Film Review: Am Rand der Städte (On the Outskirts)
Posted in conjunction with the course Multicultural Germany in fall semester 2015. Author: Angel (Jingwei) Li Am Rand der Städte (On the Outskirts) Film Production Studio: Harun Farocki Filmproduktion Running Time: 83 min DVD Release Year: 2007 Director: Aysun Bademsoy Writer: Aysun Bademsoy -Alone but not lonely. The documentary is a compilation of individual interviews […]
Book Review: Along a Dangerous Road
Posted in conjunction with the course Multicultural Germany in fall semester 2015. Author: Evelyn Roth Along a Dangerous Road – “Der Schlaf in der Ténéré hinterlässt eine unzerstörbare Spur im Körper. Eine Erinnerung für das ganze Leben“ (Sleeping in the Ténéré leaves its mark within one’s body. A memory that will last a life time)”[1]. The same thing can […]
Multicultural Germany Course: Week 6 Summary (Oct. 5 & 7)
Migration brings both culture and religion. This week in our course we focused on religion and secularism, acknowledging the complexity of the terms in context of past and current migrations related to Germany. Our discussion found its beginnings in questions such as: Does religion form part of collective memory? Which conflicts arise around differing religious […]
Multicultural Germany Course: Week 4 Summary (Sept. 21 & 23)
Who defines identity? Germany’s struggle with inclusivity. This last week in class, we discussed the limits of Germany’s capacity to take in immigrants and what it means to be German. Proponents of reducing the number of foreigners in Germany believe that the “boat” of Germany’s capacity for incorporation of foreigners is “full.” To these native-born […]
Multicultural Germany Course: Summary of the First Two Weeks
To summarize the first two weeks of the seminar “Multicultural Germany” (fall 2015) it is best to start off with the participants: One third of the class is exchange students, mostly from Germany. Due to this the class can benefit from the insights and background information these students bring to the table. Another bonus is […]
German-Chinese Business Communication: An Interview with Anne Schreiter
MGP research apprentice Yiran Wang recently interviewed Anne Schreiter, a visiting scholar at the UC Berkeley German Department. Anne received her Ph.D. in Organization Studies and Cultural Theory with a focus on Sociology from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Her dissertation examines sense-making mechanisms of managers in the German-Chinese business world. She studied Societal […]
Multicultural Germany Class: Europe and Beyond
As the Spring 2014 semester is coming to an end, this will be the last post in our series of student reflections on the UC Berkeley undergraduate seminar “Multicultural Germany.” This week’s summary is by Tanja Mehlo: In the last week of class, we continued discussing Europe and its internal and external borders and how these borders are used to […]
Book Review: “Septembertee”
As part of their work for the Multicultural Germany undergraduate seminar at UC Berkeley, students in the course have reviewed recent German books relating in various ways to topics of migration, multiculturalism, and contemporary German identity. Julia Schroeder reviewed Renan Demirkan’s memoir Septembertee oder Das geliehene Leben: In der 2008 erschienenen Autobiographie Septembertee: oder das […]
Evet, Ich will!
The movie revolves around three different couples who have to overcome familial and cultural obstacles to be with their ones they love. A man looking for a bride-for-hire also learns the hard way that expectations and reality do not always come together well. Links: IMDB, Film official website Genre(s): comedy, romance Director: Sinan Akkus Cast: […]
Book Review: “Scherbenpark” (Broken Glass Park)
UC Berkeley undergraduate Brittany Scott reviewed Alina Bronsky’s 2008 novel Broken Glass Park: Broken Glass Park is a young adult novel that brilliantly emphasizes how differences in nationality can impact one individual’s life in a multiplicity of ways. The main protagonist Sascha fights against the stereotypes the bloody murder of her mother perpetuates as well as cultural stereotypes, […]