About
In this January Term program, we will experience Berlin as a geographical and spatial prism of the long, troubled and exciting history of Germany. Instead of proceeding through this history and culture chronologically, we will allow specific urban sites and places to guide us through Germany's past, present and future. Our walking tours, readings and discussions will take us through the architectural, cultural and urban history of Berlin and modern Europe. Loaded with our own maps, cultural histories, plays, pod-casts and architectural guides, we won't just read about German cultural history, we'll walk through it and touch it. While reading about the Soviet take-over of Berlin, we'll walk through the re-constructed Reichstag. While reading Primo Levi's If This is a Man, his account of Auschwitz, we'll walk the ruins of the Buchenwald concentration camp. After reading Brecht's Threepenny Opera, we'll tour the theater he founded and watch a performance. We'll discuss the 1936 Olympics and the rise of Nazi Germany, while visiting Olympiastadion and walking through the ruins of the SS and Gestapo Headquarters.

Jewish Museum

Students will also be given plenty of time to research their own projects in an experiential manner: students interested in Jewish-German culture can gather their own materials from Berlin's monuments and museums; students interested in Islam in contemporary Europe can visit the Islamic Cultural Center in Kreuzberg; students interested in life in the former East Germany can walk the working class neighborhoods of Prenzlauerberg. This course will be an intense and rewarding experience of a singular urban metropolis, one marked with history and tension at every corner.

Course Details
This January Term course in Berlin is open to all students and requires no previous knowledge of the German language, literature or history. We will focus on Germany and Berlin in the 20^th and 21^st centuries. Every day we will visit one or more sites central to Berlin's cultural history. Every evening we will visit the theater, opera, art houses and other cultural happenings. We will make one excursion to Weimar, where we will explore the old haunts of Germany's most famous poet, Wolfgang von Goethe, and visit the nearby concentration camp of Buchenwald. Each student will design and carry out their own research project.

Berlin Cathedral

Housing
We will be staying at the Arte Luise Kunsthotel right in the middle of Berlin and only a 4 minute walk from the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag and Berlin's art scene. Each room in this unique hotel was designed by a local artist (www.luise-berlin.com) . Breakfast at the adjoining café is included.

Faculty

Chad Wellmon
Professor Chad Wellmon will lead the program. He has lead study abroad trips in Germany twice before and lived in Berlin as well.

Berlin: Geography of a
Modern Metropolis
(GETR 2770; 3 credits)

January 2009 Class in Berlin

Course Information
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this program.

Course Syllabus and Itinerary
2010 January Term: GETR 2770 Syllabus
2010 January Term: GETR 2770 Itinerary

Information Meeting
Join program director Chad Wellmon to learn more about J-Term in Berlin: Geography of a Modern Metropolis, Thurday, September 17 at 4:15. Location TBA

Join the "UVA J-Term Berlin" Facebook page.

Study Abroad Policies
General Information Session
Students must attend a General Information Session (GIS) prior to completing the UVA Study Abroad application.
Fall 2009 GIS Schedule

Refund Policy
Withdrawal and Refund Policy

Please note
No refund or credit will be given to students who are suspended and/or dismissed from any UVa study abroad programs for conduct and/or academic violations reasons.

Important
Students attending the Berlin program must have proof of insurance and must be prepared to pay cash for emergencies at local hospitals, etc.

Cost
The program costs and payment schedule are listed under the "Budget Sheets" link at the top of this page. In addition to these, students are responsible for the following expenses:

• International Airfare
• Most meals
• Personal travel
• Personal expenses.

Further Information
Program Director
Chad Wellmon
Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
PO Box 400125
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22904
mcw9d@virginia.edu

Humboldt University, Berlin