Elusive Europe: Tracking European identities in historical and contemporary Berlin
2007 Exploration Seminar in Berlin, Germany
**THIS PROGRAM IS FULL AND NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS**
Program Director: Phil Shekleton, International Studies
Dates of Instruction:
August 20 - September 14, 2007
So you are thinking of studying in Europe, but are you sure you know exactly where it is? The boundaries defining Europe have shifted constantly, just as definitions of who and what is European likewise have never been static. Europe is elusive as both concept and continent, and no more so in Berlin, a city until recently divided by the Cold War.
Germany’s hip and cosmopolitan capital will be the venue for this exploration of how Europe has defined itself over the centuries, from ancient Greece to the collapse of the Iron Curtain and beyond. This four-week course and program is structured around three interrelated questions - what is Europe, where is it, and who is European – and how responses to these queries have varied in different times and contexts. Berlin’s complex and challenging past and present will serve as the jumping off point for our explorations. Visits to key sites in and around the city will complement course discussions of Europe’s ancient and medieval inheritance, the impact of the Enlightenment on European identities, and how the continent is today redefining itself in light of the tragedies of the past century and the continuing process of European integration.
Based at the prestigious Humboldt University in the heart of the city, our program will benefit from guest lectures on these issues, as well as local perspectives on the historical and contemporary debates that make Europe’s identity a continuous work in progress. Features of the program will include:
- Tracing Europe’s classical inheritance in Berlin’s stunning Pergamon Museum, home to one of the continent’s most impressive antiquities collections.
- Walking in the footsteps of Frederick the Great, Prussia’s Enlightenment king, in his sumptuous palaces in nearby Potsdam.
- A visit to Sachsenhausen concentration camp and an exploration of the impact of the two world wars and the Holocaust on European identities.
- Exploring the legacy of the East-West divide in East Berlin’s bohemian Prenzlauer Berg, where Cold War confrontation has yielded to trendy café culture.
- A section on Turkish/Muslim immigration to Berlin and Europe, and a related discussion of how possible Turkish accession to the European Union, and future EU enlargement, are bound up with issues of European identity.
Students will engage Berlin as a living city as part of their learning. Course assignments will involve drawing upon the historical or contemporary city to explore the broader themes of the program. Additional program activities will help better familiarize students with Berlin and Berliners. Called “poor, but sexy” by its mayor, Berlin is more affordable than most European capitals, while still combining a rich culture and history with a thriving social scene.
The Elusive Europe program takes advantage of Berlin’s affordability to include a number of extras in the program fee. Program participants will be housed in student dorms in the city and will receive a 30-day student transit pass. These, along with a welcome reception and farewell dinner, are included in the program fee. An optional trip to Prague exposes students to a great European city now dealing with the challenges of ‘rejoining’ Europe. Perhaps paralleling Europe’s own complicated process of identity creation, it has been said that “Berlin is a city condemned forever to becoming and never to being.” Come explore one of Europe’s most dynamic and fascinating cities as we investigate how Europeans have sought to define themselves and their continent through history.
Participants will earn 5 credits of CHID 471 or EURO 399 Europe Study Abroad (I&S). Participants should check with their advisors to determine how these credits can count towards departmental requirements.
Student costs:
$1,850 Program Fee
$200 IPE Fee
Additional costs include: Round trip airfare, insurance, course materials, some meals and personal spending money.
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