BERLIN: GLOBAL CITY IN THE CENTER OF EUROPE

• IPD Programs
  • Chile
  • China
  • Cuba
  • Dominica
  • France
  • Germany
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Singapore
  • South Africa
  • Switzerland
  • Turkey
• Apply
• Pre-Departure
  • IPD Programs
  • Exchanges
• Students Abroad
  • Resources While Abroad
  • Guide to Study Abroad
  • Emergencies Abroad
• Returnees
  • Program Evaluation
  • Transcripts and Credits
  • Ambassador Application
  • Photo Contest
  • Events for Returnees
  • Additional Resources
• Ambassadors

Location: Berlin, Germany
Institution: Humboldt University
Term: Summer Quarter (2013 Program Dates: June 16 - August 18)
Application Deadline: March 1, 2013
Language Requirement: None; All courses will be taught in English
Academic Interests: Culture, History, Music, European Integration, Politics, Economics, German language. Jewish studies track available

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

This unique Northwestern IPD program introduces students to contemporary German and European affairs, with a particular focus on the city of Berlin, its history, culture, music, politics, and economics. The program is divided into two sessions and is geared toward students who either have no background in the German language or have completed the German Department’s first-year sequence. Students with greater knowledge of German are also encouraged to participate. In addition to classes taught by Northwestern and Humboldt University faculty, students take organized excursions to major historical and cultural sites in Berlin and other cities, including a three-day stay in Weimar during the intersession.

THE UNIVERSITY

The Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, founded in 1810, is one of Berlin’s oldest universities. Located in the center of Berlin, Humboldt offers over 240 degree programs spanning from the humanities to the social and natural sciences, many of which offer courses held in English. Named after one of the great Enlightenment reformers in the field of higher education, Wilhelm von Humboldt, it is often considered the first modern research university, founded on the idea that advances in knowledge are the premise of effective teaching. The university is home to many of Germany’s greatest scholars, scientists, and thinkers, past and present, including the philosopher G.W.F. Hegel, the mathematician Karl Weierstrass, and the physicist Max Planck. Fifteen percent of the student body of Humboldt-Universität comes from abroad, with the university hosting about 1,500 international students each year.

HOUSING & MEALS

Accommodations and a few group meals are provided as part of the program package, but students are responsible for most of their own meals. Students are housed in two-room apartments at the Gästehaus Berlin Mitte, which include a living room, a bathroom, a bedroom, and a mini-kitchen for preparing meals.

COURSES

• Session I Courses Taught by Northwestern Faculty:
  *Students enroll in one German language course plus one content course
  
  German Language I (beginning, intermediate, advanced levels offered)
  Students will be placed in German 101 or German 102 according to prior experience with the German language. No previous knowledge of German is required. Advanced courses will be offered by Humboldt University faculty.
  
  Choose one course from:
  Introduction to German Culture, Politics and Economics
  Few cities have been so thoroughly transformed in the 20th century as Berlin. In the 21st century, Berlin has emerged as a vibrant city that reveals many layers of  historical complexity throughout its urban spaces. In this course, students will be exposed to the history and culture that define Berlin as well as the political and economic  transformations that characterize Berlin as both a historical and modern city. Readings will be accompanied by excursions, thus combining textual analyses with hands-on  experiences of spaces with historical and cultural significance.
  
  Music History through the Lens of Berlin, 1800-2000
  This course is organized around two interconnected themes: musical works that received their premiere performances in Berlin, and present-day musical institutions withlegacies stretching back through centuries of musical life in the city. The course combines lectures with required attendance at performances and guided visits to important  musical sites in Berlin.
  
• Session II Courses Taught by Humboldt-Universität Faculty
  *Students enroll in a German language course plus one content course offered by the Humboldt Summer University. Possible content course offerings from Summer 2012 are listed below. Visit the Humboldt Summer University website for updated course listings: http://huwisu.de/courses/summer/
  
  German Language II (beginning, intermediate, advanced levels offered)
  Students will continue their language studies from the Session I German course. Advanced courses will be offered by Humboldt University faculty.
  
  Choose one course from the following options (click to find course description):
  - The European Union between Supranational Integration and National Sovereignty
  - Popular Music and Exoticism: Identity and Cultural Appropriation within the Music Industry
  - The Berlin Wall: Tales of Division and Unity
  - Land in the City: Green in the City
  - European City and Regional Development Planning
  - Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Germany
  
• Alternative track in Jewish Studies possible

EXCURSIONS

Berlin Sites and Neighborhoods
Students on the program will have the opportunity to visit several of Berlin’s most famous sites. Possible visits include: Checkpoint Charlie, the Bundestag, the Reichstag, the Berliner Philharmonic, the Jewish museum, and Kreuzberg.

Weimar
Located southwest of Berlin, Weimar is a city with a rich cultural heritage. It was the focal point of German Classicism, home of leading writers, philosophers, and musicians, and was recognized as the birthplace of Germany's Weimar Republic as well as the internationally known movement and school for art and design, the Bauhaus.

PROGRAM COSTS

Summer 2013 Estimated Program Fee= $7,500, which includes tuition, program-related excursions, housing, a public transportation pass, and HTH Worldwide Health Insurance. Students should also budget $810 in fees (Study Abroad Administrative Fee for NU students), about $1,800 for international airfare, and approximately $2,500 for books and discretionary expenses, including meals, non-program transportation, and incidentals. Refer to the Downloads for a cost information sheet for this program.

Students applying to this program are eligible for IPD Study Abroad Fellowships and may be eligible for external funding opportunities. Students participating in this program are subject to Withdrawal Policies for Northwestern-Sponsored Programs.

For more information about billing, finances, and financial aid for study abroad, please refer to the Money Matters resource page of the Study Abroad Office website or contact Krista Buda in the Financial Aid Office.