The 2018 Bates College Fall Semester Abroad in Berlin focuses on the current debate over globalization.  Berlin is an ideal location to examine the intersection of the international and the national, the global and the local, the networked community and the isolated one. Throughout much of its history, Berlin has served as a safe haven for refuges: from 20,000 Huguenots in the late 17th century to the more recent arrival of thousands of Syrian war refugees. From the Golden Twenties of the Weimar period to the vibrant arts scene of recent decades, Berlin has a well-deserved reputation as an urban studio for experimental artists from all over the world. And Berlin is one of the world’s leading destination cities for people seeking a dynamic environment to begin or restart careers and lives. One in six residents of Berlin is foreign-born: over 100,000 Turks, 46,000 Poles, 40,000 Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks, 19,000 Italians, 18,000 Russians, and 15,000 French now call Berlin home. US citizens are also well represented with some 14,000 registered residents.

But does this make Berlin an integrated multi-national, multi-cultural community, or a collection of parallel communities? Our program looks at the political ideologies that have shaped the European landscape for the last century, the cultural reaction to utopian visions of the early 20th century for national and international polities, and the social challenges facing individuals and communities seeking integration at a time when nationalist narratives are finding new proponents across Europe and North America.

 

 

Applications and more information:

Any inquiries about the Fall Semester in Berlin should be directed to the faculty organizers, Prof. Dennis Browne and Prof. James Richter (curricular questions) or to Dr. Tina Mangieri, the Director of the Center for Global Education (administrative questions).

Information about the application process is available on the FSA Program webpage:
https://www.bates.edu/global-education/2018-bates-fall-semester-abroad-in-berlin/

Bates students are able to take advantage of a number of opportunities to study off-campus: Read more about study abroad opportunities on the webpage of the Center for Global Education.