Course Description
Berlin is a living city of art. This course introduces students to historical and contemporary German film, art, and visual culture (street art, museums, music/cinema venues, architecture, urban design). It addresses social, political, and demographic changes and investigates how these changes are reflected in German art.
Athena Title
German Film and Visual Culture
Non-Traditional Format
Course is designed for a study abroad program in Germany (Berlin). The lecture hours (22.5) and field work hours (33) of the program add to a total of 39 contact hours: 22.5 + (0.5x33) = 39. There are additional group discussions and projects.
Semester Course Offered
Offered summer semester every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
- Students will be able to identify traits of German art movements and changing aesthetics from the 20th and 21st centuries with examples from German cinema and visual culture.
- Students will be able to analyze changing representations of Germans and German history and culture in German film, art, and visual culture in and around Berlin through place-based learning.
- Students will be able to engage with local Berliners and Berlin sights and learn to navigate an international city; the program will help students become global citizens aware of cultural differences.
Topical Outline
- Art in the City - Neighborhood walking tour, historic “Karl-Marx-Allee” - City art walking tour Weimar Berlin and its Art Movements I - Expressionism, Dadaism, Surrealism - Bauhaus archive and museum + meeting with artist Weimar Berlin and its Art Movements II - Bauhaus, New Objectivity in Art and Cinema - Neue Nationalgalerie (Modern Arts Museum) Art + Popular Film in Weimar Berlin - Film Archive and museum: Kinemathek, organized tour - Film screening Nazi Aesthetics - Propaganda, Sculptures, Architecture - Olympia Stadium Postwar German Film and Art - Zero Hour and Beyond in Art and Cinema - Optional: individual afternoon exhibits for small groups All day excursion to Potsdam - Potsdam Filmmuseum and (art) city tour All day excursion to Potsdam - Babelsberg Film Studio Art and Film in Cold War Germany - Photography and Film in the BRD and the GDR - Photography Museum - Meeting with contemporary digital artist Art and Film today: Contemporary German Film - Contemporary German Film + guest filmmaker - Group movie theater visit at Kino International (Engl.) Transnational Art in Berlin - Transnational Berlin + project proposal + discussion - Transnational art exhibition + meeting with artist Transnational Berlin, work on group projects, + afternoon on-site work On-site work for final projects
General Education Core
CORE IV: Humanities and the Arts
Institutional Competencies
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
