the project:
This website and accompanying blog are the fruits of a semester-long independent project in the format of a slightly-modified college syllabus. I believe this format enables the broadest range of topics with a dynamic, interdisciplinary body of research, course materials, and primary resources. It is an attempt to create a vibrant picture of modern Berlin – through film, literature, politics, art, architecture, history, and current social themes, for a faux audience interested, but not necessarily well-versed in Germany. Selfishly, it satisfies my desire to impart the multi-faceted picture of a country and culture to which I fully devoted myself for nearly all of 2005.
Although my research and preparations were absolutely bi-lingual, my presentation and writing is largely in English. Ruling out non-translated sources certainly decreases the body of available materials for the “students,” however insisting upon dual language capabilities significantly reduces eligibility to those proficient, in part defying the basic objective of designing a course for the edification of those not already eingedeutsched. It is to my advantange, however, that this "course" does not necessarily need to be "teachable" in its present form, enabling a certain degree of creative license.
This project would not have been possbile without the continued support of the Wesleyan German Studies department, especially from my tutorial advisor, Ulrich Plass. I must also express my gratitude to Jochen Wohlfeil, the program director of Duke in Berlin, whose wealth of knowledge and devotion to his students is inspiring and refreshing, and to Matthius Pabsch, Duke in Berlin's resident art history expert, whose course was in many ways the reason I chose to do this project.