Citylab History and Political Science Majors

This course provides a historical overview of events, politics, and visual culture that have shaped Berlin’s identity over the last two centuries. Classes are coordinated with site visits to locations selected for both their architectural significance and their reflection of the different periods of Berlin’s complex history, with special emphasis on the last 25 years, after the fall of the Wall. The course begins with the emergence of Berlin as a modern European city at the beginning of the 19th century and examines developments through the destruction brought about by the Second World War. Students then compare the efforts on both sides of the Wall to rebuild according to economic and ideological principles determined by the Cold War and explore how reunification offered Berlin a chance to reinvent itself as a contemporary capital and vibrant, cosmopolitan world city.

HI 329: 3 credits

This course examines the political, military, cultural and social history of Germany during the Nazi rule, 1933-45. Topics include the rise and destruction of Hitler’s Third Reich from its origins, through the meteoric rise of the National Socialist Movement, to its demise. Special attention is given to the sources of support for Nazism among German voters, the structure of the National Socialist state, the role of Adolph Adolf Hitler, Germany’s role in the Second World War, and the Holocaust. The assignments are designed to benefit students by helping them develop intellectual and communication skills that apply not only to the study of history, but also to other academic disciplines and to a variety of professional pursuits.

This introductory course will give students the practical knowledge of basic German that will enable them to engage directly with the city and its people. The course is comprehensive enough to allow for continued study of German upon return to the Northfield campus, if desired. Intermediate or advanced speakers of German will have an opportunity to take language courses suited to their level of knowledge.

The Future of Business

This course introduces “strategic foresight” as an extension of innovation. Students will explore why this concept is relevant in the current, fast-moving, business environment. Topics include the business applications of design, digital marketing and deliberate thinking about long-term future developments and uncertainties. Students will discuss case studies, engage with Berlin's vibrant design and business community, and conduct a final project that explores the impact of a disruptive product or process across industries.

Urban Landscape: Public and Open Space in Berlin 

Berlin is covered by extensive green areas, both in large, planned parks, and informal public spaces scattered across the urban fabric. Not all green spaces, however, resulted from innovative city planning, but rather from war, destruction, and division. With the erection of the Berlin Wall in 1961, vast areas of what had been a dense urban fabric prior to WWII were razed into border zones. The fall of the Wall was the beginning of an exciting era of economic, cultural, and social change. It also revealed the scars left by a gruesome object brutally set into the cityscape. Though recent building has filled most open lots, the future of many remains unclear. In this hands-on workshop, students discuss issues of open space in Berlin with its diverse public life and design, and create at the scale of the human being in an urban context.