Bates Fall Semester in Berlin, Germany

During fall semester 2002 Bates students, including entering first-year students, can experience the excitement of living and learning in Berlin, the new capital of a reunited Germany. No prior knowledge of German is required. Thirteen years ago you could climb a scaffold on the Potsdamer Platz and see the soldiers guarding the Wall, but today the external face of the reunited city has been transformed by massive
building projects aimed at making Berlin once again one of the major international cities of Europe. BerlinÕs 3.5 million people represent a diversity of cultures, and the benefits and values of a semester there are tremendous: the opportunity to learn German; to attend concerts, theater, and museums, and to relax in its cafes, nightclubs, and parks Ñ in sum, an opportunity to experience a truly European lifestyle.
Both of the Bates-taught courses seek to link past and present through the study of works by German and British writers and artists that reflect their continuing sense of crisis during a century that has seen two major world wars.
Germany in Crisis: The Literature of the Twentieth Century
Gerda Neu-Sokol

Two world wars and the Shoah have left their tragic imprint on the twentieth century throughout the entire world, but also very specifically on Germany. Through literature, film and art we explore historical, intellectual, artistic, and political developments within German culture Ñ their origins, complexities, and contradictions. Beginning with the years before World War I, students study German imperial society and Expressionism; the effects of World War I on the young generation; the womenÕs movement; ÒoutsidersÓ in German-speaking countries; German-Jewish relations; the divided nation; memory and remembrance in contemporary Germany. Writers include: Thomas Mann, Christa Wolf, GŸnter Grass, and Franz Kafka, among others. Berlin with its many cultural offerings is an ideal place to study and encounter the tremendous impact the wars had on both Germany and the world.

The Writer and the City
Anne Thompson

Berlin has always held a special fascination for writers, who have been drawn to many aspects of its history and culture: the glory years of the early twentieth century when it was widely regarded as the most international and sophisticated city in Europe; the devastations of war; the years of the Wall which, in addition to creating a physical barrier between East and West Berlin, served as a powerful metaphor for cultural division; the new and reunified city which began to emerge after 1989, with geographical divisions now erased but spiritual divisions less easily healed.Through novels, essays, poetry, and even the occasional thriller, students explore the literal face of Berlin, both past and present, but also search below the surface for the multiple meanings embodied in this great and ever-changing city.

Language Courses
Students earn two course credits for study of the German language. Courses at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels are taught by native speakers in small classes. All courses work towards rapid improvement of comprehension, speaking, reading and writing skills and the program includes pedagogical and cultural projects both inside and outside the classroom.

Gerda Neu-Sokol (co-director) is a lecturer in German with a special interest in twentieth-century German literature and womenÕs writing. She grew up in Germany and studied there and in the United States. She has returned to Germany for many extended visits and co-directed two previous Fall Semesters in Berlin.
Anne B. Thompson (co-director) is a professor of English who specializes in the Middle Ages. Her interests include German culture (music and opera especially), contemporary fiction and the literature of war. She has traveled extensively in Europe and has co-directed three previous Fall Semesters in Berlin.

Extensive travel within and outside Germany is an integral part of the program. We plan to visit Cracow, a vital cultural center in Poland and the site of a large Jewish ghetto which was liquidated by the Nazis; the concentration camp of Auschwitz, located an hour west of Cracow; Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, a beautifully preserved ancient European city and the birthplace of Kafka; and Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad), a famous spa since Roman times. Shorter trips include Lake Constance, along whose shores lie the picturesque cities of Konstanz and Meersburg.

The program begins in late August with a three-week intensive study at a language institute in TŸbingen, a famous medieval university city in southwest Germany, set in a beautiful rural landscape which includes castles and ruins. In mid-September the program moves to Berlin where students live with a family while continuing their language instruction and beginning the two Bates-taught courses. A one-week break in early October provides the opportunity for independent travel or vacation in Europe; there will be time after the program ends in mid-December for further independent travel for those interested.

This program is part of the Bates curriculum. Completion of the fall semester in Berlin provides students with four Bates credits. All expenses, including travel to and from Berlin and program-related field trips, are covered by regular Bates comprehensive fees. Students need only bring funds for personal entertainment, meals out, gifts and independent travel not associated with the program.

Gerda Neu-Sokol
Lecturer in German
103 Hathorn Hall, Bates College
Lewiston, ME 04240
Phone: (207) 786-6285
e-mail: gneusoko@bates.edu
Anne B. Thompson
Professor of English
311 Pettigrew Hall, Bates College
Lewiston, ME 04240
Phone: (207) 786-6317
e-mail: athompso@bates.edu

Georgette Dumais
Area Coordinator
200 Hathorn Hall
207-786-8293
gdumais@bates.edu