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
