Study Abroad | Berlin
Summer 2024: Academics

Course Code: Cultural Studies/History 320 – Session 1 – Stream B

Instruction Language: English

As early as 1706 Berlin was referred to as Athens on the Spree as a homage to its burgeoning Prussian culture and museum landscape. Today, Berlin boasts well over 200 museums. In this course, we will explore a number of museums that highlight key aspects of Berlin’s history. The focus will be on the key issues of memory – especially that of WWII – and collecting practices – how did certain objects find their way here? How are such histories displayed and transmitted today? These are the questions that we will address as we explore the museums as dynamic fields that can inform our understanding of how Berlin presents itself both inwardly (in smaller city museums) and outwardly in larger, world-famous museums. This course is anthropologically inflected and treats the sites as field sites to be explored empirically and analyzed critically. It is well-suited to students who are interested in history, the social sciences, and/or more specific fields such as urban studies, ethics or museum studies.

Course Code: German 201 – Session 1

Instruction Language: German

Students who have studied German throughout high school and continued with one semester in college, or students who have 2 to 4 semesters in college, usually place into this level. Practice of communication and speaking techniques, listening comprehension, analyzing texts and training in everyday situations typical of students studying at Humboldt University, reading comprehension, revision of old and learning of new vocabulary, synonyms and paraphrases in context, verb, noun, adjective, flexion, prepositions, personal and possessive pronouns, sentence structure, main and subordinate clauses, auxiliary verbs, special focus on sentence construction and use of past tenses in context.

Course Code: German 203 – Session 1

Instruction Language: German

Students with at least 6 semesters of college German, experience living in a German-speaking country or German study on a regular basis since elementary school usually place into this level. Practice of communication and speaking techniques in everyday situations and situations typical of students: listening comprehension; short reports; personal statements; arguing in discussions; reading comprehension; analysis of authentic texts; exercises, producing texts; deepening and enlarging vocabulary; synonyms and paraphrasing; appropriate use of vocabulary in context.

Course Code: German 304 – Session 1 – Stream D

Instruction Language: English

In this course, the entire city of Berlin is the classroom. “Get out of the classroom, dip into the city”– this motto of the course can be taken literally as the combination of language class, class-related excursions and cultural activities allows a hands-on experience of the German language and culture and how it is practiced in daily and social life. The syllabus is comprised of traditional language instructions where you can improve your foreign language skills with weekly foci on aspects of German life (including excursions) and a cultural program. Principles of action-oriented and individual learning are focused in the course and therefore, interests and motivation of the participants are important conditions. The willingness to question factual knowledge as well as producing creativity and individual perspectives do not only form the work and results of this course in a special way, but also support the social skills and self-confidence for dealing with the foreign language. The course is held from Monday through Friday in four 45 minutes lectures Mon-Fri, 9.30 am – 11 am and 11.30 am – 1 pm. Course topics are presented in various methods, with main focus on verbal conversation in authentic situations and learning from experience. The syllabus is comprised of language instructions, where you can improve your German language skills with weekly foci on aspects of the German culture, politics, history and literature & theater and various cultural activities.<br/><br/>This course is designed to improve your writing and speaking competence in German, to increase your vocabulary, and to help you develop effective reading and listening strategies.<br/>Our in-class discussions are based on readings of text book materials as well as some authentic texts with vocabulary aids to facilitate exchange of information, ideas, reactions, and opinions. In addition, the readings provide cultural and historical background information. You will also expand and deepen your knowledge of grammar through specific grammar exercises.<br/>Course topics are for example:<br/>• Exploring the city<br/>• Everyday Live in Berlin, Berlin history<br/>• History and culture of Germany<br/>• Current events<br/>• Politics, economy<br/>• Environmental issues<br/>• Multiculturality/migration<br/>• Media and music: topics from newspaper articles, films and songs<br/>• Linguistics and regional diversity in language<br/>Grammar focus: review and consolidation of all grammatical cases; tenses, conditional and reported speech, passive voice, features of academic language like nominalization, participle attributes et cetera

Course Code: German 302 – session 1 – Stream D

Instruction Language: German

In this course, the entire city of Berlin is the classroom. “Get out of the classroom, dip into the city”– this motto of the course can be taken literally as the combination of language class, class-related excursions and cultural activities allows a hands-on experience of the German language and culture and how it is practiced in daily and social life. The syllabus is comprised of traditional language instructions where you can improve your foreign language skills with weekly foci on aspects of German life (including excursions) and a cultural program. Principles of action-oriented and individual learning are focused in the course and therefore, interests and motivation of the participants are important conditions. The willingness to question factual knowledge as well as producing creativity and individual perspectives do not only form the work and results of this course in a special way, but also support the social skills and self-confidence for dealing with the foreign language. The course is held from Monday through Friday in four 45 minutes lectures Mon-Fri, 9.30 am – 11 am and 11.30 am – 1 pm. Course topics are presented in various methods, with main focus on verbal conversation in authentic situations and learning from experience. The syllabus is comprised of language instructions, where you can improve your German language skills with weekly foci on aspects of the German culture, politics, history and literature & theater and various cultural activities.<br/><br/>Course level B1<br/>This course is designed to improve your writing and speaking competence in German, to increase your vocabulary, and to help you develop effective reading and listening strategies.<br/>Our in-class discussions are based on readings of text book materials as well as some authentic texts with vocabulary aids to facilitate exchange of information, ideas, reactions, and opinions. In addition, the readings provide cultural and historical background information. You will also expand and deepen your knowledge of grammar through specific grammar exercises.<br/>Course topics, e.g.:<br/>• Exploring the city<br/>• Everyday Live in Berlin, Berlin history<br/>• Living in Germany<br/>• Multiculturality/migration<br/>• Media and music: topics from newspaper articles, films and songs<br/>Grammar focus: grammatical cases (accusative, dative), prepositions, various subordinate clauses, perfect tense

Course Code: German 303 – Session 1 – Stream D

Instruction Language: German

In this course, the entire city of Berlin is the classroom. “Get out of the classroom, dip into the city”– this motto of the course can be taken literally as the combination of language class, class-related excursions and cultural activities allows a hands-on experience of the German language and culture and how it is practiced in daily and social life. The syllabus is comprised of traditional language instructions where you can improve your foreign language skills with weekly foci on aspects of German life (including excursions) and a cultural program. Principles of action-oriented and individual learning are focused in the course and therefore, interests and motivation of the participants are important conditions. The willingness to question factual knowledge as well as producing creativity and individual perspectives do not only form the work and results of this course in a special way, but also support the social skills and self-confidence for dealing with the foreign language. The course is held from Monday through Friday in four 45 minutes daily lectures Mon-Fri, 9.30 am – 11 am and 11.30 am – 1 pm. Course topics are presented in various methods, with main focus on verbal conversation in authentic situations and learning from experience. The syllabus is comprised of language instructions, where you can improve your German language skills with weekly foci on aspects of the German culture, politics, history and literature & theater and various cultural activities.<br/><br/><br/>This course is designed to improve your writing and speaking competence in German, to increase your vocabulary, and to help you develop effective reading and listening strategies. <br/>Our in-class discussions are based on readings of textbook materials as well as some authentic texts with vocabulary aids to facilitate exchange of information, ideas, reactions, and opinions. In addition, the readings provide cultural and historical background information. You will also expand and deepen your knowledge of grammar through specific grammar exercises. Course topics, e.g.:<br/>• Exploring the city<br/>• Everyday Live in Berlin, Berlin history<br/>• History and culture of Germany<br/>• Current events<br/>• Multiculturality/migration<br/>• Media and music: topics from newspaper articles, films and songs<br/>Grammar focus: grammatical cases (consolidation), tenses, passive voice (for different tenses), several ways of using conditionals, word order, adjective declension et cetera

Course Code: History/Political Science/Sociology 311 – Session 1 – Stream A

Instruction Language: English

In two world wars Germany tried to dominate the globe and all major decisions were made in the capital Berlin. Why was Germany such an aggressive power until 1945? How did Hitler manage to gain and keep power? Why were many Germans Nazis and deeply racist? How was the life of ordinary people during the war? Why did the Nazis kill millions of Jews and other innocent people in concentration camps? What were the long term effects of World War II? What happened to the Nazis after the war? The course will provide answers to such questions via readings of texts from political science, sociology and history, while also taking the opportunity to explore the locations in which the events between 1933 and 1945 took place. After a brief introduction to the historical and ideological backgrounds which led to the rise of the Nazi Regime we will turn to a detailed analysis of the event history which led to World War II. Finally, we will discuss the effects of World War II, on world history; e.g. the Cold War, European Integration, etc.

Course Code: Law 331- Session 1 – Stream B

Instruction Language: English

The EU is set to achieve an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe and at the same time bound to respect national cultural, linguistic and also national constitutional identities. How can these two seemingly opposing aims be properly accommodated? Who is claiming to have the last word about it? What are the challenges and where lie the possible boundaries of the European legal integration? The course will be combined from four thematic parts. First, it will take a look into the basic features of a modern liberal democratic nation-state and its constitutional commitments. Second, it will examine the foundations of the EU, its governing principles and values and its sui generis nature as a supranational form. Third, it will highlight a notion of national constitutional identity from a national as well as from the European perspective. And finally, it will delve into the questions of resistance and dissent in legal theory and try to find parallels with an uneasy relation between the Member States and the EU.

Course Code: Law/Economics 315 – Session 1 – Stream A

Instruction Language: English

Multinational companies like Google or Apple self-evidently act on a global stage. But even small businesses participate in international trade today. The integration of national economies and the elimination of barriers of trade no longer allow a solely national view on this development. With the growing importance of international commerce, the need for an "International Economic Law" arises. Numerous regulations and agreements concern international trade and investment, but the legal framework of international economy remains indefinite. In this course common principles of International Economic Law will be examined by analysing leading decisions by international courts. Therefore a substantial part of the course will be dedicated to the discussion of cases and reading materials.

Course Code: History/Political Sciences 343 – Session1 – Stream A

Instruction Language: English

What is Germany’s orientation in the world? Furthermore, what should be Germany’s role on the international stage given the contemporary challenges to both its interests and values? This course provides the necessary political, economic and historic context for students to fully understand the ever-evolving answers to these enduring questions since the end of World War II to the current Zeitenwende.

Course Code: Political Science/Social Science 329 – Session1 – Stream C

Instruction Language: English

The course will introduce students to the theory, development and realities of global cities as centres of knowledge production. Based upon a closer look at the formation of the European and the American city as knowledge centres in historical perspective, particularly in terms of travelling educational philosophies and practices of education, the 19th century German university will be explored as a role model for American educational institutions. In a second step in the course will discuss the shifting aims and institutional paradigms of education in Europe and the United States since the 20th century. Here, the emergence of the knowledge relationship between Berlin and New York will serve as a comparative case study in explaining the forms, functions and resources of knowledge production in the contemporary global city. This discussion will be accompanied by investigating public and private education institutions in Berlin in terms of their impact on the politics, economy and culture of the city. In a final step, the course will address future directions of the knowledge metropolis by exploring competing concepts of education in Europe and the United States in the 21st century and their functions in a transnational and international perspective, for instance with regard to the emergence of "Education Cities" in non-Western countries (such as Arab countries).