Registering for spring classes in the coming weeks, you may find yourself pondering a course that will take you not only on an intellectual journey, but also on a journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
For the first time, Miami University's department of German, Russian and East Asian languages (GREAL) and the department of architecture are collaborating on a course focused on the history and urban structure of Berlin, as a microcosm of cross-cultural urban development trends. The highlight of the course is a spring break excursion to the German capital.
The 3-hour course will feature film studies, art, culture, architecture and writing in an interdisciplinary environment intended to allow students to craft the course to their specific interests. A 1-hour additional credit will be given to students who spend spring break studying in Berlin.
ARC/GER280B is separated from similar courses because it was developed and will be taught by a team of three professors who have personal ties to Berlin and whose area of expertise brings different perspectives to the class.
"The course is a product of intersecting interests from the three of us," said Mila Ganeva, an assistant GREAL professor who is part of the team. "A point of intersection for us is Berlin ... as an historic location and a contemporary site. It really is the location, the place, where our interests are rooted."
The course taught in Oxford will examine various aspects of urban life and development in Europe and in Berlin, and then students will have the opportunity to apply what they've learned in the United States to the sites and history of Berlin while in the city.
The remaining two instructors, Diane Fellows and Gerardo Brown-Manrique, teach architecture courses at Miami and have studied and researched issues in Berlin throughout their careers, bringing passion and excitement to the study.
"My interest is both on a professional level ... and on a personal level in terms of Berlin as a catalyst," Fellows said, who believes the course will deepen students understanding of themselves and the world. "I think the whole addition ... of looking at our own discussions through different lenses becomes self-reflective."
Brown-Manrique, who has been traveling to Berlin since 1979, said by offering a combination of classroom instruction and real-world field experience, the departments are helping to further Miami's goals of a study abroad institution.
"The notion that there is immediate, local, narrow focus and (also) global focus is both a receiving influence and an exporting influence," Brown-Manrique said. "It is a two-way street. We cannot isolate ourselves."
While the faculty has not yet prepared a full cost package for the study tour, they expect students to pay between $900-$1,200 for transportation, lodging and program fees for the week.
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The professors dubbed the course interdisciplinary and are using a team teaching method in order to give the students a broader, more personal learning experience. The class counts an honors fine arts credit, but is open to all students while seats are available.
Students interested solely in the spring break study tour can apply for independent study and register for GER277 by picking up a form in the GREAL office.
For more information contact Mila Ganeva at ganevamm@muohio.edu, Gerardo Brown-Manrique at brownmg@muohio.edu, or Diane Fellows at fellowd@muohio.edu.
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