History in Berlin

Independence

Trip price

Trip duration

All undergraduate students studying History modules (HIST) eligible to participate on this opportunity. There is a maximum of 20 places available, with a minimum of 15 participants required for this opportunity to take place. Students are recommended to check the eligibility criteria before applying.

Trip description

This trip to Berlin will allow students to become familiar with one of the most important European cities by visiting key museums and memorial sites, walking, using public transport and experiencing local cultures. This opportunity is directly aligned to two particular modules: ‘Global Cold War’ (HIST2041) and ‘The War at Home, 1939-45’ (HIST3041).

The curriculum of ‘Global Cold War’ includes learning on Germany and Berlin, as the epicentre of this conflict. A visit to the DDR Museum will allow students to experience the history of the German Democratic Republic, the surveillance of its citizens which took place and the artefacts involved.

The module on the ‘The War at Home’ focuses on the British and German home fronts and will allow students to experience three of the key aspects covered by the German section of the module. First, by visiting the Sachsenhausen Museum, they will experience the architecture of the terror by which the Nazi regime persecuted its political and racial opponents, linking with two of the sessions on the module on ‘Genocide on the Home Front’ and ‘Repression and Resistance’. A visit to the Gesundbrunnen Bunker will allow students to live the realities of the bombing which increasingly dominated the everyday lives of Germans during the Second World War as their cities were destroyed as a result of British and American bombing.

Skill development

This opportunity has been designed to help develop the following DMU Graduate Attributes:

Creativity

Organisational skills

Communication skills

Agility & Adaptability

Cultural activities

Participants will experience life in one of continental Europe’s leading cities over five days, travelling through different parts of Berlin as they visit three museums located across the city. Alongside the academic programme, students will engage with the city’s distinctive culture through its food, architecture and urban environment. The architecture, in particular, provides an insight into both the history of Berlin and the wider history of Europe.

Students will be introduced to the city by Professor Panayi, who has visited Berlin on numerous occasions as both a historian and researcher, undertaking work in the city’s libraries and archives, as well as presenting at conferences. Participants will also have free time to explore locations of personal interest independently or with other members of the group.