German Culture 110 taught me very much about current and past
German Culture, History, what's changed in Germany, and also very
much about the world today. The professor was not only able to teach
us all about Germany, but brought up many issues involving the U.S.
and the world today. I think that is what college should be all
about; opening up your mind to knew ideas and reflecting on what you
have learned, gaining a better understanding of today's issues. He
also expanded on each subject, and each class member's blog during
presentations to help the class understand the significance of each
topic. The whole blog setup was very new to me. I had never taken a
class that ran off of a blog, but after experiencing it, I expect it
will be something that I might see in the future while taking similar
classes. It took me a little bit to get used to the format and
everything, but once I did, it became very easy for me to find where
we were in class, what was expected, and compared my work with other
classmates to make sure that it was up to par.
The class began by the students taking part in a group project on
the subject of Germany's states. I think this was a great way to
start so that we could all understand the cities and areas that are
being referred later on in the class. After that, there was another
group project on the political system of Germany. Our group was quite
large which made it difficult to meet up, but given today's
technology, we were able to make it work. While going through those
topics we were also reading "All Quiet on the Western Front."
This was a book depicting a young WWI soldier's experiences. It was
graphic and moving, giving the reader an in depth look at what it may
have been like in the trenches. This book not only helped us learn a
little more about German culture, but provoked thoughts on war and
what it does to people. We did took an in depth look at the messages
relayed by the author in each chapter, and the book as a whole.
Unlike most books or movies, this novel ended with the death of the
main character and no happy ending. I think this helps the reader
realize that that was the feeling for many who lost friends and
family in war, there is no happy ending. The next unit included
multiple presentations on the history of German literature, arts,
industry, and a few other topics. This was essentially an all-around
history lesson of Germany. Many students probably realized how many
different things actually come from Germany, like the printing press,
Bayer, and the Brothers Grimm. Once we finished with history, we
began the viewing of a couple films, "Berlin Calling" and
"The Baader-Meinhof Complex" to help us gain and
understanding of current German Youth culture. I thought these two
were very interesting movies but at the same time very informational.
Berlin Calling focused on the life of a new DJ, and his experiences
with drugs and a fast paced party lifestyle. The Baader-Meinhoff
Complex was about the RAF, which was an extremist group focused on
taking down the current government system and capitalism. The film
showed us the progression of the group using peaceful protest to
violent armed bank robberies and kidnappings. Although these movies
were set in Germany and scripted in German, they portrayed issues
that are facing the entire world today and opened the class's mind to
new ways of thinking. I very much enjoyed the class discussion
following the movie about violence vs. non-violence. This class was
definitely a mind opener; a much needed break from the constant
redundancies of normal class. After the films, every student
researched a popular German food. It was fun to check out what
German's eat, and hopefully soon I get to try much of them myself.
Overall, the class was very insightful and thought provoking on
many different German and world issues. I would recommend taking this
class for anyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment