Cell Phone for Lorely French: (503) 357-6818; for Rick Jobs
Emergency Contact: Campus Public Safety Office, Pacific University: (503) 352-2230
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Since the advent of the film industry, Berlin has offered a vibrant mis-en-scène for numerous renowned films in the 20th century. This 2-week travel course includes educational tours of historical, political, and cultural sites related to specific sites in the city that have served as backdrops for important films related to historical and cultural events from the 1920s, the National Socialist era, the Cold War, and reunification.
PREREQUISITES
HIST 355/HUM 355/GER 355 “Berlin 20th-Century Film Travel Prep”
TENTATIVE REQUIRED READINGS, VIEWINGS, AND REVIEWS:
Internet information on sites, routes, and features designated in the map list
Guidebooks of Berlin: National Geographic Walking Berlin: The Best of the City. The
National Geographic, 2015; DK Eyewitness Travel)
Brochures of museums and sites visited
Readings connected with final research film project
COURSE MATERIALS:
Bound or paper journal or device in/on which to write journal assignments; Camera; possibly a netbook, notebook, laptop or tablet pc; a sturdy bag—like a messenger bag for carrying items through the day. We recommend that students travel to Europe with one carry-on bag and a smaller handbag to prevent lost luggage problems and to facilitate walking around the city. Don’t forget your passport! Expenses for airline transportation, accommodation, breakfasts and another meal per day, tours/site visits related to the course, travel insurance, and public transportation are included in the cost. Not included are costs for one meal per day, snacks, tours/site visits not related to the course, transportation outside of the city limits (except to Potsdam), and souvenirs. Our estimate would be that you will need an extra $300-500 for such, depending on what you want to do and buy.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Students who complete this course will be able to:
demonstrate fundamental knowledge of key facts, themes, and ideas in the history of 20th century Berlin.
apply adaptive skills in their cultural and linguistic immersion while in Berlin;
apply intercultural competency in navigating the capital of a major European country, including using the public transportation system; ordering in a restaurant; finding and visiting museums and sites; and interacting with guides and hostel personnel;
demonstrate skills of presentation, critical reading and writing, and research through engaging with multimedia materials within a historical context
communicate with basic German language and cultural proficiency in context;
connect observations of the local context (ex. culture, history, politics, natural environment, etc.) to course content;
analyze the meaning of their experience by reflecting on expectations/hypotheses, experience/experimentation, and new perspectives/conclusions.
Demonstrate an interdisciplinary or disciplinary understanding of cultural diversity through the examination of languages, values, and practices from around the world.
Demonstrate an understanding of how social categories (for example, race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, language, religion or belief, or other forms of social differentiation) and social and cultural context influence one’s understanding of the world or point of view.
Explain how cultural self-awareness promotes effective cross-cultural interaction.
EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS:
Students enrolled in the course are expected:
to attend all on-site activities, tours, and class meetings while in Berlin, unless some unforeseen, excusable reason arises (severe illness, injury, emergency)
to read all assigned readings by the deadlines indicated;
to complete all writing assignments, journal entries, the final paper, and the final presentation on time and according to grading rubric;
to use their German skills (at whatever level is suitable for the student) for communicative success;
and to behave in a professional, mature, and responsible manner.
COURSE ASSESSMENT
Course grades will be calculated based on the following:
The following guidelines should be followed when writing your daily journals.
Journal entries may be hand-written (please make sure your writing is legible) or electronic.
If a worksheet has been provided for a site, use it to guide your commentary.
You should make at least one journal entry for each day. Be sure to include the date with each entry.
Open (no worksheet) entries should include the following:
an account of the sites visited and your reaction to them;
a description of side trips that you made during your free time;
a list of new German vocabulary or a language aspect (use of subjunctive for polite requests, for example) for that day;
a discussion of how these trips relate to a class theme
an explicit connection to an earlier insight, lesson or site visit;
and your specific reaction to what you experienced that day.
What new sites, people, foods, and cultural and historical artifacts did you see or experience?
Was there anything unexpected?
What sights, sounds, smells, etc. left an impression on you? What did you like/not like?
For Art museums—name a picture, provide a postcard of it and write about what motivated your choice and how the image relates to the theme of the course
For historical museums—select an exhibit or artifact, provide a picture, postcard or description of it and describe the historical or cultural insight provided through this item and how the exhibit or artifact relates to the theme of the course
What cultural diversity do you observe through experiencing any different languages, values, and practices?
Did you observe any social categories (for example, race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, language, religion or belief, or other forms of social differentiation) and social and cultural context influence yours or anyone else’s understanding of the world or point of view.
Did you experience any situations in which cultural self-awareness of your own cultural practices or of those German cultural practices studied in the preparation class promote effective cross-cultural interaction?
Completed journals are to be turned at the end of each week for a check. (See schedule below.)
GUIDELINES FOR FINAL RESEARCH FILM
All students are required to submit a final research film on a topic developed during the preparation class. Students may work alone or in groups to produce a film based on a topic related to course. Students will develop a storyboard and plan for the film during the preparation course before traveling and then shoot the footage while in Berlin. The quality and not necessarily the length of the film is important, but students should aim for producing a quality film of 10 to 15 minutes long. The film may incorporate images of street scenes, interviews (although students will need to follow any policies regarding permissions to film), Specifications for the film will be discussed in detail.