Bremen Summer Immersion

May 21 to June 25, 2007

Bremen, Germany

Program Overview

The five-week Bremen program provides the opportunity to put language skills to practical use by living and studying in Germany’s smallest city-state. The program is arranged in partnership with the University of Bremen, which provides instruction in German language and culture.Students live and eat in German homes, participate in field trips arranged by the program director, and explore the many corners of Bremen and its environs.

The Setting

A beautiful, old Hanseatic city and one of Germany’s most important commercial harbors, Bremen is home to about a half-million people. It is filled with many fine examples of medieval and Renaissance architecture, but also features a large, modern business section. It is the home of large corporations (Beck’s Beer, Mercedes Benz, the Airbus industry), numerous art and folklore museums, classical and experimental theaters, and one of the most innovative television studios in Germany. During their stay, students learn about the history, art, and politics of Germany by using Bremen as their central laboratory.

Academics

Prerequisites: The program is open to students who have successfully completed the intermediate college level of German (GERMN-116 at Dickinson).

GERMN-220: The Bremen Practicum

Students who successfully complete this program will earn one course credit (the equivalent of four semester hours). Students will receive a letter grade for the course. Program participants are required to abide by a language policy to speak only in German for the duration of the program.

Mornings are spent in class at the University of Bremen where professors cover topics such as contemporary German society, German history, and advanced language skills. Several afternoons each week, students go on field trips to points of interest in and around Bremen and in other areas of Germany. These trips put classroom learning to immediate, practical use. Specialized lectures give perspectives on social issues, politics, history, the arts, and the environment.

Program Activities

In the past, excursions have been to the Emigration Museum in Bremerhaven, the artists’ colony of Worpswede, Celle and Bergen-Belsen, Cologne and the Rhine River, and Hamburg. The director will try to plan trips based on expressed interests of the program participants.

Accommodations

Participants will live in German homes, taking morning and evening meals with their German host families except when special arrangements are made ahead of time. These homes are scattered throughout the city and suburbs of Bremen. Interaction with German host families is an effective way to gain a better understanding of German home life. Individual student initiative will usually determine the kind and amount of interpersonal contact derived from the living situation. Participants will also receive a pass for Bremen’s public transportation system, providing them with easy travel to and from the host home and in and around the city.

On-Site Administration

Students are escorted to Bremen by the program director who provides support during the five-week program. The summer 2007 program director is Laurel Cohen-Pfister, assistant professor of German at Gettysburg College, whose teaching interests include German cultural studies and contemporary German literature.

Program Cost

The comprehensive program fee will be approximately $4,900, which covers tuition, room, two daily meals with your German host family, planned academic excursions, and a Bremen public transportation pass. Students receive a weekly stipend to cover the cost of lunches. Not included in the program fee are primary medical and accident insurance, travel costs to Bremen, and all other incidental expenses.

For more information, contact

Assistant Professor Laurel Cohen-Pfister

Department of German, Gettysburg College

Tel.: 717-337-6882

E-mail: cohenpfi@dickinson.edu