German-Jewish Studies Migration and Memory (Fall Term +)

The German Studies Department and the Jewish Studies Program offer a joint Fall Term+ program in Berlin, Germany, led by two Dartmouth faculty members, Veronika Fuechtner and Susannah Heschel, who will jointly teach one three-week course between fall term and winter term. 

This innovative course will be an intensive immersion in the history of Jews in Berlin's vibrant intellectual, cultural and political life from the late eighteenth century to the present. The program will meet daily, with tours of major relevant sites in Berlin and the surrounding areas, including museums, concentration camps, neighborhoods, memorials, and houses of worship. The course also includes seminar discussions, evenings at the theater, concerts, lectures, and meetings with political leaders, scholars, writers, musicians, artists, and clergy.  We will also spend five days traveling together in Poland.  

This program is fast paced and academically rigorous, and it will include a pre-departure reading list as well as readings throughout the program.  Students will take a final exam at the end of their stay in Berlin.  As we are discussing topics such as war, racism, antisemitism, and genocide on a daily basis, the course might be an emotionally taxing and difficult experience.  It may also feel physically strenuous as the days are long.  It furthermore requires the ability and openness to intensely engage with students and guest speakers in Germany and Poland, and with the Berlin host families.  Not all your interlocutors might share your opinions or might be sensitive to your experiences.  We will create space on the program for you to reflect upon these conversations and assess what you are learning about yourself and others from these experiences.

Students will be required to have completed at least one course in JWST or GERM prior to the trip. They will also be required to participate in four preparatory meetings over the course of the fall quarter prior to their departure in December.

Students live in a homestay for the full duration of the program. The homestay living arrangement is an integral and required component of this program. The homestay experience often offers several benefits, including improved language skills (especially in foreign language environments), deep cultural insights, integration into the local community, the opportunity to experience daily life like a local, and the chance to build meaningful relationships.

The program will be based in the south of Berlin, near the Free University, at the Internationales Begegnungszentrum der Wissenschaft (IBZ), a residential center shared by several Berlin universities and think-tanks.

The program will meet daily, with tours of major relevant sites in Berlin and the surrounding areas, including museums, concentration camps, neighborhoods, memorials, and houses of worship. The course also includes seminar discussion, evenings at theatre, concerts, lectures, and meetings with political leaders, scholars, writers, musicians, artists, and clergy.

In order that all qualified Dartmouth undergraduate students may have the opportunity to take part in off-campus programs, the College endeavors to adjust its normal financial aid awards for students already receiving aid. Tuition and expected family contribution for Dartmouth's off-campus programs are the same as for an on-campus term.

All costs, including airfare and spending money, are considered when determining the cost of an off-campus program. Any costs more than a typical term in Hanover are met with additional Dartmouth Scholarship Funds.  If you have a work expectation for the term, this will be replaced by scholarship funding for programs that span the entire term. We do not replace work expectations for our Fall Term + (GSA) programs as students are in Hanover for the 10 week term and remain eligible to work.

Students are responsible for purchasing their own plane tickets and, in many cases, meals. Often this means that part of the expected family contribution is used towards these costs rather than for tuition. For help sorting out who pays what and how-- a visit to the Financial Aid Office is often advisable.  For more information please also review the study abroad section of the financial aid website.

Financing your program | Financial Aid | Scholarships | Budgeting & Costs