GERST 2002

Abroad to Germany

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2014-2015.

This course prepares students to undertake a one-week research trip to Germany during spring semester. Students will choose and investigate a research topic that will allow them to delve into questions and practices relating to cultural communication. Possible topics include migrant and minority cultures; privacy and data protection; environmental conservation and the challenge of climate change. Besides the one-week travel the course involves pre- and post-travel sessions on the Cornell campus. The first part of the course is devoted to analyzing different ways of defining culture, as well as related concepts of inter- and transculturality, based primarily but not exclusively on the work of cultural anthropologist Joana Breidenbach. In the second part we will apply these theoretical concepts to the chosen research topic as we explore local contexts during the travel to Germany. Our post-travel sessions will be devoted to interrogating the mechanism and reach of stereotypical categorization and cultural claims in addition to assessing the outcomes of the research we conducted on the collaborative project. The aim of the course is to foster awareness of cultural difference and local contexts, as well as the critical ability to describe and question the stereotypical assumptions that underpin cultural identity. 

Permission Note Enrollment limited to: 8 students (students in the Language House given preference). Taught in German. Students must apply for the trip (link to be provided).  A $1000 fee applies for current residents of the Language House.  Non Language House students must cover all travel costs.
Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: GERST 2000 or above or equivalent.

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