERMAN 244-07: THE WORLD’S A STAGE – THEATER IN BERLIN (6 CREDITS)

This course will be structured around the theater productions of the fall 2009 season in Berlin. (A few films will be included). The class will read six to eight plays from different literary and historical periods, study their historical and literary context, and also see them performed in the theater.
Instructor: Kai Herklotz

HISTORY 248: MONUMENTS AND MEMORY: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF BERLIN (6 CREDITS)

Berlin is the center of a transnational space, both German-speaking and vibrantly multicultural. This course will examine Berlin’s complicated history and culture through its monuments, museums, and other sites of commemoration. Using Berlin as our text, we will gain insights into the significant historical events that shaped the society and culture of Germany’s capital city. Where relevant, we will discuss developments in Germany and Central Europe more generally, and incorporate visits to nearby cities into the course.
Instructor: David Tompkins

HOUSING

Students will be placed with German families or individuals with a room of their own to insure privacy and the ability to study for classes. The number of activities students and their hosts do together varies, since it depends on the time and interest of both parties. In most cases, there are some shared activities, and in some instances, lifelong friendships have developed. Living with German hosts is an integral part of the program.

EXCURSIONS

Cultural activities, several day-trips to places such as Potsdam, the model socialist city of Eisenhuettenstadt or the German/Polish border towns of Frankfurt an der Oder and Slubice, as well as weekend trips to places like Hamburg, Dresden, and Warsaw, Poland, will supplement course work.

EXPENSES

The comprehensive fee covers the orientation, room and board, instructional fees, public transportation in Berlin, all group excursions, and some cultural events. Students are expected to pay for their own airfare, as well as personal expenses such as individually planned excursions and the purchase of books. An estimated $400-$800 would be a reasonable amount for personal expenses. If students want to travel independently on several of the long weekends, they may wish to budget more.

APPLICATIONS

An interest meeting providing opportunities for questions will be held on Tuesday, October 14 at 5 p.m. in LDC 104. Application forms are available from the Office of Off-Campus Studies, Leighton 119 or on the OCS website, http://go.carleton.edu/ocs.

Applications are due to Mary Tatge, German Department, LDC 341 by Monday, January 19, 2009. Late applications will only be accepted if there is space available. Students will be interviewed and selected by the end of winter term 2009.

For questions about coursework or Berlin, students may contact Prof. Herklotz by phone at x5558 or by email at kherklot@carleton.edu or Professor Tompkins at x4215, dtompkin@carleton.edu.

Other questions may be addressed to the Office of Off-Campus Studies, Leighton 119, x4332.