All Stories

Come to an information session from 4:15 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in Clausen Center 107 to learn about joining a J-Term study tour to Germany and Austria.

Students and faculty in Munich during a J-Term study tour to Germany and Austria.

The history of Germany and Austria is as old as Europe’s, but the place called “Germany” only appeared on maps fewer than 150 years ago, and the size and character of Austria have changed dramatically in the last 100 years. In the time that the United States has existed, the places we think of as Germany and Austria have been parts of multiple monarchies, empires, republics, and dictatorships. People who think of themselves as Germans or Austrians have won and lost wars, including wars amongst themselves. German-speaking people are responsible for amazing cultural and scientific achievements and for genocide. How do these countries come to terms with and remember such a complicated past?

Students stand at the remains of the Berlin Wall during a J-Term study tour to Germany.

These are some of the questions that we will explore in June 2020 when we travel to Berlin, Munich, and Vienna as part of the course we are unofficially calling “Memory, Monuments, and Museums.” The instructors are Professor Temple Burling and Professor Greg Baer. This course meets the College’s Humanities (HUM) and Carthage Symposium (CSym) requirements. Though we will travel in June 2020, this will count as your J-Term 2020 class. No previous experience with German is needed and students from all majors are welcome.

The inside of a Bavarian restaurant in Munich, Germany, during a J-Term study tour.

We’ll visit museums, monuments, and memorials, but we’ll also talk to German people to look for answers — and to ask our own questions. You’ll have a chance to see great art and hear amazing music. And we’ll make excursions to Neuschwanstein Castle in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps and to the former concentration camp at Dachau. There will also be ample free time for you to explore each of the three cities on your own — on foot and using public transportation.

You can also contact Prof. Baer at gbaer@carthage.edu in advance of this meeting to request an application form and an informational flyer via e-mail.

SPONSORING DEPARTMENT, OFFICE, OR ORGANIZATION:

Modern Languages Department

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Greg Baer gbaer@carthage.edu