Berlin, Germany

The Making of Europe: From the 20th to the 21st Century

Many deeply impacting developments occurred over the course of the 20th century: Two World Wars were fought, the birth of the European Union and the fall of Communism, just to name a few. Being such a crucial city in Europe’s history in the 20th and 21st century, Berlin is the most logical location for this course. Special emphasis will also be given to Germany's role in the centre of the continent. The city of Berlin, with all its tangible historical remains, will be dealt with as a city of former crisis with great promises for a better future. This will mainly be done by looking through the prism of European integration and the evolution and current challenges of the European Union across different policy fields.

In this course we will try to identify the democratic values that have shaped the rebirth of Europe and discuss the challenges with which present-day Europe is faced. The course will reflect on Europe's place in the global, multi-polar world of the 21st century.

Several excursions will be organized in which you will visit some key historic sites as well as prominent EU and German institutions based in Berlin.

Course leader

Dr. Dörte Ohlhorst

Target group

The course is open to all students from different fields of study with an interest in culture, society and politics. Further, the course requires a minimum language proficiency of B2 in English.

Course aim

At the end of this course, students should be able to:
• Describe and evaluate different theories and conceptualisations of the historic development of Europe, with specific attention for Germany
• Show an understanding of various historic monuments and their relation to historic developments
• Demonstrate an understanding of political, socio-economic and cultural aspects of the European developments
• Demonstrate this critical knowledge and understanding in written and verbal form.

Fee info

EUR 1430: Course + course materials
EUR 400: Housing fee (mandatory)