June 4 Gathering

A reminder about the gathering on June 4
Details below, please rsvp through the evite.

Honors Study Abroad Social Gathering
When: Thursday, June 4, 7:00PM

Please join us Thursday, June 4th, to share adventure plans, stories, and itineraries with other students going (or having been) to Berlin, Argentina, Costa Rica, Rome, Amsterdam and other parts the world. Refreshments will be provided.

directions & map
Cosmopolitan - Downtown Seattle
819 Virginia St
Seattle, WA 98101 US

bus: The 71, 72, 73 buses run between UW and downtown approximately every 10 minutes. you can pick up the bus across the street from Solstice cafe on University Ave at 42nd St. Get off the bus at the downtown bus station, walk north to 9th & Virginia.

parking- there is street parking of the sort where you pay at a centralized meter and are provided a parking sticker. if you drive, i would recommend car-pooling.

Updates--Language Instruction June 11

Updates for the week of June 11

June 11, 4:30-6:20--Join us for a German language crash course, MGH 206 (same room as always). David Canfield-Budde, Germanics Ph.D. and instructor of the EFS course "Culture Clash!: fall of the wall" will teach the session.

Following the crash course, we will screen a documentary about the fall of the wall from the Turkish perspective. Tuna Kuyucu, our guest speaker on May 28, will host the screening. 6:30-7:30 (same room).

Pizza and drinks provided. Please rsvp!

German History--this week's seminar

Germany map


Germania, extent in 2nd Century AD





**Holy Roman Empire, circa 1200

Germany in 1815




Germany in 1871—Kingdom of Prussia regions in blue

Map 1
Map 2
Map 3





**Bismarck crowns Prussian King at Versailles 1871


**Europe in 1914 (also links to Europe 1919 map)


Third Reich maximum expansion (1942)




Sachsenhausen KZ ("Arbeit Macht Frei")--near Berlin



Dresden in ruins (Feb. 1945)




Sovs hang banner from Reichstag Bldg

Berlin street scene, May '45


Allied occupation zones, 1945


Occupation zones in Berlin

Berlin, 17 June 1953 (Leipziger Strasse)




Berlin Wall




JFK 1963

The Wall, 9 Nov. 1989




Holocaust Memorial, Berlin (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe)

Berlin Klassiktage (Classical Music Festival)

For those of you arriving early...

Berlin Klassiktage
Start date: 16 July 2009
End date: 3 August 2009
The Berlin Klassiktage is an annual festival of classical music with evening concerts held in spectacular, historic settings all over the city. On the programme are chamber and ensemble pieces by popular classical composers like Bach, Mozart and Chopin.
Berlin, Germany
Perlen der Klassik Website (http://www.berliner-schlosskonzerte.de)

Berlin Wall as a Piece of History: Too-Good Riddance?

Berlin Wall as a Piece of History: Too-Good Riddance?

By Craig Whitlock
BERLIN -- Two decades after they triumphantly tore down the infamous wall
that divided their city, Berliners are having some regrets.

art and the wall

New York Times Article: over-the-wall
http://niemann.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/over-the-wall/

UTUBE Video--Stand By Me

From our friend John.

"This video is a song created by artists all over the world who have never met. A guy globetrotted for a couple years finding street performers and had them compile sound bits to make a cover of "Stand By Me." The result is pretty astounding, as you'll see and hear."

http://www.playingforchange.com/episodes/2/Stand_by_Me

Blog Post, etc.

Hi Group,
As noted on the syllabus, please:

-continue to post your preliminary findings, musings,etc. about your topic. What is your process and progress? What have you found out so far? What is your central question? Also, blog short response to one of the readings (one out of the two) and bring one question to ask of our guest speaker on Thursday.

Groups- preliminary suggestions

Here's how I see the 7 groups coming together. Some of the groups seem to be set, others are still developing so what you see below are suggestions. Please add your thoughts.

Also, We would like to meet with each of you this coming week. We have suggestions and resources to share. Please send me your availability for next week, M-F (villegas@u):

Fashion/Globalization/Media
--Cassie, Molly, Natalia

Border and Identity Politics (immigration/migration and psychological borders)
--Anna, Joe, Trang

East and West as represented in film, security, and ??
--Robert , John, and Catherine

Music and Media east/west divide
--Daniel, Fan, Amy

Monuments and Memorials (physical manifestations of memory, border via art and architecture)
--Lauren N, Adam, ??

Psychological & National Borders
Kelsi, Sally, Katie

Youth Culture (borders and identity as expressed in youth of today and comparison with experience during pre fall of wall and WWII periods)
--Muhammed, Michael, Lauren M.

Elroy?

Other option for a group
Education (east/west, pre and post wall)

In Budapest: a snapshot of a world now at risk

Here's an interesting article about Budapest, former capital of Communist Hungary...

In Budapest: a snapshot of a world now at risk

Two Memorials-two opinions

Here's a recent article in the NYT critical of the Jewish Museum in Berlin:
In Berlin, Teaching Germany's Jewish History
The writer applauds the Holocaust Memorial. Interesting to see such diverse (and strong) opinions.
Here's a piece about the Holocaust Memorial:
Holocaust Memorial Opens in Berlin

Turkish Hip Hop

Read about

New Arts in Berlin-Sasha Waltz

"Located in the heart of Berlin where the Districts Mitte, Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg meet, RADIALSYSTEM is a new, privately owned cultural forum developed to close the missing link in Berlin’s cultural landscape.

RS is music/dance studio combined together with architecture, modern art, and multimedia, all functioning together as a flexible ‘instrument’ is to become reality.

RADIALSYSTEM is designed to operate on the concept of a radi(c)al opening of the arts to the public, who here are given the chance to participate in the experience and unfolding of the
creative process.
Sasha Waltz Radial system

More info here

Bavarian Quarter Plaque Memorials

16,000 Jews lived in the Bavarian Quarter of Berlin's Schöneberg district.

6000 Jews from Schöneberg were deported or killed.

"This decentralized memorial comprises 80 two-sided plaques on 80 lampposts throughout the neighborhood. The stark contrast between an innocent-looking everyday item on one side, and the official Nazi statute succeed in surprising even the casual passer-by. In the gallery below, the statute is given first, followed by an English paraphrase of its meaning. Horizontal lines are used to group the front and back of the individual signs.

The central question of the memorial is "How could it come it this?" and is designed as a web of remembrance. The goal of the memorial is to focus on the many small steps in the persecution of the Jews that affected the "everyday lives" of the inhabitants of the Bavarian Quarter.

Bavarian Quarter Plaque Memorials

RHYTHM IS IT!

Berlin, January 2003. In a former bus depot something amazing is happening. 250 pupils from 25 nations ranging in age from eight to early 20s from all social classes, multiple countries and ethnic backgrounds are dancing to Stravinsky’s Sacre du Printemps, which they have rehearsed for nearly three months, trained by the British choreographer Royston Maldoom and accompanied by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under its chief conductor, Sir Simon Rattle. A delightful and moving record of the fascination of music, of the need for safeguarding education and training, of passion, diligence, love, esteem and zest.

Directors Thomas Grube and Enrique Sánchez Lansch, follow the putting-on-a-show musical over six weeks of rehearsal concluding with the kids in performance, and it is a sight worth beholding. It is a joyous revelation for the kids when they realise what they can and have achieved. Acclaimed editing, stellar cinematography and a brilliant sound mix emotional elevate this film to become an unparalleled audio visual feast.

Rhythm is it!

Religion in Germany

Interesting article (from Manuela's blog)

Read it here

Art of Two Germanys/Cold War Divide

Here's an interesting exhibit that just ended in Los Angeles. After LACMA, the exhibition will travel to Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nürnberg (May 23–September 6, 2009), and Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin (October 3, 2009–January 10, 2010).

Art of Two Germanys/Cold War Divide

and more art

The Wall Jumper

Kreuzberg Turks and New Berlin Wall

Article about the dynamics of Kreuzberg area and comments on identity:

Kreuzberg Turks

Wall of Shame--NYT article

Interesting article in NYT:

Wall of Shame